How to keep a business running during maternity leave

Self-employment can offer the flexibility and autonomy many of us need, but when it comes to maternity leave, it can be a different story. Not only is maternity pay less than half of the National Living Wage, many self-employed women worry that taking time away to recover and care for a baby could mean losing clients. They’re left with an impossible choice: take the time they need and hope their business is still there when they return, or go back to work too soon and sacrifice valuable time to recover and bond with their baby.

The number of women in self-employment in the last quarter of 2025 was the highest recorded since mid-2020, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). While the number of men in self-employment has stayed largely consistent, there were 1.637 million self-employed women at the end of last year – up from 1.478 million in 2021.

The UK government’s comprehensive review of the parental leave and pay system, which covers maternity, paternity and shared parental leave, is an 18-month project due to conclude by the end of 2026 or early 2027. What changes, if any, come from the review remain to be seen. In the meantime, women are having to find ways to navigate an inadequate system.

"Let's be honest about what maternity leave actually looks like for self-employed women: there is no statutory safety net, no guaranteed income, and no one to hand the client list to while you're gone,” says Berit Block, head of international marketing at Constant Contact, a marketing platform used by self-employed and small businesses.

“Many women on maternity leave aren't switching off. They're trying to keep a business alive with one hand while doing everything else with the other.”

So, how can you keep your business running and your clients happy while taking the maternity leave you’re entitled to?

(William Fortunato/Pexels)

Use scheduling software

Marketing technology built specifically for small businesses can help. “Scheduling emails weeks in advance means your customers still hear from you when you're not at your desk, or not at your desk for three months,” says Block. 

“Automated follow-up sequences mean no lead goes cold just because you weren't there to respond. And customer segmentation (the process of dividing a company’s customer base into smaller groups based on demographics) means that when you do come back, you're not starting from scratch.”

Use your KIT (Keep in touch) days

KIT (keep in touch) days are designed to let you do some work while still receiving maternity allowance. You can work up to 10 KIT days without affecting your payments. But remember, any amount of work done on a single day counts as a full KIT day. Use them wisely and do as much as you can in one KIT day..

It's also a good idea to keep a record of when and how much work you complete on your KIT days, even if the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) doesn't require proof of earnings for the days worked.

Plan out your KIT days

It can help to plan how you’ll use your KIT days in advance, so you can make the most of the time available. For example, you could use your first KIT day to reconnect with clients by email, then use your second to follow up on those conversations and pick up any work that needs your attention.

If you use one KIT day every two weeks, your 10 days could be spread across around five months, allowing you to stay connected with your business while continuing your maternity leave and maternity pay.

Remember maternity leave looks different for everyone 

There’s often an assumption that maternity leave should look a certain way, but the reality is that every mum’s circumstances will be different. While some women may feel guilty about returning to work early, others may have financial pressures, business commitments or simply find that staying connected to work works better for them.

Rachel Carrell, founder of Koru Kids, experienced this first-hand. After having her baby, she was back at work the following week. “We were raising money for my childcare company, and I felt I could not stop. It was tough, but, and this is probably an unpopular take, it was also weirdly fun and I don't regret it at all,” she says.

Rachel is keen to stress that her experience was a personal choice rather than an expectation she placed on others. “Everyone else at Koru Kids who had a baby took proper maternity leave, while several dads took extended paternity leave,” she says.

Join a self-employed community

One of the most underrated things you can do during maternity leave is join a community that can help you feel less isolated. When you’re working for yourself, Facebook and LinkedIn groups can provide a valuable space to connect with others, bounce around ideas, ask questions and remind you that you’re not navigating it all alone.

“The businesses that come back strongest after maternity leave are almost always the ones that set up their systems and their support networks before they leave,” says Block. “For anyone running a business without a team behind them, that combination of the right tools and the right community can make all the difference.”