childcare vouchers and maternity leave

auntiefi

Hope someone can help. Ive been searching high and low for a definitive answer to this question but cant find anything in black and white.
I'm on maternity leave, I had 6 months full pay, 3 months statutory pay and 1 months unpaid Additional maternity leave.
I was under the impression that your employers are obliged to provide childcare vouchers throughout your whole maternity leave up to a year. They have up until now provided them then this month (unpaid), they havent and say they dont have to. can anyone clarify please. (I'm in Scotland if that makes any difference and am a civil servant)

karenx

Childcare vouchers come out your wages so if you didnt get any pay you wont of been able to pay for the vouchers through your salery?

[Deleted User]

karenx wrote: »

Childcare vouchers come out your wages so if you didnt get any pay you wont of been able to pay for the vouchers through your salery?

No this is not correct!

There is a big loophole in the scheme as Women on Maternity Leave are entitled to there contractual benefits including childcare vouchers. There have been cases of Women recieving these for a couple of Years whilst not working when they have 2 pregnancies close together (Maternity Leave, followed by annual leave, then straight onto 2nd Maternity leave) whilst retaining Childcare Vouchers, Company Cars etc etc.

Understandable many Employers are not happy about it. I will post some links for further guidance:

http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2009/07/09/51382/childcare-vouchers-and-salary-sacrifice-during-maternity-leave-the-true-cost-of-childcare-vouchers.html

http://www.ecu.ac.uk/your-questions/do-we-need-to-provide-childcare-vouchers-for-the-full-duration-of-maternity-leave

amus

Whilst you are getting the 6 months full pay they will come out of your wage as normal, however, once you go onto SMP and AML they are obliged to provide them in addition to you SMP, and also whilst you are on AML. Hope this makes sense!

I know cause I had the same dilemma and also work for the civil service.

There's a section on SMP on the HMRC website which gives a list of scenario's and what you would be entitled to which I found really helpful, sorry dont have the link.