Help with SMP, employer being difficult

pinklipy

Hi everyone,

Looking for a bit advice on SMP rights?
Basically I get paid weekly and due to go on mat leave at the beggining of jan. My employer is saying that my smp may be paid monthly as it's cheaper for her? But I cannot go from being paid weekly to suddenly go without pay for 4 weeks? From what I can make out on websites my smp "should" get paid around the same time as you are usually paid?
Is their any law on this or can I appeal or anything if it goes to monthly?

Thanks in advance.

NotSuchASmugMarriedNow

why is it cheaper for her to pay maternity pay monthly instead of weekly?

pinklipy

Don't have a clue that just what she said when I asked why. When I spoke to her again today about it she just said she was claiming it from hmrc so I'm not sure if that makes it different?

NotSuchASmugMarriedNow

I'm stumped to be honest. Still don't see why claiming the money from hmrc means its cheaper to pay it monthly.

However, I do think it is reasonable for these things to be paid monthly. You say you will have no money to tide you over but surely the babys father has to take some financial responsibility for your condition.

pinklipy

I'm not sure either, think that's what she's been told. I really just wanted to know if I have any rights in regards to it being paid weekly?
The problem is I got in trouble with arrears and just got it all sorted but my 1st payment to arrears comes of in jan or waiting a month for smp to kick in would have been ok. Equally though I don't see why I should get it monthly when my usuall pay is weekly regardless of if I need it or not. When I had my daughter it was automatically weekly pay also.
Thanks for replying :-) though would like to know if anyone knows for definate?

sleepless_saver

It should be paid as you are normally paid. See link. But you might have difficulty enforcing this.

pinklipy

Well that's what I thought also.

On a second thought:
If anyone has been paid smp monthly does it start the day you go on mat leave? So if my mat leave was due to start on Monday and i was getting smp monthly would I get the full months smp on that date? Hope that makes sense lol :-)