Maternity leave and holidays

jovichick123

Hi all

Quick question, the answer might be glaringly obvious but I think my baby brain is taking over today

I am due to start my maternity leave on 8th May 2012, my annual holiday entitlement is 25 days plus bank holidays and I will be taking 9 months off (so anticipated return to work in 2013). How many holidays am I entitled to book before I go off on leave?

Thanks in advance!

Jovi x

agrinnall

The simple answer is that you're entitled to either 33 or 34 days leave this year (depending on whether you get the extra holiday for the jubilee or not), so you'll have worked for about a third of the year by the end of April so you'd be able to book 11-ish days. However, we don't know what your contract says, is the holiday year January - December, are you allowed to take holiday before it's accrued, and do bank holidays have to be taken on the actual day (in which case that accounts for 4 days straight away)? I believe any holiday that you don't take will be carried over to be taken when you return to work.

andy.m_2

why wouldnt you ring HR?

jovichick123

andy.m wrote: »

why wouldnt you ring HR?

I work for a small company with only a few employees - we don't have a HR department. I am the only female and the company has not had to deal with maternity pay and benefits before so I am trying to gather all the relevant information to make it as simplistic as possible.

andy.m_2

There has to be a department that deals with pay, tax, benefits and the like.
This department may only be 1 person in a small firm, or it may be contracted out but there has tobe somebody who deals with it.

Otherwise, just go in and say that you are entitled to 52 weeks full pay with backdated holidays in arrears, they'll never know.
You need to talk to the person in charge, because they will be gathering info as well, not just relying on your comment I'm sure.

Communication is key

clairec79

you can take it all, when I went on maternity leave last year I wasn't going to be back until after the new leave year started, I was told to take all my annual leave before maternity leave started (hence my offical start date being the day before he was due - 2 days AFTER he was actually born)

getmore4less

Holiday year?

agrinnall

clairec79 wrote: »

you can take it all, when I went on maternity leave last year I wasn't going to be back until after the new leave year started, I was told to take all my annual leave before maternity leave started (hence my offical start date being the day before he was due - 2 days AFTER he was actually born)

Just because you were able/told to take it all doesn't mean that applies to the OP, the two things that dicate what can be taken when are employment law and the OP's contract of employment.

getmore4less

agrinnall wrote: »

Just because you were able/told to take it all doesn't mean that applies to the OP, the two things that dicate what can be taken when are employment law and the OP's contract of employment.

The law says an employer can decide when you take it.

I don't think maternity changes that.

Allthough it is recomended that holiday that will acrue during maternity leave is taken before maternity leave,IUI there is no right to take it.