Maternity Leave..

Olza23

Hi all

We had our first daughter 11-11-12 and has been amazing since then, more to the point my fianc! went on maternity leave 1/10/2012. We have now found out we are expecting again on the 29/10/2013 and just had a few questions in regards to maternity pay.

She is employed by the Halifax and her maternity pay is as follows:

6 weeks full pay
20 weeks 50% or SMP whichever is greater
20 weeks at SMP.

Our question is obviously the government is paying her SMP and we wanted to know when this would end? It will be difficult to go back to work as she will be 36 weeks pregnant at the end of her maternity leave.

Basically we are just a bit confused about the whole maternity pay and what happens with her employer/employment.

Kayalana99

Hopefully someone will be along to explain to you, but I am in abit of a rush :-)

Basic question: If she is working for halifax why is the govermant paying her and not halifax?

She needs to let her employer know either way so they can pay her maternty pay again :-) Thats right they will have to pay it twice...and if she didnt get it at hailfax because she hadn't worked thier long enough well she has now and hailfax will pay her....not really sure why govermant is paying her so clear that up and im sure someone will be along shortly to break it down (if not ill be back tomorrow :L)

Olza23

Hi ive jsut spoken to her and she says that for the first 20 weeks she either got 50% pay or SMP of £135 a week whichever was greater...

Kayalana99

Olza23 wrote: »

6 weeks full pay
20 weeks 50% or SMP whichever is greater
20 weeks at SMP.

Our question is obviously the government is paying her SMP and we wanted to know when this would end? It will be difficult to go back to work as she will be 36 weeks pregnant at the end of her maternity leave.

Right are you SURE about this? I have never heard of any company paying for 46 weeks materinity pay.

Most companys pay 39 weeks, 9 months, but by law you can take off a full year 3months unpaid. I would def check this out.

She needs to tell work she is pregnat by 20 weeks, if she has accured hoildays she can take these before she goes back or before she goes back on matinery leave.

Nothing changes after that, she'd simply go back and then come back off again and get paid similar.

Bare in mind that you can take your matnerity pay 3months eariler before your due date...so techinally she wouldn't have to go back but this means (assuming that its normal 9months paid off) she would only be with the baby for 6months before she had to go back to work as she took it early.

You didn't really answar the question about whether Hailfax is paying her or the goverment...if its the goverment its definaty only 39 weeks.

TTC40

She takes the 46 weeks and during this time advises the Halifax she will be taken mat leave again, starting at the end of the smp period. Then she gets paid in line with mat policy again.

Olza23

Hi all thanks for your advice. We will be phoning her HR department tommorrow and try and clarify a few things?

TTC40 - with all due respect what your saying seems a bit to good to be true? They way we interpret your statement is after her 46 weeks maternity pay she goes back on maternity pay on the terms that she originally started on? So double maternity leave?

Thanks all and hope to hear from you soon.

TTC40

There is a saying that 'the law's an !!!' - but sometimes these things work in your favour!

To give a bit more of an explanation, an employer cannot penalise a woman for pregnancy/ maternity.

Therefore she has the right to request mat leave whenever she likes (as long as she can prove she's pg!). In her case, she is requesting it to start at the time she returns from mat leave 1. A few comments may be made, but at least she works for a national company and not a small company where it may be harder for the employer to bear.

So yes, double mat leave - unless there is anything specific in her contract in respect of the company mat pay - i.e. everything other than SMP - that she has to have been at work for a period etc. I think this is unlikely as it has the potential to be discriminitory.

Look forward to hearing an update after the call tomorrow.

Triangle

Hi

I had my son in June 2012. I then fell pregnant again four months later. I finished my 'first' maternity leave at the end of February. Then had March as annual leave (this had been accured while on leave). Our annual leave year starts in April so I am using my year's entitlement for this month before starting my second maternity leave at the beginning of May (the earliest date possible). I intend going back in April 2014.

T

TTC40

Oh yes - forgot about accruing annual leave.

She can take this before mat leave 2 - although if the baby comes before annual leave finished then mat leave 2 will need to start the day the baby is born.

sweaty_betty

Something that came to mind when reading this is that there's a period of time (maybe 17-24 weeks?) which is the basis of calculating maternity pay. So if you were on SMP (or less) during these weeks you may not get a very high level of mat pay.

I'm happy to be proved wrong on this, but I do remember a colleague having to return to work from mat leave early (before 17 weeks) so that she would get the full company maternity pay package again.

Kayalana99

sweaty_betty wrote: »

Something that came to mind when reading this is that there's a period of time (maybe 17-24 weeks?) which is the basis of calculating maternity pay. So if you were on SMP (or less) during these weeks you may not get a very high level of mat pay.

I'm happy to be proved wrong on this, but I do remember a colleague having to return to work from mat leave early (before 17 weeks) so that she would get the full company maternity pay package again.

Correct xx