NHS Maternity pay questions?

gt568

I'm hoping somebody can help clear up a few questions regarding NHS maternity pay. My wife is employed by the NHS as a nurse, and we are looking at possibly starting a family, but we're unsure of maternity pay.

Looking at the NHS website it says that for your 1st 8 weeks you get full pay less any Statutory pay and benefits. Now my question is thus: Does this mean you get full pay minus £400 approx of SMP or does this mean you get full pay but no SMP?

It then goes on to say 18 weeks at half pay + SMP. So if say you get paid £1000 a month, then you would be better off in this 18 weeks rather than your 1st 8 weeks. IE £1000-£400SMP = £600 a month for 1st 8 weeks vs £500(half pay) + £400SMP = £900

Surely this cannot be right. Has anybody got any recent experience of the NHS maternity scheme? MTIA. I hope this makes since.

katglasgow

Hi I'm with the NHS. My trust have yet to uodate their policy, and their website is a long way behind that! In order to get accurate advice, you really need to contact your HR person!

FYI I have been working with the NHS for over a year and therefore will be getting maximum benefits:
1st 8 weeks is full pay (some of this comes in form of SMP, the rest is OCP but the bottom line is you should receive full pay).

Weeks 9 to 26 (this is 18 weeks) is half pay every month and SMP on top of that (this is calculated weekly from Sun to Sat) so some months it works out at 4 weeks smp, and some 5 weeks.

Weeks 27 to 39 are SMP only, as above there will be 4 week and 5 week months just depend on how dates fall.

SMP is taxed and NI, you can also keep pension goung throughout, but might want to stop it just before your half pay stops.

Another thing that I believe is important if you work shifts and your incoem fluctuates is that the amount on money that you earn between weeks 17 and 25 of your pregnancy is the figure used to calculate your "average earnings" and therefore any figures for what you full pay is would be based on these calculations. I dont know much about this, just what others have told me, but if she works shifts and allowance change, then its worth looking onto.

Hope that helps a bit!

gt568

katglasgow wrote: »

Hi I'm with the NHS. My trust have yet to uodate their policy, and their website is a long way behind that! In order to get accurate advice, you really need to contact your HR person!

FYI I have been working with the NHS for over a year and therefore will be getting maximum benefits:
1st 8 weeks is full pay (some of this comes in form of SMP, the rest is OCP but the bottom line is you should receive full pay).

Weeks 9 to 26 (this is 18 weeks) is half pay every month and SMP on top of that (this is calculated weekly from Sun to Sat) so some months it works out at 4 weeks smp, and some 5 weeks.

Weeks 27 to 39 are SMP only, as above there will be 4 week and 5 week months just depend on how dates fall.

SMP is taxed and NI, you can also keep pension goung throughout, but might want to stop it just before your half pay stops.

Another thing that I believe is important if you work shifts and your incoem fluctuates is that the amount on money that you earn between weeks 17 and 25 of your pregnancy is the figure used to calculate your "average earnings" and therefore any figures for what you full pay is would be based on these calculations. I dont know much about this, just what others have told me, but if she works shifts and allowance change, then its worth looking onto.

Hope that helps a bit!

Unfortunately the wife doesn't want to contact the HR people just yet for some reason.

Anyway thanks for your reply, and thats exactely what I thought until I read this, Pay Circular (A for C) 2/2007 http://www.nhsemployers.org/pay-conditions/pay-conditions-2338.cfm . If you read 2/2007 and look at para 15.21 point 1 you'll see it says the employee will recieve full pay, less any statutory maternity pay or maternity allowance recievable.

This is what I found worrying in that does it mean Full pay minus the SMP, or is it saying as you said and essentially full pay. Have you had this confirmed by your HR people?

Suewre

I believe it means that the NHS will pay your wife full pay less the maternity pay that she will be entitled to, so that she will get the payment from the NHS as well as the statutory maternity pay (if she is entitled to it). In other words, they will top up the maternity pay to the full pay rate for the first 8 weeks (so in effect, your wife will get full pay).

inkie

I believe it means that the NHS will pay your wife full pay less the maternity pay that she will be entitled to, so that she will get the payment from the NHS as well as the statutory maternity pay (if she is entitled to it). In other words, they will top up the maternity pay to the full pay rate for the first 8 weeks (so in effect, your wife will get full pay).

Yep, that's right. Also to consider if your wife is a community nurse and has a lease car, payments will still need to be made for this when on mat leave. The 'qualifying weeks' are worth noting - I was working pt, but made sure that I got in some good 'unsocial shifts', and some overtime during those weeks.

caleo

The SMP is paid as part of your wife's income, so the Trust she works for will topp this up so that she takes home the same amount of pay that she normally gets.

When it reduces to half pay, she will get half of her regular pay plus the £400 odd SMP, which is all taxed. This is paid until week 26. After this, it is just the SMP at £400 odd per month until 9 Months.

HTH
Caleo

poppyscorner

I have just finished my maternity leave and I had my baby before the qualifying april 1st for 39 wks maternity leave so I had 26wks my first eight I had my usual pay about £1165 ish then when it switched to half pay I had about £900 (both these amounts were take home pay) so that was the difference in my pay not too vast but if things are stretched financially it could make a big difference.
My trust also offered to spread payments equally through all my months off so this might be worth looking into.
Does she not have a policies folder at work because she could get the policy from there and get a copy to read at her leisure at home without anyone knowing.

Poppy x

hellies

Hi am have just started looking into my maternity pay with nhs too, as am expecting my second child in february. The latest up to date policy in my trust (should be same accross the nhs i think) is simply, providind she has more than 12 months continuous service: 6 weeks full pay, then the rest of the first 6 months at half pay + £112 p/w SMP, then a further 3 months at £112 p/w SMP, then the last 3 months can be taken as unpaid. Obviously this broken down into weeks in the policy but this is a rough breakdown to simplify it!! She will be able to get the policy from her trusts internet site. I hope this helps.

scottishkat

now i am so confused. i work for the nhs in scotland and they havent updated their maternity policy but when i contacted HR (who are really crap where i am) they forwarded me the 2002 maternity guidlines which say for over 1 year service i should get
8 weeks full pay (that seems to be the same as everyone else)
only 10 weeks half pay + smp - not the up to 6 months other people have been quoted
then i have been told that the rest (up to 9 months) is just smp

katglasgow - you are up in scotland too so our policies should definitely be the same. i dont suppose you have been given anything in writing - feel free to pm me, i would be very greatful!!

hellies

Scotland may be different but the law changed in england in april 2007 for all people in claiming maternity SMP to get 9 months instead of the 6 months they used to offer.

katglasgow

Hi to All,I am in Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS. The situation here is that the new policy has not yet been completed which is why you will still be given the old one, however, you should have also been given a mat leave rquest form (the thing you hand in with your MATB1 at 25 weeks) and this DOES have the updated no of weeks on it. All NHS Trusts should now be the same, the only good thing to come of Agenda For Change! Really the best way to get decent info is by asking.Scottish KAT - I am really sorry I would PM you but dont have anything I can email you. However, I did get a confirmation letter from HR upon receipt of my mat leave request form and it does also confirm all dates for new policy and that full pay is for 8 weeks.I hope that helps, Karyn x