Multiple jobs while on maternity leave. 6 April 2022 at 2:54PM in Employment, jobseeking & training 2 replies 163 views

Siarad

I am due to go on maternity leave in July, having pursued parenthood as a solo mother by choice.  I work in a healthcare setting, with a main job role of five days a week and a secondary flexible workchoice shift role.  I also have an additional role outside of my organisation (currently taxed at basic rate) which will keep paying at the same rate during my maternity year and which I intend to keep working in.

I have two considerations that it would be really helpful to have some clarification on.  I intend to go on maternity leave from my main job for approximately a year.  My work's enhanced maternity leave pays full pay for 8 weeks, half pay for 10 weeks, statutory for 21 weeks and 0 pay for the remaining 13 weeks.  If I maintain my additional job outside the organisation (which is currently charged at basic rate, will this interfere with my entitlement to statutory maternity pay from my main role?  Will this change of affect the tax in either pay at all?  

Secondly, I am considering, depending on childcare issues and energy, working one shift a week in my secondary role for my organisation while on maternity leave from when the baby is about four months, in order to supplement the drop in my income.  Do people know if this is something that would be likely to be allowed?  If it were allowed, how might it affect tax paid on the statutory maternity pay?

Marcon

Siarad said:

I am due to go on maternity leave in July, having pursued parenthood as a solo mother by choice.  I work in a healthcare setting, with a main job role of five days a week and a secondary flexible workchoice shift role.  I also have an additional role outside of my organisation (currently taxed at basic rate) which will keep paying at the same rate during my maternity year and which I intend to keep working in.

I have two considerations that it would be really helpful to have some clarification on.  I intend to go on maternity leave from my main job for approximately a year.  My work's enhanced maternity leave pays full pay for 8 weeks, half pay for 10 weeks, statutory for 21 weeks and 0 pay for the remaining 13 weeks.  If I maintain my additional job outside the organisation (which is currently charged at basic rate, will this interfere with my entitlement to statutory maternity pay from my main role?  Will this change of affect the tax in either pay at all?  

Secondly, I am considering, depending on childcare issues and energy, working one shift a week in my secondary role for my organisation while on maternity leave from when the baby is about four months, in order to supplement the drop in my income.  Do people know if this is something that would be likely to be allowed?  If it were allowed, how might it affect tax paid on the statutory maternity pay?

Presumably your employer knows about all your various roles, so why not discuss with them and get them to confirm in writing how your plans might interact (if at all) with the maternity pay you'll be receiving?

These links might also be helpful:

https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/family-and-care/becoming-a-parent/maternity-pay-and-leave

https://workingfamilies.org.uk/articles/what-work-can-you-do-during-maternity-adoption-parental-leave/ [they have an excellent telephone helpline]

kimwp

My organisation does keep in touch days where you can work for full pay (up to ten days total I think) without it affecting maternity pay, might be worth asking about those.