Enhanced maternity pay

STACEYALMO13

Hey everyone, after some advice on the below..

I am due to go on maternity leave in October, but my company policy only covers 90% salary for up to 6 weeks and then I will only be able to claim SMP.

Obviously with the cost of living being so high and now an increase on our mortgage things are going to be very tight. My husband earns just over £50k per year so as far as I am aware we wouldn't be able to claim for child benefits.

I just wanted to see if anyone has had any success in writing to their HR/company directors to appeal for enhanced maternity pay....there doesn't seem to be much online about this so hoping someone on here might be able to help/have been in the same situation.

Any support/advice would be much appreciated! 

Thankyou!
  

Brie

While I completely understand your concerns I doubt asking for an enhanced pay will succeed as it would be unfair to anyone else getting mat pay.  Of course you can ask as you don't lose anything by trying.  

You might get further by looking at what other connections you have to anything else.  What about hubby's pat leave pay?  Anything through a union?  Occupational association??  And don't forget about the other freebies you will get - prescription, dental etc.  Not a lot but it might be a some help.  

Spendless

The companies that offer enhanced maternity pay it will be in their list of benefits/perks  that they offer to  all employees (from personal experience I've rarely heard of it, the majority offer the same as you've put). I *believe*  any company that does offer enhanced then if you don't return after maternity you pay the additional bit back. (apologies if I've got this wrong). so I also agree you asking for something not normally available is unlikely to succeed for you.

Your husband could pay more into a pension to take his salary just below £50K which would make you eligible for full CB. On his current salary you would still receive it but have to pay a little back. 

Marcon

STACEYALMO13 said:

Hey everyone, after some advice on the below..

I am due to go on maternity leave in October, but my company policy only covers 90% salary for up to 6 weeks and then I will only be able to claim SMP.

Obviously with the cost of living being so high and now an increase on our mortgage things are going to be very tight. My husband earns just over £50k per year so as far as I am aware we wouldn't be able to claim for child benefits.

I just wanted to see if anyone has had any success in writing to their HR/company directors to appeal for enhanced maternity pay....there doesn't seem to be much online about this so hoping someone on here might be able to help/have been in the same situation.

Any support/advice would be much appreciated! 

Thankyou!
  

Unless they work for the same company as you do, other people's experiences aren't likely to be much help, simply because there's no sort of 'generic' approach you can try. So much depends on the financial health of the company, the attitude of those at the top, your value to the company etc etc. The major problem is that if the company offers you a benefit not generally offered to others, it'll leak (it always does!) and they then open the door to claims of unfair, discrimination and so on.

For every £100 your husband earns above £50,000, 1% of the maximum amount of Child Benefit you're entitled to has to be paid back. If he earns £55,000, 50% has to be repaid; at £60,000 or more payback is 100%, meaning you get no benefit.

Check out all the sources of help going - plenty of free samples for new parents (do a bit of googling) and your local branch of Freecycle may well have things going free which would save you buying: https://www.freecycle.org/find-towns

krusty101

If your company wanted to offer enhanced maternity pay they would be doing it. 

Simon11

Have you looked if your partner is offered paid Shared Paternity Leave? My employer gives 16 weeks full pay, so I took over after wife maternity pay stopped.

Also, you can claim child benefits so look into that.

Also explore nursery's if this is your plan- our local nursery has no spaces until Sept 2025! Additionally look at the government tax free childcare saving 20% off childcare fees.

Khaderbhai

Also did shared parental leave and worked really well, would recommend. If you are not on enhanced mat pay, its extremely unlikely the company would change it in my experience, they are thinking about profit.

May be worth doing an outgoings assessment to see if you can cut your cloth?