Please help me sort my dates out for maternity pay

[karatekimmi]

Hi, I am hoping someone can help me sort out my dates for getting a better rate of maternity pay.

"The Policy says that at least 26 weeks continuous service with current employer at Qualifying week (15th week before the expected week of child birth) and at least one years continuous service with the LEA at the 11th week before the expected week of childbirth you will be entitled to SMP and AMP"

I started work on the 1st of September and I have worked out the dates but as it is worth a substantial amount of money and think I have just missed out (AF started today), which I think means I need to wait until my next cycle. I really wanted to start TTC as soon as possible

Thanks for any help

[cat811]

It basically means you need to have been working for 26 weeks by the time you are 25 weeks pregnant (ie you couldn't have started the job pregnant, so you're fine there) and then also that by the time you are 29 weeks pregnant, you need to have been there a year, so you need to be 29 weeks on 1/9/14 (or after) so your earliest due date would be 10/11/14 onwards (ish) - so work backwards from that...

(as far as I can make out)

[karatekimmi]

Oh - well if this is my last period before I am pregnant my DD would be 13/11/14. I know it is tight with the dates but it does mean about 5k in maternity pay so I am desperate to get the dates right.

[addictedtosugar]

I agree with 29 weeks on 1 sept, but think that makes a due date of after 17 Nov, meaning your last AF started 10 Feb.
Considering the variations in cycle lengths, and possibility of the scan dating you a few days either side (ie it isn't 100% - friend with IVF had due date from scan 1 week different to known date of conception), if the money is that important, I'd wait a month. Can you imagine getting a EDD of 29 Aug?

[karatekimmi]

yeah, I think I need to wait the month, but part of me thinks, well last time they went from the date I said, rather than the fact that I knew when I conceived. oh well, one more month of free living!!
Thanks for your help.

[MrsBri]

Use this HMRC website. It's very good at calculating dates and pay:

www.gov.uk/maternity-paternity-calculator/y

[MrsBri]

You get SMP if you've worked for a week prior to getting pregnant, basically.

If your company offer an enhanced package you'll have to check the qualifying period for that.

[MrsBri]

Ah, sorry, missed that bit...I agree with the above! :-)

[karatekimmi]

it would be 10 months of mortgage payment so would be the difference between affording time off, compared to having live in a caravan go back to work a few months after. Besides it might take a while to get knocked up!

[naty1]

I had the same with our ivf they went from the size of the baby (crazy if you have a 0-100 percentile baby could maje some difference) though the DD was only 1 day out so.