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Original poster

Maternity pay

191 replies

NoMonNoFunx · 09/10/2025 22:05

What do you All do after 9 months when maternity Pay stops and you want to take the year.
am I being unreasonable to think we should get paid for the year.
I’ve always worked.

OP posts:
JasperTheDoll · 11/10/2025 08:27

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 11/10/2025 07:41

Of course.

Show quote history

I didn't get that memo

MrsBennetsPoorNervesAreBack · 11/10/2025 08:24

"The government" means the taxpayer.

I'm not sure why you think the taxpayer should pay for you to stay at home for longer simply because you didn't plan very well?

Bobiverse · 11/10/2025 08:24

JasperTheDoll · 11/10/2025 07:40

All you people saying save, do all of you actually plan when to have a baby?

Obviously. Of course you plan your children.

Btowngirl · 11/10/2025 08:18

JasperTheDoll · 11/10/2025 07:40

All you people saying save, do all of you actually plan when to have a baby?

We had ivf so yes, but due to the cost I only started diverting my savings once I was pregnant. I appreciate being able to pummel savings away is a privilege but there is 9m notice even with a surprise pregnancy. I think the actual maternity pay is what the issue is, IE how is statutory maternity pay (under National minimum wage) meant to sustain a mum & new baby, never mind if there are other children etc.

ItWasTheBabycham · 11/10/2025 08:16

NoMonNoFunx · 09/10/2025 22:05

What do you All do after 9 months when maternity Pay stops and you want to take the year.
am I being unreasonable to think we should get paid for the year.
I’ve always worked.

And where would the money come from?

CoralOP · 11/10/2025 08:14

I covered HR for various countries in my last job, the poor women in many countries got 2 or 3 months paid maternity pay (USA included).
I actually fought for them to have more and managed to secure another month for them which i was so excited to be able to tell them. One particular lady who was pregnant burst out crying when I told her.
Meanwhile in the UK our staff were paid 90% upto 9 months.
It's very easy to compare yourself to the best maternity policies in the world and say it's unfair you don't get that when in reality we have it very good and have an amazing option of having a further 3 months at our own cost.

Btowngirl · 11/10/2025 08:12

icallshade · 09/10/2025 22:07

We saved money prior to my pregnancy to cover the last 3 months.
Appreciate not everyone is able to do this.

Same. Well we saved to cover from 6m when I dropped from full to stat and then the 0 pay period too. I actually took 5 weeks short of a year as had a load of annual leave accrued to use too.

I would be surprised if the mat pay got extended now that childcare subsidies start from 9m though!

Winterwonders24 · 11/10/2025 08:07

NoMonNoFunx · 10/10/2025 23:09

Yes, I did 🥱

but the government need to do their part and pay the year if they give the year

Show quote history

No,the 'government '(us) don't have to: you make your own choices

Shr3dding · 11/10/2025 08:02

JasperTheDoll · 11/10/2025 07:40

All you people saying save, do all of you actually plan when to have a baby?

As opposed to what? Are many women randomly having children with no planning?

Notthatgameagain · 11/10/2025 08:01

JasperTheDoll · 11/10/2025 07:40

All you people saying save, do all of you actually plan when to have a baby?

Yes absolutely

Notthatgameagain · 11/10/2025 07:56

I got terrible maternity pay so had to use my savings during the 1st 9 months. I went back to work 32 hours and DC went to nursery for a few days and DGP for a day and 1 day with me.

TravelPanic · 11/10/2025 07:54

We saved beforehand, I did all 10 KIT days during that 3 month period (remotely so didn’t need childcare) and used all accrued holiday other than a couple of days to allow me a 3 day, 4 day, 5 day staggered return.

Iwontlethtesungodownonme · 11/10/2025 07:53

I went back to work when mine were 4 months and 6 months.
I think you are very lucky.

Needlenardlenoo · 11/10/2025 07:52

JasperTheDoll · 11/10/2025 07:40

All you people saying save, do all of you actually plan when to have a baby?

It's one of the most expensive things you can do! Especially if you haven't planned how and when to return to work.

Fail to prepare: prepare to fail.

Drivingmissrangey · 11/10/2025 07:49

but the government need to do their part and pay the year if they give the year

Yes, it should come from that magic government money tree.

OP you do realise the government doesn’t actually pay for anything right? It’s the tax payers that pay.

Scottishskifun · 11/10/2025 07:48

JasperTheDoll · 11/10/2025 07:40

All you people saying save, do all of you actually plan when to have a baby?

We didn't start trying for DS1 until we had some savings and DS2 we didn't start trying til we knew we wouldn't have double non funded nursery fees (Scotland is 3 years old for most)

Scottishskifun · 11/10/2025 07:46

Did a combination of Keeping in touch days and had tax refund. We did also save but I switched with DH at 9.5 months to shared parental leave as mine is the bigger salary by quite a way so made financialsense for him to be on zero rather then me. I then had a years worth of holiday and bank holidays so I was "working" but on annual leave til 11ish months.

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 11/10/2025 07:41

JasperTheDoll · 11/10/2025 07:40

All you people saying save, do all of you actually plan when to have a baby?

Of course.

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 11/10/2025 07:40

DownThePubWithStevieNicks · 10/10/2025 23:18

For the vast majority of women with healthy babies and no significant birth injuries, a full year is a luxury not a necessity.

I happen to believe that European countries that offer extended paid family leave have it right, but we don’t have that and so the reality is if you can’t afford a year you don’t take a year. It sounds like this isn’t your first baby so I’m not sure why this has come as a surprise.

Those countries are a minority even in Europe. I live in France where maternity is 16 weeks and if you want to take longer than that you can take parental leave and get paid 400€ per month. I managed to stretch my maternity leave out to 7 months each time using a combination of parental leave and accrued holiday. That was considered long here. 9 months paid mat leave seems like an unimaginable luxury to me and I'm not sure what planet the OP is living on.

JasperTheDoll · 11/10/2025 07:40

All you people saying save, do all of you actually plan when to have a baby?

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 11/10/2025 07:35

Where do you think the money should come from?

WobblyBoots · 11/10/2025 07:34

Saved up for it. Tbh SMP did not touch the sides of our outgoing so I saved to top that up as well. It's really hard, I only got maternity pay from my employer for my third baby and I felt so lucky. Made the world of difference.

Youcancallmeirrelevant · 11/10/2025 07:33

I changed jobs before I got pregnant to get a much better maternity pay policy, I saved to make sure I could afford to take the time off. Having kids is a personal decision

stoptalkingdirtytome · 11/10/2025 07:30

Mines stopped now and I’m going to be on UC

StopEatingTheBiscuits · 11/10/2025 07:30

snoopyfanaccountant · 09/10/2025 22:11

Back in 2001 I got 6 weeks at 90% pay and then 10 weeks on SMP. That was the legal requirement. I had no choice but to return to work when my baby was 16 weeks old (I was the breadwinner and to complicate matters, I was made redundant because the company closed when she was 6 weeks old - fortunately I found a new job which started as my maternity leave was due to end).

Edited

Yup I did the same. So pleased to see things have progressed now and women get more!