Enhanced Mat Pay & Returning to work

[GeorgiePeachie]

Hello,

We are TTC our 2nd baby and I have been denied my flexible working request, so I have to return to FT work in March.
I hope to be pregnant soon and therefore only continue to work FT for the months I am pregnant before Mat Leave.
I am hoping not to return to employment after my second pregnancy.
Work have enhanced their Maternity Pay above SMP, which is good, in the short term I would do better for the money especially if I'm on full pay during that time. However, they have a claw back scheme where I have to work a full 12 months after coming back to work after 2nd baby otherwise I have to pay a % of the money back!
This is an incentive to get women back to work, which I understand. But I also don't want to let on to work that I don't want to return. If I say I refuse the enhancement then that's a pretty tell tale and they'll read it as my notice.
Is there anyway to take the Mat pay while I'm off and then quit?

Can you not just tell them you want statutory only much closer to the time? A few weeks before you're due to start? They'd be playing with fire by letting you go on the basis they think you'll be quitting, and if you're not going to be returning you'd only have to work a couple of weeks after letting them know?

Do you know what % you'd need to pay back? It might be worth taking the enhanced pay and keeping some of the money aside to pay back. Then if you needed/wanted to go back to work you won't have missed out on the enhanced pay.

Take the pay and put it in an account so you keep your options open, but have it to repay if needed?

As others have said, just put the enhanced pay into a separate account. Your work don't need to know anything about your plans, you just need to make sure you can pay the money back if you do need to.

Thanks everyone that's helpful I would try to do this. Thank you