to ask what your maternity pay benefit/scheme is?

[Bluetinkerbell]

My contract states I get
6 weeks at 90% of my salary
after that SMP
:(

which means basically I can only stay off for about 8 weeks, we can't afford to manage it otherwise.
I would like to find out what other people are getting, so I can put it in a reasonable request at work to see if I can get a little more.

Thank you!

I get same as you - stat minimum I believe. I will be trying to do some keeping in touch days later on I think, and I should be able to cash in holiday so that will help in the last three months.

Yes, that is standard. Though when I had mine only 6 months was paid. If the company does pay more than this it means that you are usually obligated to return to your job or pay the extra back.

I think SMP works out at about £500 a month now but childcare (if you have to use it) comes to about 600-800 a month anyway. I would rather save while pregnant and then have the full maternity rather than pay nursery fees when I could be getting some money for not working for a bit longer.

Small private sector company. When I went on ML it was 6 weeks at 90%, 6 weeks at 50% then SMP, but that was then changed to 6 weeks at 90% then SMP.

I work at a British univeristy, very generous maternity allowance.

6 months full pay
3 months SMP
3 months no pay

and as I was paying nursery fees for DC1 as a salary sacrifice scheme (i,e all fees pre tax coming straight out of my pay), when I went onto SMP and no pay (in the latter 6 months) they continued paying the full nursery fees as they couldn't deduct it from my salary (they are not allowed to take anything away from SMP, and when you go on maternity leave you are entitled to be on the same benefits). That was £300 a month I didn't have to pay even when I returned to work. I love my workplace

8 weeks at full pay
16 weeks at half pay (SMP also be paid at this time)
15 weeks SMP
13 weeks unpaid (if you choose to take the year off)

University sector.

I am getting 6 weeks full pay, 20 weeks at 60% of my salary then 13 weeks at SMP. I will then use my holiday to go back 3 days per week after 9 months.

Even univerisities differ in their packages then MoragG

6 months full pay.

6 weeks at 90% followed by SMP until nine months, then three months unpaid.

I was forthright in knowing I wanted to be off for 6 months, so have took that, with annual leave tagged on the end.

I don't check my bank statements, and will now be living in my overdraft. I have buried my head in the sand and will have to spend the next six months after going back to work getting my financial affairs back in order.

I get absolutely nothing.

Richmanpoor have you looked into whether you're entitled to claim maternity allowance rather than SMP?

You probably already have but just in case here's a link

www.direct.gov.uk/en/moneytaxandbenefits/benefitstaxcreditsandothersupport/expectingorbringingupchildren/dg_10018869

6 months full pay
3 months SMP
Then unpaid, though any annual leave owing can be tagged onto the end or kick in sooner so you get some pay before physically returning.

After DC1 I went back full-time with compressed hours (flexible working request approved). While pregnant with DC2 a part-time opportunity arose when my colleague retired and following discussion with my managers it has been arranged for me to move into that post on my return (obviously freeing up my full-time post for someone else). Maternity cover was then arranged with this in mind but I'm officially full-time till I physically return, with the benefits and holiday accrual that comes with it.

Public sector, very family friendly. I realise that I am extremely fortunate and really value the opportunity to continue my career while raising a young family.

at my previous company (where I took maternity leave) it was really generous. 9 months' full pay. my new company 8 weeks? full pay, 16 weeks on half pay

And here's a link that works

www.direct.gov.uk/en/moneytaxandbenefits/benefitstaxcreditsandothersupport/expectingorbringingupchildren/dg_10018869

I got 90% for 6 months, 3 months of statutory and 3 months of nothing. So could take a year off. During this time I also accrued annual leave, which was paid out to me as a cash sum when I resigned, and I also banked a bonus during that time (and in fact resigned the next day) and I didn't have to pay anything back. Bloody good maternity package to "retire" on as I didn't plan on returning.

choceyes - How did you get your University to pay your salary sacrifice nursery fees when you were on no pay? I'm intrigued! I can't imagine I will get this, though am just about to contact HR to ask :) I had assumed I would just have to stop this and start again when I went back to work after mat leave.

twofurry Thanks- I shd have said but I'm not in the Uk- just using this thread to have a whinge . Sorry for the drip feed.

Whinges are allowed

Thanks all for the replies! I know what I get is the legal standard/minimum.

The thing is that in the same 'company' there are certain people who get 39 weeks full time paid and others who get what I get... which seems very unfair to me, they could have at least offered something in between for us.
I know I can take baby with me everywhere and I do work from home most of the time, but there will still be a difference between being on leave with the baby and having to work with the baby.
I lost DD2 last year at 20 weeks and I would just like as much time as possible with this little one to enjoy.
Due to moving country, moving house and changing jobs, unfortunately no chance at all to save up some money whilst being pregnant.
So either I just accept that what it says in my contract is what I get, or I can politely request to receive something more. I know the answer will most likely be no, but if you don't ask, you don't get anything, do you?

I own the company so it's a bit different for me I worked till the day I went into labour am intending not to go into work other than staff meetings and when strictly nessacery I only draw out a low wage anyways so am continueing to pay myself and doing some work at home. With others I pay full pay for first 2 weeks then 90% for the next 16 weeks after that it's smp or ma.
But I do make sure all bf mums have a private area and enough flexability with breaks ect to express if they need to

My entitlement is the same as yours, OP, and has been at all my jobs.

employee with less than 2 years -

6 weeks 90% then SMP up to 39 weeks

employee with two years service

14 weeks 90% then SMP up until 39 weeks

WTC /CTC / CHB on top of this made staying off the full 9 months possible.

agree it can be really daunting as you don't know how it will go (and the online calculators can be confusing, esp as they give 'total until end of year')

6 months full pay, 13 weeks SMP and then I've got 6 weeks of annual leave.

I know I'm lucky and i don't think we could have had dd2 otherwise, or at least not so soon after dd1.

Same as you, which is standard for the private sector I believe.
Six weeks at 90 per cent, then SMP for another eight months or so, then nothing for the last three months.
Like you, I shan't be staying off long at all, which is a shame.
wish I was a teacher

Just read your most recent post OP. Very sorry for your loss

REMEMBER
that if your employer pays you more than SMP while you are on maternity leave
then if you do not go back to work for them they are entitled (under the vast majority of employment contracts) to recoup that extra money from you.

And if you think you are getting a raw deal, move to the USA. There is NO maternity pay there.

IME OP, where i work, there are different terms for different grades, roles etc and people tuped over who keep previous entitlements. Also i manage a lot of public sector - NHS/Prison service contracts which are also different.

I have never known someone who question their contract and ask for more be given it. In fact all i have known it to cause is bad feeling when it is asked. So i would say if you have a good enough relationship with your line manager it may be worth testing the ground with some probing questions and off the record enquiries. But i would tread carefully.

However, i work for a massive company and manage 35k HR records. Everyone to us is just a record number so we would say no completely based on the wording of the contract - Smaller companies may be more amenable.