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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to ask what your maternity pay benefit/scheme is?

79 replies

Bluetinkerbell · 04/07/2012 11:23

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!

OP posts:
whackamole · 04/07/2012 13:05

12 weeks full pay then SMP after. I am very lucky.

You may be able to work it (back at 8 months both times), we were, but admittedly if we weren't eligible for tax credits we wouldn't have.

eurochick · 04/07/2012 13:26

Save up your holidays and add those on to your mat leave to get a bit longer off (fully paid).

KellyElly · 04/07/2012 14:09

I was lucky. I received 18 weeks full pay, then SMP and then unpaid (as I took a year off).

kay1975 · 04/07/2012 17:43

I get 6months full pay, 3months 50%, the smp for 3 months, plus 30days annual and all thevbank holidays accrued.

Born2BRiiiled · 04/07/2012 17:57

2 weeks full, 4 weeks 90 %, 12 weeks half. No leave accrued. Teacher

Born2BRiiiled · 04/07/2012 17:57

Sorry, then the rest up to 9 months SMP.

PrincessOfChina · 04/07/2012 18:00

65% salary for nine months (and the statutory 90% salary for the first 6 weeks).

I work for a very large, American owned company. My US colleagues get sweet FA.

minipie · 04/07/2012 18:01

First 20 weeks at full pay
Then next 19 weeks at SMP
Nothing for remainder of the year (if you take it)

But... I have to return to work for at least 15 months otherwise I have to pay part or all of it back (save for the statutory bit).

rathlin · 04/07/2012 18:08

6 months full pay, then just the statutory for next 3 months. Also get my car allowance paid for the full year.

Dprince · 04/07/2012 18:16

I am in the private sector. I get 6 months full pay then the other 3 months smp. If I leave within a year of returning I have to pay it back. The longer I work the less I pay back.
I saved what I could during my pg so that the last 3 months on smp didn't really effect me. Otherwise I would have had to return after 6 months.

hairytale · 04/07/2012 19:09

Same as you -SMP. I remortgaged to stay off for 9 months.

catgirl1976 · 04/07/2012 19:56

As I am sure others have said the 6 weeks at 90% the SMP IS SMP. The 6 weeks is not your employer being nice, it is statutory

I got 6 weeks at 100%, then the next 12 weeks at 75%, then SMP

otchayaniye · 04/07/2012 20:01

i work for a blue chip and get six months on full pay, three months on 75 pct and the rest on SMP and then three months parental leave, which is unpaid.

but first child was born overseas (same company) and i only got 4 months paid and was ordered back to work, but worked out repatriation and went back to part time work at 16 months.

ZenNudist · 04/07/2012 20:04

3 months full pay
6 months SMP
Up to one year of leave, the last 3 months unpaid.
I got my benefits paid still, pension etc
Return to work bonus in childcare vouchers which will effectively pay ds's nursery fees for my first year back
Sadly my career is screwed from taking a year off and this year I neither got a promotion I was in line for when I went off & my bonus was halved.

Minesaguinness · 04/07/2012 20:12

With regard to the childcare vouchers that choceyes mentioned and someone asked about:

If you have DC1, then go back to work and sacrifice part of your salary for cc vouchers, when you go on maternity leave again, the company have to continue to pay that amount into the voucher scheme for you, regardless of whether you are earning enough salary to sacrifice.

It's because they're not allowed to deprive you of any employment benefits because you're on mat leave.

blonderthanred · 04/07/2012 20:17

Mine is the same as yours blue, but my boss last year negotiated a return-to-work bonus for herself & any future pregnant women, which was handy as I became pregnant 6 months later.

It's not loads but will make a difference and it was more agreeable to the Board than improving maternity provision while on leave, so maybe a starting point if you're looking to have that conversation yourself?

HipHopOpotomus · 04/07/2012 20:54

Same as you.

You might be surprised in being able to take a little longer. I had a full months pay as I worked right to the end. Then 6 weeks at 90% so that is 10 weeks.

Our costs were reduced - I can't say how but I spent less being at home.

Not ideal, but apparently you can get mortgage breaks when on ML Si maybe a month or 2 of that might help?

I did manage to save some before hand and topped up the remaining months with that.

It is tough though. And of course if you rent or are paid weekly the above won't be of much help. I managed 6 months with DD2 - would have loved more, but thankful I had that. And it annoys me I was so bloody thankful. We don't live extravagantly at all and were prepared to pull tight - I don't think having time off with a new baby should be a privilege!!

j3ssycat · 04/07/2012 21:12

Self-employed here too. So just SMP for 39 weeks.

I did my ten 'keeping in touch' days of work in the last 2 months and did 12 hour days so managed to make what I would normally have made monthly in those last 2 months (normally I just do about 14 hours a week) on top of SMP.

Maybe employees can do something similar, albeit that you may just be able to do 8 hour days.

darkfever · 04/07/2012 22:20

Mine is also the statuory minimum maternity pay.

The only people I know who got more work for the public sector.

TalkinPeace2 · 04/07/2012 22:24

darkfever
and the public sector does it because they know they are spending money that we have no choice but to give.
private sector employers have to justify expenditure

BettyandDon · 04/07/2012 22:36

With baby %231, 16 weeks full pay, then smp till 39 weeks. Plus my annual bonus and car allowance. I was very lucky not to have to give it all back as I didn't return.

I also claimed back a lot of tax from inland Rev once I decided to stay at home (many thousands so def worth doing a p50).

This time though I'll get nothing as I'm a SAHM.

itdoesnthurttohavemanners · 04/07/2012 22:45

2 weeks full pay, then SMP. So you're better off than me!

Hence why I've had to remortgage just so that I can have SOME time off with my baby.

darkfever · 04/07/2012 23:02

itdoesnthurttohavemanners, minimum statutory maternity pay is 6 weeks at 90% of your salary, then SMP after that.

So 2 weeks full pay is better than the legal minimum and you should in fact be better off then the OP!

Spuddybean · 04/07/2012 23:08

catgirl The 90% of your salary is SMP only if you have worked for a certain amount of time before your due date. As i said before i was 1 week shy so i get SMP (in the way it has been referred to here) from the gov at the £135 per week for 39 weeks (i think it is).

darkfever · 04/07/2012 23:12

Spuddybean, Don't the government call it maternity allowance rather than SMP if you have to claim it from them instead of your company?

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