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Original poster

Mat pay - is this "good"??

305 replies

newmummy21 · 14/07/2021 13:02

Just wanting to gauge what's typical, I guess, as this is the first time I've been on mat leave so I have no idea what's normal.

I usually earn 2,600 net in my job. Currently on mat leave and have lost £800 a month so taking home only 1,800 whilst on mat leave. This is a significant loss to our household income and my partner is having to do a lot of overtime to make up the shortfall. We also had to save like mad during my pregnancy to cover this, so we didn't struggle.

I mentioned this to a friend recently and she said "my god that's amazing mat pay, you have no idea how lucky you are, I had next to nothing... " etc,

So... is losing £800 a month really "amazing" for mat pay?? Confused

OP posts:
MindyStClaire · 14/07/2021 13:48

I think I got 16 weeks full pay and then statutory which I thought was pretty good. My previous job was statutory only as are most in that field. I think your pay sounds quite good at the very least (depending how long before you go to statutory).

kitkatsky · 14/07/2021 13:48

Yes it's amazing. I got 90% salary for 6 weeks and then £150 a week for the next 33 weeks then nothing

RaginaFalangi · 14/07/2021 13:49

I get between 600 and 700 so yes

ChainJane · 14/07/2021 13:51

Yes 1,800 a month is astonishingly good. That's roughly the average take home pay for someone in a full time job, so to get it for maternity leave is amazingly good. You must have a fantastic employer!

WeAllHaveWings · 14/07/2021 13:52

I got 100% pay for first 6 or 9 weeks (cant remember exactly) then statutory maternity pay. I had saved up a few thousand £ before maternity leave but went out for lunch too often still had to go back after 7 months.

£1,800/month would have meant I could stay off for the full year and I would have thought it was good.

Sciurus83 · 14/07/2021 13:54

God Mumsnet is a parallel universe sometimes. Yes OP, that is very good. You are in a much superior financial situation to the vast number of other people in your position.

MissChanandlerBong22 · 14/07/2021 13:55

Depends how long that’s for doesn’t it?

I get 18 weeks on full pay, then statutory mat pay (about £600 a month) from week 18 to week 39, then the final 12 weeks are unpaid. No clawback if you don’t return.

I think that’s pretty good, but it isn’t market-leading.

QforCucumber · 14/07/2021 13:55

SMP only here, which means I 'lost' £1200 a month of my usual take home pay.

H328 · 14/07/2021 13:58

Based on your salary, if you were on statutory maternity pay you'd get £2448 the first month, £2019 the second month and then just over £700 for next 7 months. Then nothing.

I'm not sure how long your current set up is for but yes, it's likely to be good.

Direwolfwrangler · 14/07/2021 13:59

It’s very good if that’s your pay consistently for the whole period of leave. Mine gradually reduces, for the final 21 week chunk I’ll be receiving SMP (£600ish a month). Normally I earn over £3k.

Original poster
newmummy21 · 14/07/2021 14:01

@PurpleFlower1983

It depends how long you get that for, if it’s 9-12 months then it’s amaxing. 4-6 months it’s pretty good.
9 months
OP posts:
Buyitinbamboo · 14/07/2021 14:02

That's so good. I got smp so lost about 1200 a month.

Worth mention that many people are not only worse off than that during mat pay but for years after due to the cost of childcare

Babynames2 · 14/07/2021 14:02

Well that pay is about 3 times the amount of current SMP (£150 a week). So I’d say it’s bloody good. My company offers occupational pay of 50% pay for 12 weeks (after the initial 6 week 90%) then it’s onto SMP. So I only lost a couple of hundred for the first few months but then was on SMP.

Puppalicious · 14/07/2021 14:02

@Moneypenny007 , I think a lot more employers top up in Ireland than in the UK though e.g. I think all of the public service (e.g teachers, health work) offer 6 months full pay, which wouldn’t be the case in England.

Original poster
newmummy21 · 14/07/2021 14:02

@BarbaraofSeville

It's not the 'losing £800 pm' that she's calling amazing, more that you're keeping 70% of your salary and still taking home more than many people earn in a normal month.

Surely you knew that this wasn't the norm and a lot of people only get SMP of about £600 pm?

No, I had no idea how poor mat pay was as this is my only experience of it!

OP posts:
PurpleFlower1983 · 14/07/2021 14:03

9 months! That’s brilliant then! Grin

Original poster
newmummy21 · 14/07/2021 14:03

@bettybyebye

As per Pps, if you get that for the whole time then that is good. I got 14 weeks full pay then the remaining time was statutory mat pay plus my car allowance. What are you planning to do re childcare? If you’re struggling now on £800 per month less childcare is likely to be a lot more than that…

FT nursery will cost us £500 a month

OP posts:
Original poster
newmummy21 · 14/07/2021 14:03

@MouldyPotato

How long for?
9 months
OP posts:
Original poster
newmummy21 · 14/07/2021 14:04

@ChainJane

Yes 1,800 a month is astonishingly good. That's roughly the average take home pay for someone in a full time job, so to get it for maternity leave is amazingly good. You must have a fantastic employer!

NHS

OP posts:
Moneypenny007 · 14/07/2021 14:04

@Puppalicious yes if you are public sector you are sorted. No company I've ever worked with offer paid leave. This is the first time I will be offered anything other than smp.

oblada · 14/07/2021 14:06

Yes it is very generous mat pay. And I'm surprised you didn't work this out before opting to have a child really.
I've had at statutory pay for all my 4 mat leaves. Normally on 2800/2900 net per month but instead getting about 800 statutory pay (more in the first 6 weeks). We make do.

H328 · 14/07/2021 14:06

So your take home is £16,200 for the 9 months. On SMP it would be approx £9653 for that same period.

Cooldryplace · 14/07/2021 14:06

It depends how long you'll get it for. Lots of places seem to be full pay or 90% for 6 weeks, then a period of half pay and then SSP. So if you're "only" £800 down for your entire leave, then yes it's very good.

Wheelz46 · 14/07/2021 14:06

My company paid 6 months at full pay and then SMP for the remainder.

TheCraicDealer · 14/07/2021 14:07

I got SMP plus my car allowance, which was £500 a month. It worked out about £1,000 PCM net (so 50% of my normal take-home at that time) and I counted my lucky stars to get that. A colleague who didn't get a car allowance was bopped straight down to SMP.

HR tried to tell me I'd only be getting SMP but luckily I'd spoken to the colleague who'd last been off on ML (six years before!) and she'd got it, so I knew to push back.

The annoying thing is our contracts also only allow for SSP but I've never known of anyone to not get their normal salary when off sick, even for extended periods. I don't begrudge those colleagues one iota, but our place seem to have a wilful blind spot when it comes to ML.

So yes, you've done very well. I'm in a professional role btw, and I also know of plenty of solicitors (related industry) locally who have also just got SMP.