To think the amount of SMP is entirely unreasonable?

[SMPWTF]

I knew the amount prior to TTC but only now at 6 months pregnant is it actually registering.

£184 a week, and it’s taxed. If it weren’t taxed the amount would be £736 for a 4 week month.

How is this even close to enough?

DH and I earn similarly, respected careers but we’ll never be millionaires. Our household bills for our small semi-detached home are just over one of our whole salaries.

I understand that in the ideal you’d save up for maternity leave, but in practice that’s difficult for most people. The start up costs for preparing for baby are very expensive. We have been lucky to have been gifted a lot of big ticket items but even so the costs still add up fast. I can’t imagine even trying to save anything for a second maternity leave if you’re paying childcare fees for your toddler - probably one of the reasons we’ll be one and done.

I don’t think working people should have to save for years per child they have. Nor do I think people should only have children if they can afford to live on one income, because then we create a society where only either end of the wealth spectrum find themselves in a position to start and grow families.

No wonder couples are having fewer or no children.

Why can’t women be paid at least 50% of their wage? So many companies offer 6-12 months full sick pay, so why are so many still reluctant to meet this offer for parental leave?

Many companies do offer enhanced maternity pay. Dod you not check your company policy before deciding to have a baby?

My company offers 20 weeks at full pay and 19 weeks at 50% pay and then an additional 13 weeks unpaid (although people often save and use their accrued annual leave for some of this period).

Mine do offer an enhanced policy (not anything close to full pay mind) but I think all of these policies should go beyond 6 months. 6 month old babies shouldn’t have to be in nursery.

The companies and organisations that only offer SMP, someone needs to do those jobs.

Wait until you find out how much the state pension is

We get “enhanced” which is still 2/3rds of my current pay for 4 months, then SMP. It’s meant we are putting off kids as currently can’t afford it.

And the pension comment… it’s much less than the state pension.

I know, but most people have significantly longer to save for retirement than they do to save for parental leave

I called it statutory maternity poverty.

And my kids are 25 so it seems even worse now.

I think that enhanced maternity pay is reasonable for at least the first 6 months. I don’t believe companies need to offer it for any longer than that.

But then I’m a meanie who has babies in nursery.

It’s genuinely awful. However, I was warned by everyone so we managed to save up for baby number 1. Don’t know how we’ll manage for number 2 when that time comes!
I was shocked at the paternity leave though. 2 weeks! I had an emergency C-section and due to an infection wasn’t mobile at all after 2 weeks.

It's a paltry amount. YANBU at all.

We both had second jobs to save and pay for our renovations, wedding and my mat leave, especially painful at I am the higher earner. I spent most of my mid twenties to mid thirties working two jobs even though I'm in a professional field. It has meant though that we have no debt at all other than our mortgage.

Maternity leave was only 6 months long when I had mine, babies coped just fine in nurseries or you did what I did and took a career break. By the smp is below the taxation threshold so you won't be paying tax if you have no other income.

Honestly, you are choosing to have children, we've always needed to make sacrifices, it used to be quitting work entirely

How much do you think is reasonable and for how long?

I know it's hard but if you're going to have to work then realistically any longer than 6 months isn't essential. It would be nice of course, but is it essential?

The state pension is much more than SMP.

The mortgage still has to be paid on SMP.

What a peculiar comment to make.

That's why you also check what the other parent gets and if they get full or more pay for a longer period, then you make them take the rest of the weeks.

BTW I only got SMP while my DP got an enhanced period which he started before she was 6 months.

What a silly comment. The state pension is loads more, people have way more time to save and there are massive tax advantages to paying into a pension!

OP I really sympathise, I’m lucky I have a husband who earns well and a decent maternity package. I don’t know how others manage, it’s sad.

Surely you’re aware that what your company offer is not the norm though right, my company has an enhanced package that’s 26 weeks full pay then 13 weeks smp and then 13 unpaid. And that’s a good package, most enhanced packages still default to smp. Your company is the exception, not the rule

this is giving ‘mortgage rates were 14% in my day’

@SMPWTF its horrific. Remember women and children are the less important members of society - that’s why it’s how it is.

Not that you should have to be grateful for 6 months full pay but that is at the high paying end so try to take some comfort in that if you can. Many of my friends had six weeks (!!) full pay.

It’s not meant to provide everything, it’s to add to your savings and your partners wage.

It is. The sad thing is as much as people will say ‘having children is a choice’ if people have less children/choose to be child free because taking the first year off with them is prohibitively expensive, it affects all of us.

It’s sad isn’t it. I don’t think I was clear, I don’t have 6 months full. It probably works out at 6 months at about 75% then goes to statutory for me.

@TinyYellow not meant to, but it should. op is literally furthering the human race. Depressing that women are still treated like shit.

Before you say ‘what about the partner’s wage.’… let’s not go into how unreliable and financially abusive many men can be.

@SMPWTF it is very sad. I still think that is good in the context of how things still are. But agree it’s shit. I barely factored in SMP as it didn’t touch the sides. Forcing children into extortionate childcare settings at six months is abhorrent.

I only qualified for maternity allowance first time and then SMP but at less than full rate second time. I missed out on the very much more generous workplace terms both times as for different reasons I couldn't return to work straight away.

You can either waste your time thinking about all the people getting lots more mat pay and how unfair this is, or you can just be happy you have got free money for looking after your baby.