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?

Yet you employed a nanny? Nannies are very expensive. I hope you can see why your comment just doesn’t match a lot of people’s realities…

It’s a disgustingly low amount. But in many cases you are able to plan for maternity leave years in advance.

I can’t work due to a health condition. And ESA is only £598 a month 😞 this was not something I could plan for

Definitely. The funded hours will help but you can’t use them until the term after baby is 9 months so still makes those first few months expensive for people if they choose to go back, and not always cost effective

That’s shocking too.

Yes I think it is rubbish but how would you expect small companies with just a few employees to cover a better rate?

I agree. I’m on statutory now and as the higher earner it’s hit us hard. I was very fortunate to have 6 months full pay but I’m currently regretting taking a year of maternity leave as it costs so much. I wish I could go back sooner but nursery have said they can’t accommodate that.

Yes because ‘mortgage rates were 15% in your day’ and ‘you had frost on the windows’ ‘only had 3 days mat leave’ etc etc. It’s tired. We should be moving forward as a society not backwards

Because there is no reason why other people should be paying for you to have a baby. You want a child - you pay. Or, at least, get a job where they offer a better contractual amount.

Many of my friends had six weeks (!!) full pay.

Yup, that was me. And I was firmly told that I could come back to work full-time or not at all at the end of six months (most of it on SMP); no chance of shorter hours or a job share. After I'd resigned, they decided to appoint a job share to replace my role.

In retrospect, I was not nearly angry enough about it at the time.

(Then I did my next maternity leave as a freelancer, which was tight, but less infuriating.)

Actually, I'm wrong. It was 6 weeks on 90% pay.

It is absolutely sickening. I'm currently 20 weeks and saving up so, so hard for my mat leave. I earn about 3x my DH, so we're going to find things very tough when I go on mat leave. The £184 a week is less than I earn in a day at the moment!! I am lucky enough to work for the NHS so I have a reasonable mat pay package, but even then, it's about a 2/3 drop in my salary.

Be fair, it’s vastly better than it used to be, and far, far better than countries like the U.S.A.

Yes, it would be nice to have more but before the Blair government it was 14 weeks: 6 weeks on 90% and 8 weeks on SMP. We now have people able to take up to a year, which is so much better for the babies.

It’s not a race to the bottom but let’s at least acknowledge how far it’s come in a generation.

Of course there is, it’s a benefit to society, we need to have more babies born to sustain the population

that is pure individualism, do you make the same argument about social care or a public health service or state pension? Doubt it

oh it’s as simple to just get a better job, of course how easy that is. Silly women everywhere, you just need to get a better job.

Christ, the irony of this post is unreal. Who do you think is funding the ageing population? It will be the kids born today or immigrants. State pension isn’t like a savings account, it’s the current working population who fund it and therefore we need to keep replacing them. I think you need to educate yourself about the impact of population decline before making such ignorant statements.

I think the planet is overpopulated we do not need more people born.

If society has constructed itself that it relies on giving birth to people to keep the money wheel turning then perhaps we need to rethink the society construct and change that instead

I find your post unreal, so people have kids just to fund people's pensions maybe we start changing it so we don't rely on other people funding retirement etc and people fund themselves. With the exception being those who genuinely cannot work through disability as an example.

Change the system

I don’t agree- SMP is a supposed to be bare minimum, most employers offer enhanced benefits. If you have no other funds you get uc or other benefits. I’m a single mum and it is difficult but there is a limit to what the taxpayer can fund (I believe SMP is taxpayer funded as companies can reclaim it against NICs).

The world but the country needs children to support the aging population

surely you can see a total revolution of how uk society has been set up is not realistic

but given your views I imagine you don’t use the NHS, won’t take state pension etc, wouldn’t want others to fund you now would you

I think you need to work on your reading comprehension, nobody is saying people have kids for the sole purpose of funding pensions.

There are massive tax advantages to saving for retirement and auto enrol is further encouraging it, along with government jobs having very good defined benefit schemes. Those who cannot work through disability are supported through disability benefits and then the state pension (funded by the tax payer I.e. future generations) what else exactly do you suggest?

Do they though? But most still do default to smp even for a period of time

Okay @SMPWTF how much do you think you and everyone else should get on SMP?

Should it be paid across the board regardless of the household income?

How would it be funded? Increased taxes on everyone?

Well I'm not having children

I don't use the NHS haven't need to as I'm in good health and I pay for private medical.

I am already paying into private pension via work and putting additional money aside in savings to cover my care since it'll just be me on my own and no family to help.

I can't opt out of state pension and if I did theb I woukd expect my NI contributions to go down since that is the current contract pay NI for 36yrs in exchange for full state pension. So if i could opt out I woukd but only if it reduced my NI. Infact there used to be a contracted out situation in public sector but that has stopped. Shame.

So actually others aren't funding me right now

I think enhanced for six months and then SMP is fair enough. If you want more than that then it should be up to you to save for it, or find a role that offers better.

So I’m not the OP but I do think big companies shouldn’t be allowed to offer pure smp- a shocking amount do. If their revenue and headcount is over a certain amount, then they shouldn’t be able to offer smp

for medium business there could be similar schemes to pensions, defined contribution schemes ontop of smp.

but generally yes increase in tax to fund it would work, and yes everyone should get it in my opinion. Although I can see an argument for it to be capped if spouse or partner earns over £100k

What roles or companies do offer better? Genuine question.

additionally many companies don’t publish their maternity pay on external websites so you wouldn’t know until application