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?

because it would benefit them too?

smp isn’t a preserve of the rich you know. Plus I’d see no reason why the lowest paid in society should see an increase, it should be high earners the +80k annual salary, and then a proportionate increase.

I'm not going to say that your three children have any issues because I don't know them.

However I've never yet met a perfect person who was raised absolutely perfectly. And I've met plenty of "did me no harm" people who are blind or oblivious to the flaws in themselves or their children (yes MIL, I'm referring to all your diet advice when your adult sons are both overweight).

And I say this as a mum who'll be sending her son to nursery at 1, which plenty of others would say is too young still.

What year was that?

You weren't asking for an increase for lower earners. You were, and let's be honest, asking for more money for yourself.

I got 6 months full pay then the rest smp. Together with child benefit plus 6 weeks paid holiday, i spread the money across the whole year and it wasn't too bad. I would not take any job not offering enhanced maternity & paternity pay.

If mum can take 7-8 months and dad can have a few months paid too it would work.

Ps op - many employers have equalised their maternity and paternity policies. What can your partner get if he takes a few months once your enhanced maternity pay finishes?

Erm, im not pregnant so no I’m really not asking for an increase for myself, my maternity pay days are over, so this literally does not apply to me.

so actually yes, what I want would be an increase for lower earners, esp those who work in big companies, it is not right that multi million £ companies can offer such pittance. I think, it should consist of 12 weeks at 90% pay, and then £250 a week/ 90% of your weekly earnings whichever is lower. I also think it should be paid up to 12 months.

What sound be beneficial is for all companies to be required to show their maternity packages as part of job advertisements. Plenty of people saying you should consider their package before taking a job which is true, but realistically what woman of childbearing age is going to ask this at interview?

Your first post was very clear.

You said SMP should be income related. The poorest workers get the least, the richest workers get the most.

The women least able to save to cover maternity get much less than the women most able to save to cover maternity. That is what you are asking for.

What post are you on about? I’ve not said that. I’ve gone back and checked, I’ve not said that.

ive laid out what I think in my previous post. I think 90% of a weeks wage or £250 a week is a reasonable adjustment, plus 12 weeks at 90% pay (I also think this should be extended to cover prematurity). I think that is a fairer policy. With big companies having to have a minimum full pay requirement for men and women. I think there should be parity too, making the option of shared parental leave more viable for many.

My bad!

It was a different poster who said that.

Please accept my apologies

Happens to the best of us

Isn’t that what 0% credit cards are for? That’s how I funded my two maternity leave periods as I am higher earner so it was a big blow . Also you get Child Benefit too. That’s quite a generous handout. I saved like mad before going off… used annual leave on return and KIT days. It was tight but we managed and through the other side. Totally normal!

To be honest you sound unrealistic in your expectations… starting a family has always been a struggle. Speak to anyone older … my parents had no savings, had to do nights cleaning to make ends meet. You just gotta suck it up. Those slightly older than me at work got naff all mat leave… companies have really upped their game, I consider you to be part of a lucky generation when it comes to maternity support.

I think SMP is pretty generous looking at other benefits…it was £140 when I claimed a few years ago. I see it’s gone up a lot more than CB has.

Also YABVU saying you need a lot of money to fund baby equipment. That’s rubbish. Your baby actually NEEDS very little… you just WANT it. Baby doesn’t care about second hand stuff, ikea cheapo baby chair etc

If you don’t have help from family you take out a 0% credit card or loan and pay it back when in work.

I don’t understand the entitlement on this thread. It’s really strange that people don’t consider the need to save or borrow to bridge the gap in earnings… these financial instruments exist for this kind of purpose. Bizzare how you think the taxpayer should plug the gap after 6 months of full pay.

Enhanced maternity packages were hard fought for by women in their 50s/late 40s in the places I’ve worked in. Now the younger generation are complaining it’s not enough to get 6 months pay. So ungrateful

So just to be clear, you should take on unsecured lending debt in this current high interest rate environment and knowing that when you go back to work, you’ll have even higher outgoings due to childcare?

that sounds like an excellent plan 🙃

Well if you haven’t saved enough that’s what you will need to do. Or your partner does overtime or takes a second job like my dad did. You have had plenty of subsidies and it’s up to you and your partner to do your own financial planning. If you’re not comfortable with a loan then you need to tighten your belt and save during pregnancy.

I took a 0% credit card and put all my groceries on it for a few weeks at the end of mat leave. Lots of people do this. It took me years to pay it off (we also moved house with second child and I purchased stuff for house) but it was a manageable low monthly payment. It was in my budget and fine. I’m afraid that’s what you need to do if you haven’t saved enough/ your partner doesn’t earn enough money to sub you.

If mothers were given 1 full year on full pay, there would be threads on here saying how unfair this and demanding 2 years on full pay.

The deal right now is broadly speaking not too bad.

Cut your cloth.

Yes this! Pushing for more when you’ve had it so much better than the previous generation.

I am shocked that women with enhanced 6 months full pay don’t feel responsible for their own financial planning and want even more subsidy for the gap. I got 12 weeks full pay, then half pay and thought that was generous enough. I lived very frugally and saved like mad to afford a year off.

If you know what you’re going to get at the start of pregnancy you have months to make a financial plan and execute it. No eating out/ holidays/ treats if that’s what it takes. If you want to sustain your lifestyle and won’t save or sacrifice… you will need to borrow to afford it.

That’s like mine! They say it’s enhanced but it’s 6 weeks at 90%, then 7 weeks at 1/2 pay + SMP, then the rest at SMP till about 9 months then unpaid. So it’s only 7 weeks enhanced…. That’s for a government authority.

No, it shouldn’t be a race to the bottom, but what’s really striking about this topic is the difference in attitudes towards SMP and to other benefits (UC, JSA etc).

Could you imagine a person insisting that their UC should be more so they can cover gifts for relatives, days out and takeaway coffees? They’d be ripped to shreds!

I think it's awful and will deter more and more women from having children. Its not just the SMP but how expensive everything is connected to raising children, detriment to your career, childcare/nursery, cost of living, university fees/loans, having to help your kids on the ladder. It only makes sense if both parents are mega earners or have full access to benefits. Everyone else will be impoverished having children.

To be crystal this doesn’t apply to me, I’m talking in the general sense.

taking on debt is foolish and no card as a 0% interest for years as you say. Remember not everyone qualifies for them, likewise with low loan rates.

same that every cannot save enough to sustain themselves for 9 months on less than £1k a month. Not everyone has a partner to be relied on either, a lot of dads just walk away

This is why some people only have one child or wait until they can afford a child and some have help from the State anyway.

There isn't an endless pot of money to help everyone.

Pensions are the same idea and you could delay having children if you're not ready to save. Maybe have fewer holidays.

Have you ever tried asking to see a maternity policy as an applicant/ candidate for a job?

It's called research go to glass doors often people have provided that information in their reviews.

And quite frankly most large companies offer good packages so aim for those companies.

Pretty obvious a small business is less likely to have a good one as they can't afford to