Maternity pay query

[otterbaby]

My employer offers standard SMP, so for the first 6 weeks of my maternity pay, I'll receive 90% of my average weekly pay.

They have sent me the figure but it doesn't look right to me at all. I'm currently awaiting an email response with their breakdown, but am I correct in thinking this would be:

£annual salary divided by 52 (weeks) = your weekly salary. Then take 90% of this = 90% of my average weekly salary (before tax or pension contributions).

I've worked there for 2.5 years and my pay has always been the same, yet the figure they've sent me is £100 per week less than what I had worked out. Just want to make sure I'm not being completely thick!

Its calculated from the actual earnings in weeks 17-25 of pregnancy. You would need to look at your payslips to work it out from that (it will be based on the 2 payslips prior to the 25th week of pregnancy - , you add together the twopayslips then multiply by sixto get an annual figure, which you then divide by 52 - you then get 90% of that figure)

There's a HMRC maternity pay calculator here: www.gov.uk/maternity-paternity-calculator

@dementedpixie Ahhh, in that case, it looks like they've calculated it based on my furlough pay. Which I'm pretty sure is not legal. Thanks for your help.

@otterbaby they can't calculate it from furlough pay, if you were furloughed in the qualifying weeks they have to calculate it as if you were working.

Yes you're correct, it should be based on your usual pay if you were furloughed at the time

www.gov.uk/government/news/furloughed-workers-to-receive-full-parental-leave-entitlement

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/rights-at-work/parental-rights/maternity-pay-how-much-you-can-get/#h-how-much-statutory-maternity-pay-you-ll-get