52 Weeks Maternity Return - Confused

[CalmBlueBee]

Just hoping someone can help me clarify as I’m getting myself confused.

I started maternity leave on Thursday 27th June 2024 and I’m taking the full 52 weeks…I assumed this would mean my leave would end Thursday 26th June 2025 and I’d return to work on Friday 27th June 2025. When I’ve double checked my letter from work it says:

“Given your chosen start date of 27/06/2024; your maternity leave will end on 25/06/2025. Unless you write to us to change your date of return, we will therefore expect you back to work on 26/06/2025”.

I feel like with works dates I’m only getting 51 weeks and 6 days maternity leave so losing a day??

Confused 🙈

One year isn’t 52 weeks long. It’s 52 weeks and one day 😊

Yep, this. You're getting 52 weeks OP - it's just that that's not a year.

I get that, my confusion is I should get 52 weeks maternity leave (so that should be 364 days = 52 x 7?). 364 days from 27th June 2024 is 26th June 2025…so my maternity leave should end 11:59pm on that date? If work is expecting me back on 26th June then I’m only getting 363 days? …or am I missing something 🙈

My understanding is you went on leave ON the Thursday so that's your first day. Each week is Thursday - Wednesday. You're therefore due back on the Thursday because your mat leave runs through to the Wednesday. The Thursdays are 52 weeks/364 days apart but you don't count both of them in your 52 weeks as the 26th June would be the first day of your 53rd week.

Taking the difference between the two dates i.e. saying they're 364 days apart, you're not counting both of those actual days. If you include both the 27th June last year and the 26th June this year, that's a total of 365 days.

You would return on Thursday 27th.
A full week takes you up to Wednesday as the last day off, if you were off Thursday too it would be an additional day.

You started your leave on a Thursday, therefore it ends on a Wednesday and you return on a Thursday.

If you take a week's annual leave starting on a Monday then you go back on a Monday, don't you?

You’re counting 52 weeks and one day in this example.

Put 27 June 2024 into Excel. Drag it down 364 rows and day 364 is 25 June 2025. Meaning it is correct that your return date would be 26 June.

If the first day of your leave was a Thursday and you are taking it in full weeks then your first day of work has to be the same day of the week, not the next day

Thanks everyone! Makes so much more sense in the ways you’ve explained it…I was getting myself tied in too many circles 😂

Our entitlement is 1 year so we have 365 days or 366 if there is a leap year to take into account. If yours is 52 weeks then yes it is 364 days.