Civil service enhanced maternity pay 2nd time round?!

[2ndtimemum28]

I returned to work the last week of August 2025 and due to leave work in march 2026 for my 2nd baby. Does anyone know if I will still get the enhanced maternity pay? (6months full pay) I can’t find anything about it on the maternity documents, it only references the first maternity leave.

Not sure if it makes a difference but I work within the prison and probation service.

Please help, im panicking!!!

What are the requirements for enhanced pay?
When off on maternity leave you still count as being employed. What else do they ask for?

In terms of the first maternity leave, it requires you to be employed for 12 months, and yes I am still classed as employed whilst on maternity leave. However I’m worried as a friend who has been in the job longer than me has been informed she will not be getting her enhanced pay, but she only returned to work for 3 months before going on maternity leave for the 2nd time.

The 2013 policy I’ve found online (not sure if this is up to date) says you don’t qualify for contractual maternity pay if you were on unpaid leave for any part of the 8 weeks ending with the 14th week before your expected week of childbirth.

So assuming a 40 week pregnancy, 14 weeks before that is 26 weeks pregnant. Were you paid in full (or on sick pay) between weeks 18 and 26 of your current pregnancy? If so you should be fine.

I’d suggest recalculating dates based on your own circumstances and checking this is still the policy, but it’s clearly there in the policy I found.

It will depend on your department policies and whether you had any unpaid leave as part of your first maternity leave. Worth getting in touch with HR.

Do they have a requirement for amounts of earnings in certain weeks of pregnancy? e.g. for SMP you'd need to earn £125 per week in weeks 17-25 of pregnancy

I think it depends how long you took off with your first and if you went onto the unpaid months, easiest thing is to just email your HR team and get them to confirm

I’ve retuned to work when I was 12 weeks pregnant so judging by what you’ve told me I should be okay. Thank you for your help!

I’ve emailed them but they won’t give me any policy information until I’ve provided my matb1 form, I know I’ll find out eventually, just trying to get ahead.

@2ndtimemum28 have you gone back part time? If so use the calculator to work out the two months that will be used to calculate occupational mat pay and if you can go full time so your 6 months is full pay not your part time pay.
https://www.gov.uk/maternity-paternity-pay-leave

It might depend on how months maternity leave or was some of that accrued annual leave or parental leave u paid?

I work for the civil service. I came back technically in July (had lots of leave to use so wasn't actually back til Sept) and then found out Sept I'm pregnant, due in April. The policy states I just have to be in service for 52 weeks or more by the 15th week before expected week of childbirth, so I'm expecting to get paid as I usually would for 6 months (I have gone part time)