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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

mat leave contractual holiday

25 replies

PipJoy · 09/08/2012 14:56

Quick question about mat leave... understand that while I am off I will accrue holiday time - I'd like to add this on to the end of my mat leave to give me longer off - but presumably this is unpaid and you dont get your SMP during that period?

Is the alternative to go back to work and accept payment for those days? I dont quite get it...

Is anyone able to shed any light?

Thanks!

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Doretaball · 09/08/2012 15:07

You can add your holiday to the end of your mat leave and you should get paid in full for your holiday. Effectively what you're saying to your employer is I'd like to return to work on X date but I'll take my first 2/3/4 weeks back as holiday. They should be fairly used to this as a lot of women do this to get a little injection of cash before returning to work.

Doretaball · 09/08/2012 15:10

Meant to say, normally employers won't pay you for holiday unless you book it off. And if you don't take the holiday before the end of the holiday year you may lose it, unless your employer allows you to carry it over; some allow up to 5 days carry over others none at all.

Doretaball · 09/08/2012 15:12

OMG you can tell I'm pregnant, takes me 3 messages to answer all your questions. You will be paid normal salary fit holiday, not SMP.
Hope that covers everything - sorry!

Original poster

PipJoy · 09/08/2012 15:13

Thanks for your reply, call it pregnancy brain, but I am being really dense about this.

So I am due to return 1st December 2013, but will have an entitlement of 25 days holiday accrued. So I can return in January, but be paid for December?

If I book it?

Sorry... dense...

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Original poster

PipJoy · 09/08/2012 15:14

we wrote at the same time and both have pregnancy brain!!
see my message above - am I right?

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blackteaplease · 09/08/2012 15:15

Yes you can but it depends on when your leave year ends as Doretaball said.

I took mat leave first time from end November to end November then had all of December off as paid holiday to use my leave. So I had 12 months off on maternity then 1 month holiday three months of that was unpaid as per terms of SMP. My leave year ends 31st December so that worked out ok.

If you cross over a leave year I would carry over 5 days and plan to take the rest of your annual leave before your due date but if the baby comes early you will lose that holiday.

DawnOfTheDee · 09/08/2012 15:15

Sorry to thread hijack but i have a question along the same lines.

My maternity leave finishes on 19th december (if i take the full year). Can i add my accrued holiday onto the end of that even though that will take me into the next year? So mat leave finishes 19th dec...add on 4weeks holiday....go back 19th (ish) january.

cakeandcava · 09/08/2012 15:15

Hi,
Yes you can do this, and you'll be paid in December. I'm doing this as well, returning next year on Oct 1st, but taking the first 4 weeks as annual leave, so won't technically return until November -and I do expect to be paid for October! :)

blackteaplease · 09/08/2012 15:16

Cross posts, yes you can, that's exactly what I did. Officially returned to work on 1st December but didn't step foot in the office until 4th January.

cakeandcava · 09/08/2012 15:16

Sorry, x-post
Not sure about accrued leave that goes into the next year. Depends on your company policy. I'm only allowed to take 5 days of annual leave with me into the new year.

Original poster

PipJoy · 09/08/2012 15:17

thanks blackteaplease - my holiday year ends 31st December so I should be the same as you

Did you book the December month's holiday before you went off?

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blackteaplease · 09/08/2012 15:18

Dawn it depends on your works policy, mine will only allow you to carry over 5 days to the next holiday year. In your instance I would put my return to work date earlier into SMP as you aren't getting paid anyway and tack your holiday allowance on to the end of it.

Speak to your HR department.

Original poster

PipJoy · 09/08/2012 15:18

and thanks to everyone else that posted while I was writing - that's great!
13 months off feels nice!
so it is just an entitlement - they can't argue with it then...?

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blackteaplease · 09/08/2012 15:20

No, I came in to speak to my manager in about September time to discuss a part time return then about 8 weeks before spoke to HR and my manager to confirm that I could take my annual leave.

You could book it now but it's next year's leave allowance, will they sign it off that far in advance?

blackteaplease · 09/08/2012 15:21

13 months off was nice but it was not easy to go back afterwards, I was in denial and it was hard to get my work brain back. Won't stop me doing teh same again this time though!

DawnOfTheDee · 09/08/2012 15:23

Thanks for your help ladies. I've left a message for HR to organise going in for an informal meeting.

Original poster

PipJoy · 09/08/2012 15:26

yes, second that, thanks for all your help

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Original poster

PipJoy · 09/08/2012 15:27

sorry posted too soon - meant to say really appreciate the advice as is a bit of a minefield...!

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TheGuvnor · 09/08/2012 15:37

one other thing (which may or may not be relevant)...if you were working full time before you went on mat leave but are going to return part time, remember that your leave should have accrued at full time 'rates' (assuming your part time contract won't start until mat leave is over), but you'll be using it at part time 'rates' once you return - it lasts longer

blackteaplease · 09/08/2012 15:39

I missed that one, I started part time hours in January and got a full months pay in the December. But then I had to use up the leave so it didn't really matter.

DawnOfTheDee · 09/08/2012 15:46

Eh? Sorry to be a bit of a thicky but could you explain the full time/part times 'rates' thing again?

blackteaplease · 09/08/2012 15:54

If you work full time before starting mat leave then you will accrue full time holiday allowance which is at my work 25 days plus bank holidays. If you are part time you get a pro rata of that, i do 0.6 hours so get 0.6 of my leave allowance (15 days)

However, if you accumulate a full years leave that you are entitled to take, you could have 25 days to take instead of 15. Or whatever your pro rata rate would be.

Does that make sense? You essentially get more holidays in the first year back.

TheGuvnor · 09/08/2012 18:33

Sorry - got called away and didn't see the post asking for more info. Thanks blacktea for explaining it much better than I did!

DawnOfTheDee · 09/08/2012 19:23

Blacktea Thank you! I get it now.

TruthSweet · 09/08/2012 20:01

I was so ill during DD1's pg that I hit 30 days of accrued holiday during ML. Even though I handed my notice in at the end of ML I got it paid in full in my final pay packet. Which was nice considering I got screwed out of full time ML pay - I went part time for one morning in an attempt to actually go to work as opposed to being signed off but I wasn't well enough to work at all so the GP signed me off until the start of ML. My work then said I was a PT worker so all my ML pay was at part time rates (they offered a certain %age of salary as ML pay) .

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