maternity pay: what happens after the 6 weeks of 90% pay?

[MrsFrederick25]

I am such a clueless mum to be. At the moment maternity leave is a glimmering light at the end of this tunnel of commuting hell, horrible work, constant sickness and general doom. I'm so so so excited to have a few weeks to prepare for my baby and just have some me time before further months of learning to be a mummy! But in reality will it really be walks in the park, designer baby outfit shopping and long lunches with the girls, or will I actually be exhausted, broke and up to my neck in bills I cannot pay??

What happens after the 6 weeks of 90% pay? I am confused!

I think I may need some advice at least...or perhaps a full on reality check??!!

Hibou you'll still get SMP which is the 6 weeks at 90% then 33 weeks at £130 odd. It's just that your employer offers long-term employees a better deal than the govt minimum, that's the OMP (occupational maternity pay) referred to in the maternity policy.

star that is maternity allowance (MA). You get that direct from the govt if you have not been with your current employer for very long (ie you changed jobs whilst pregnant) or are self employed. Wouldn't apply in hibou's case as she is not yet pregnant so will be with her current employer long enough to qualify for SMP.

MA is 39 weeks at £132ish from memory.

How much OMP is paid and whether or not you qualify for it depends on your employer. It's just an added bonus some employers give on top of the statutory minimum. It's completely at their discretion.

Oh good to know it's at their discretion I suppose! Thanks for the help everyone!

33 weeks at £136.

Does anyone know if you get a tax rebate when on maternity? Just wondering if I will get some of my 18 weeks full pay back as wont earn over the minimum as thats all I will get that financial year

your tax will be retrospectively reviewed and any rebate calculated. it might take time for this to happen though.

also the amount of tax returned will depend on when you go on maternity leave insulation to the tax year.

e.g. if you go on ml in July, you will get more tax back than if you go off in December (aw you've earnt full pay for a significant proportion of the year)

im due in april (which is when my ML will start, annual leave before then) and planning to be off for a year, so my maternity will be a full tax year.

green you probably won't get a rebate (or more clearly you won't have any overpayment for them to repay) as they'll just tax you at the correct level for the year you are only earning Mat pay. Most likely you won't pay anything on it unless your work pays generous OMP.

MrsFrederick what are your and DH's annual salary? You may be eligible for some benefits to top up your income, depending on household income.

Hibou if you are employed by the same employer for 26 weeks before the 25th week of your pregnancy (so a week before your last period) you will qualify for SMP which is 6 weeks at 90% of salary followed by £134 a week for 33 weeks, with the option for 13 weeks unpaid at the end. Occupational mat pay has its rules set by the employer so if they say you have to be working there 12 months to get it, then you would only get SMP if you worked there less than that.

For us, childcare was prohibitively expensive (needed weekend care, and shift work) and once we calculated childcare costs it made more sense for me to be a SAHM.

Its scary when you work it all out...

We have changed how we do things. Im self employed so literally would bankrupt us fir me not to work gor anylong length of time.

I work from home. Hours very variable according to the time of year. Im due the end of January. Trouble is January's always very busy. Im going to keep working for as long as possible. I will take more straight forward work & avoid all unnecessary meetings. I have with one of my dcs ended up working in labour...I don't recommend it!

Same afterwards. I will only do bare minimum at first but I know, especially if the baby arrives early, I will be back in the thick of it within weeks.

I would love to be able to take even 3 months off!

Excuse typos...fat fingers& on phone!

Lucky you for getting 90% for 6 weeks, think about us self employed that only get SMA.

Hibou check again. When I was pregnant 2 years ago I managed to qualify for part of the occupational even though I didn't qualify for SMP. The burgundy book rules (unless they have been superseded) say you have to have been employed by one or more LEAs. So you don't have to have stayed in the same LEA, but do have to have been working as a teacher in the state sector (and probably not an Academy) for over a year. Ask on TES forum for up to date info.

To the OP, it is perfectly possible to live on a reduced income with a baby. You won't have the energy to go out and spend money, all your leisure time will be spent sleeping! (And that describes most of pregnancy for me too!) You may not want to go back to work full time, you might want to go back earlier or later. Can you take a mortgage holiday? I would cut your outgoings now and save. Babies don't need lots of new things or money spent on them, although you may not realise this until your baby is on the third lovely outfit of the day and needs changing again because they have been sick on it or the nappy has leaked everywhere.

I don't think anyone is in a place where they can say "it is perfectly possible to live on a reduced income" without knowing someone's specific financial situation.

Reducing to one wage where there were previously two is a massive cut and for a lot of people they are financially heavily committed in terms of mortgages, loans, credit cards etc... for one partner to cover the costs of the others' lost salary can be a huge, huge burden - maybe even to the extent its impossible to make the books balance on one salary.

So confusing! I am currently in an academy, but going to a state school - it's in the same county but classed as two diff LAs. I worked in a state school before the academy too... I'd be ok for SMP. It's the OMP i'm worried about!!

Hibou, fellow teacher here and most local authorities are similar! although mine is 26 weeks prior to the 15 weeks notice you need to give to your employer. However remember that your employer has their own maternity package to consider on top of SMP etc.
If you are just now considering TTC it might be worth postponing a couple of months? Stress of a new job etc isn't always most conducive anyway, and also from personal experience holidays throughout the year give a better point to keep track of health & ovulation etc.
Good luck with it all, new job and TTC whatever you decide. But remember to get started on the Folic acid in advance, I got caught out with that one this time!

Also look on gov.uk and se what else you might be entitled to, some housing benefit maybe to help with rent ? Or working tax credits.... I'm not all clued up but it's worth checking to see if any other entitlements to top up your income

Romily , no. Your SMP starts either when you choose it to start or when the baby is born (if earlier).

I think it is better, for cash flow purposes, to take paid holiday and start Mat Leave as late as possible so that you are paid for as long as possible.