sick leave and maternity pay question

[201418]

Im 23 wks with triplets and I look and feel full term. I'm exhausted, can't sleep at night then early rises with Ds to nursery and other activities during the WK. I work sat and sun, I'm on my feet all day ( I do have a stool which I use)

I was planning working the rest of September and then one day a WK in October and starting mat leave 1st Nov and I'm getting a cs at 35 wks I just not sure if I can last til my mat leave starts.

So if I did go to docs and asked to be signed off would it affect my SMP? Or anything else?

I think if you take sick leave within 4 weeks of your due date your mat leave will automatically start. So I would think you could take sick leave until week 31 then you would automatically start mat leave.

Her mat leave wouldn't start automatically at 31 weeks though as the c section date is not the EDD.

Your SMP is worked out based on your average earnings in weeks 17-25 of your pregnancy. So if you can manage another couple of weeks then go off you'd be fine. Unless you get any sick leave at full pay in which that would count towards your average earnings.

you can take sick leave it will not effect for SMP, they can not force you to take mat leave until four weeks before your due date, and that's only if your sick.

I would try and hold out for another couple of weeks (if you dont get full sick pay - as pp pointed out) and then see how you feel then. Your gp can then sign you off until your maternity leave is due to start

I've just had a look at my contract and because I don't work full time and only been there (permanent 2years and temp for 1) it says 120hrs I would be entitled to but that's full time so I'm not sure what I would get being part time.

May just try struggle on for the next 3 w/ends then I will be into 1day a WK in october .

120hrs for what? sick leave? they can't do anything about pregnancy sick leave, go to the docs and get yourself signed off.

"they can't do anything about pregnancy sick leave"

They can't discipline her, no, but they don't have to pay her if they wouldn't normally.

what we are saying is that going off sick just now would affect the amount of maternity pay if the sick pay amount is less than the usual wages as the maternity pay is calculated as an average of earnings in between weeks 17 and 25 and the OP is only 23 weeks.

120 hrs pay, which will be less if im working part time.I'm going to hang on and work the next 3 w/ends.

Congrats on triplets!! Just reading through your initial post about how you're feeling and wondered what kind of triplets are you having??

Is a full time post 40hrs per week? If so, it appears as if sick pay is "Hours contractedx3" or three weeks usual pay.

Thanks slightly. yes identical boy triplets

Yes 40 hrs is full time, ok that makes sense thanks.

We are really excited but so nervous! Generally now in feeling so tired and just want to lie on the couch and do nothing!

I've pm'd you can you let me know if you've got it. :-)

Your entitlement to sick pay will depend on the wording in your contract. If its pro rata then in terms of your sick pay, if you work half of full time hours, you'd get half the full time allowance.

They can't discipline you for pregnancy related sickness but they don't have to pay you any extra sick pay other than what you would already be entitled to if you were off sick for something else say a cold or a vomiting bug.

If you are off sick for your pregnancy then your SMP (the first part) will be calculated on the basis of what you earned so it would be lower if you had run out of sick pay in the run up to your mat leave. After that, you'd get the statutory minimum.

All of this of course, is if you don't have an enhanced company scheme.