Leaving work / maternity pay questions

[tryinghard2]

I'm struggling to work out how this all works. Everything I can find online is about going back to work, but I'd like to know about what happens if you're not going back. For various reasons I already know that all being well I won't go back to my job after, I want to find a new/different/part time one.

At what point do you tell work you're not planning to go back? I don't want to mess them about so I'd like to tell them as early as possible, but I also don't want to do myself out of pay I'd be entitled to. If I resign early on in leave, do they still have to pay me the maternity pay? Or do I have to wait until the end of leave/paid bit to resign?

If I'm still accruing holiday while on leave, what happens with that when you leave? Do they pay you off for those days?

Thank you :)

They have to assume you are taking a year maternity leave- you will accrue holiday that you can request to tag on end of maternity leave and then make this your notice period to leave.

If just on smp you do not have to pay it back if you get off maternity pay check the garden you signed I have to go back for 3mths I am going back anyway n my notice period is 12weeks anyway if I want to leave.

If you did decide to return n wanted to before a year you have to give them notice to do so this is usually 8weeks.

Hi

ACAS will be able to answer your questions. They're an employee relations and HR helpline. I called them yesterday to ask them a question about pensions:

Www.acas.org.uk

Hope you get the answers you need

If you get enhanced maternity pay (full pay for three months or something) you will need to pay it back if you don't return to work after mat leave. You can often get round this by tacking your accrued leave to the end of your mat leave and they count that as having returned to work for the appropriate period (one month in my area of work).

Thanks everyone!

I am only going to take the smp - I can get occupational but you can request to have it all paid in one lump sum when you return, so I'm going to opt for that and then just not return. What I really need to know is, if I tell work at the beginning of maternity leave that I don't want to go back, do they still have to pay me the smp?

Thanks for the link sonics, I will ring them on Monday! I though citizens advice might know too

www.maternityaction.org.uk/wp/advice-2/mums-dads-scenarios/pregnant/resigning-during-pregnancy-and-maternity-leave/ - seems to say that as long as you have qualified for SMP and are still working for them in the 15th week before your expected week of childbirth then it will be paid in the normal way for the normal amount of time

perfect thankyou!