Any teachers out there who can help with maternity pay question??

[HannahB86]

Just wondering if anybody can help as this is all new to me! Currently 14 weeks pg with my first and am due 22nd August. Am planning to work right up until the end of term so when will my maternity pay kick in? Will it be the first day of the summer hols or from my due date or date baby is born? Some of my colleagues seem to think I won't get my full pay packet for August, which doesn't seem very fair considering I'll have worked all year! Also what happens if my baby is late and doesn't come until Sept? Would I still not be eligible for my full pay over summer?

Any advice would be welcome!

I am in the exact same boat as you, teacher and due 22nd Aug, as I believe you can start your maternity pay from due date so 22/08, I'm not sure what happens is baby is late, think it starts from 22nd if thats the date you put on the form and the form your burser fills in

You start your maternity pay from your due date if it's during the holidays. If the baby is early your maternity pay kicks in early but you can't change the start date of your maternity leave, so if the baby is late your maternity leave still starts at your due date as that's the date from which you are unavailable to work.

Make sure when you are asked when you are going to start maternity leave you state your due date not the first day of the holidays! And look at the positives - if you weren't due in the holidays no way would you still be teaching at 40 weeks so you've actually got an extra 3 weeks full pay.

thats how I see it pottering everyone says I'm jammy and timed it well at school

I was wondering the exact same thing. I'm due on the 30th July so want to start my maternity leave as late as possible. Especially as I imagine I'll be late, again.

My school tried to suggest first day of holidays. That's 5 weeks full pay I'm missing! I'm putting down my due date, not my fault the school isn't open when I'm still fit to work. I think my authority insist on the Sunday before your due date , which I can live with.

Thanks for clearing that up ladies. I thought it was due date that I put down as wasn't sure. So since I'd get paid on 26th August would I get paid my normal pay or maternity pay? Sorry for all the questions...I find the whole thing a bit confusing!

You'll get normal pay 26 th aug - maternity after that.

Fab! That's what I was hoping you'd say! Need every bit of money going!

I'm also in the same boat - due 30th August. I was also slightly worried that it would be started when the summer hols commenced, however my sister seemed to think that you could put your due date as that was part of the statutory mat leave t&c. We're currently being changed into an academy and have got HR in school this week, so I'm going to check with them.

As PP say, your holiday is down as holiday before baby comes! My maternity started on the 1st September thanks baby, perfect timing.

Had DD end of August last year - even though due date was in August, school LET me put first day of term - 2/9 - she was born after due date so maternity pay kicked in then. DO check this out because it does amount to quite a significant amount of money and allows you all to take more time at other end!!

Mat paid starts on due date or before if you are early. Remember when you go back though that you can put your return date as the 1st day of they hols and start getting paid before you actually go back. You are entitled to this and, contrary to popular belief you do not have to go back for a day/week at the end of term to get this. My return to work date was July 20 something (first mon of hols) and I didn't do a stitch of work until sept 1st!

That's interesting to know. I was planning to go back just before Xmas hols or Easter hols, not sure which yet. Was told I's have to work at least a week!

Nope not true. They just don't advertise the fact. Don't even discuss it with them. Just say "I will be returning to work on this date". Check the Burgundy Book and the Unions. All say it's perfectly fine. Don't let them get away with it!

Glad you posted about this. I am also a teacher. My due date is the 14th October and I was worried my maternity pay would have to start from the beginning of the summer holidays. From what I have read on here it sounds like it doesn't which is brilliant news. If you were in my position would you just start your maternity on the 1st September or would you go back for part of the first term?

Where I work (I'm not a teacher, work in HE sector,but my hubby is a teacher), mat pay starts on mat leave start date & I get 18 weeks full pay, 21 weeks statutory mat pay then can take up to 13 more weeks unpaid leave. I am taking first 39 weeks as can't afford no pay, so wiv 5 days annual leave, I finish work 13th March, go back 4th Jan 2016. EDD 1st April, so not long after mat leave starts. All of this seems quite standard though (in FE & HE sector - I used to be a careers adviser in Schools & colleges, now work for a uni as Admissions Adviser) and I researched a lot of the policies on gov website, then did meeting with HR early on about work's policy / dates to inform them, give in my Mat B1 form, etc. so recommend you chat to HR advisers at your employer borough / academy or free school after reading up on Gov website. May have slightly diff rules for teachers though as my hubby gets paid for whole year by his borough/employer even though obviously he's not at work summer time - think this is considered as part of pay for academic year before, so you may find that mat pay will start when your baby is due or first day of term in Sept rather than end of July; but don't assume - research & get the advice!!

I think all employers will have a mat leave policy - this might be on school website / held by headteacher or might be produced by HR at the employing borough. Pretty sure they have to make them public cos its part of package that women (especially) look at when applying for jobs to find out if employer has family friendly policies. My hubby should get 2 weeks paid paternity leave, but we're unsure if this is statutory pat pay (£138 per week - same as statutory mat pay - paid by Gov) or at full pay, so its worth investigating as not all schools/employers seem to be good at providing the info. Lib Dems want to give longer Paternity Leave if woman goes back to work instead, if they are elected.

I was due Sept 30th. Went back for 2 weeks in sept but did no teaching as my mat cover had already started. It was 2 weeks easy pay! 2 people were due 2 weeks before me and didn't go back but it their mat leave day as sept 1st and got paid in the hols. I had to tell both of them to do it though as they weren't aware they could!

You can get child benefit & poss working tax credit & chikd tax credit (this will all become universal credit after 5th April - new tax year - as Gov arechanging welfare system), but if you / you and partner both earn under 50k a year (pretty sure you do, education sector doesn't pay well) then you should be eligible while on mat leave &if go back to work part-time! Reseach online on Gov website & call benefits advisers / speak to Job centre.

Doobeedee, this sounds right to me to, likely many schools operate policy of mat leave starting sept if due round that time, cos they are dependant on their largely female employee base (many of whom do the job as its family friendly with good mat leave), but research, double-check & get advice everyone!!

Do you work in a primary school or a secondary school doobeedoo?

We paid for 39 weeks of the year but it's spread out over 52 so you have already earned the bit paid out over the end of July and August. If you are due during the summer holidays though you do miss out which isn't fair. Getting paid for the hols is just like someone in another job tagging their annual leave onto the end of their maternity pay. Seriously, when you get the form to fill in just write 1/9/15 in the "when do you intend to start your leave" box. They can do a thing about it and any head who knows their stuff won't even bat an eyelid.

Oh and I even got paid full time for the hols then went to 0.8 from sept. Again perfectly legal. So many people miss out because they don't know this and schools don't trip over themselves to inform people.