Getting signed off from work and AL

[Stickaforkinimdone]

Nearly 33 weeks pregnant and really struggling, I'm due to go on AL for 2 weeks from week 36 and then start mat leave officially at week 38

Does anyone know, if I were to get signed off now until my AL kicks in is my employer likely to let me still have my 2 weeks leave so I can start at 38 wks or would I have to cancel that and start my mat leave earlier?

I was signed off at 32 weeks for the remainder of my pregnancy, I took annual leave from 36 weeks as it was already booked and my MAT leave started at 38 weeks. Generally companies will start mat leave four weeks prior to due date if signed off for the remainder, but that doesn't mean you won't be able to still use your holiday, its yours to do what you want with.

Hey OP i believe it would be down to your company... in my contract if i am signed off sick past 34 weeks it says my mat leave will be automatically triggered. You will need your doctor to only sign you iff until week 36 for you to then use your annual leave but be prepared your employer might have a clause like mine meaning your ML will be triggered earlier than week 36 when you are planning to use your leave.

Confused - I don't think your company can legally do that. If you're in the UK and are off work with a pregnancy related illness then your employer can start your maternity leave from 36 weeks. It is up to the discretion of your company if they start it or if they let you take your annual leave. If you need to go off then just get signed off until 36 weeks and I'll guess that most managers would allow the annual leave. If they don't let you take it, can you transfer it to next year?

Depends on why you're signed off. I'm 31 weeks pregnant and had planned annual leave to commence from 35-40 weeks so my mat leave would start on my due date, however I've been signed off for non-pregnancy related reasons from 28 weeks. My dr has been very supportive in agreeing to sign me off until my A/L was due to start anyway so I won't lose my A/L or be forced to take mat leave early, however if you're signed off due to pregnancy-related issues from 36 weeks onwards your mat leave has to be triggered early I believe? Hope that makes sense! X

Just re-read your original message... I'd speak to your GP about options as they might be willing to sign you off just up to when your annual leave is due to kick in? That way you wouldn't have to lose any mat leave? X

Thanks Lumpy just re-checked and it is 36 weeks! (I'm going to blame baby brain! lol) However the only thing I will say is that sickness trumps annual leave. So for example if your sick cert runs up until 38 weeks your company is not legally allowed to let you take annual leave before the end of that sickness cert.

Personally I can carry over 5 days AL but it might be worth checking how much you can carry over to next year.

So talk to your doctor and be very clear about when you will need your sick note to end by so you don't get caught with losing AL.

Thanks all! In some ways I feel a bit daft getting signed off with only 3 weeks to go till leave, but I just feel trashed
Really hope the GP will be understanding 😕

Not sure of you get paid sick OP but could you push on a bit longer? Obv you need to think about your limits but there must be a part of you that thinks you can do it if you arn't 100% about getting signed off... what about going PT for 3 weeks? Or something like having a wednesday off each week so that you only have to work 2 days at a time?

I suppose I'm not sure because I'm so used to being well and soldiering on, but I'm worried it's not worth it and I'm driving myself into the ground

Yes I get sick pay and haven't had a day off sick in several years now so not like I'm frequently absent, but I'm reluctant to reduce my hours at this late stage as it will affect my overall maternity pay. I work in the public sector so my mat pay is based on average pay in the weeks before my EDD

Do you mean SMP or contractual?

I work in the public sector too @Stickaforkinimdone (I posted a few replies above). I initially felt guilty for being signed off- I've never been in my 10 years of employment and like yourself I only had a few weeks before my leave was due to kick in anyway. Personally now I've been off 1.5 weeks I can really appreciate it was the right thing to do. Like you I tried to soldier on and once I'd been signed off I could really appreciate just how stressed I'd been and how much that was affecting my experience of pregnancy. Do whatever feels right for you but don't feel bad if that means asking to be signed off for the last 3 weeks xx

Smp is calculated 15 weeks before due date I thought? So reducing now would be ok?

It is - the qualifying weeks are 17-25 (give or take a few days to account for weeks only being counted as starting on Sundays). Stick is long past having to worry about that but any contractual she gets on top may not be calculated in the same way.

'Qualifying' as in for averaging purposes.