Working out maternity pay (When to leave!)

[MummyToBabyB]

Hello,

I'm due to give birth to my first born on April 20th 2018. Being a first time Mam I'm now getting a little flustered on when to take my maternity leave!

I am due 4 weeks holiday before I go. How soon before my due date do I have to start official maternity leave? I don't want to take it too early so I have less time after the birth.

Is there a legal limit of when you have to take maternity leave? Say if I took my holidays then started my official maternity leave the week before my due date is that allowed as I'd already before off work for holidays?

I've searched the net but can't seem to find anything so thought I'd come direct to you's!

Thanks

The earliest it can start is 29 weeks. Apart from that you can start when you like

I believe that the latest you can start your maternity leave is the day the baby is born (or the first working day after if they are born on a weekend).
I took six weeks of leave before starting maternity leave however my baby came two weeks early so instead my maternity leave started as soon as DD was born.
So if you want to maximise your maternity leave, take your leave first and say that you'll start maternity on your due date or earlier (if the baby comes earlier and then you'll accrue any leave you did not take).

Good luck!

Thank you this has been a great help already

I work in the NHS and latest we have to take maternity leave is the Sunday before the due week.

Hi mummy I’m due the same day :)

I will be using annual leave and my official mat leave will start on the 20th April

If I go early mat leave will start and any holidays I planned using would be carried forward to the end of my mat leave

Don't forget that holidays still acrue whilst on maternity leave so you may be able to add those weeks to the end too.

Holidays and bank holidays accrue, so you can use those too. Baby is due 23rd May, my leave starts that day but I'm off from mid April using up all annual leave that I'm saving.

I'm due early May. Maternity leave will start two weeks before due date as my last babies were early..
I have just over five weeks holiday to take as I agree four weeks Jan to Dec and a further 8 days for the bank holidays (tho one will already be used for 2nd Jan). I am aiming to leave on 2nd March. Ill be 32 weeks. Can't wait!

I will confess to getting HR to work it out for me. Wound up taking all my holiday before I go so I think I officially start Mat pay on the 22nd Feb, am due on the 27th and leave work on the 2!d if that makes sense! I do get enhanced but it's not great....