Maternity pay - entitlement?? Help??

[Rose2887]

I’m planning to leave for maternity in September, due baby in December. I am moving house in December too 🤭 I’m not planning on going back to work, if I do get another job will be in a year closer to where I live. Am I entitled to maternity pay from work or will I have to get statutory? I’ve heard so many different views... I would of worked for the company for a year in September!!

With my work (NHS) it all depends if you are intending to return. If you do not return all you get is statutory mat pay for 9 months. If you intend to return then you will get pay from your work as well as statutory mat pay. If you state you will return and then choose not to, you have to pay back the maternity pay your work have paid (unless you return for 12 weeks).

That is my understanding anyway. And that is purely what the NHS policy where I work states.

I think whether you get only statutory or extra from work depends entirely on your company, so you need to ask them.

Anything above stautory is company specific. Some will have to conditions that you have to pay it back if you don't return for a defined period and some don't.

You will have to look at your employers policy.

It depends on what your contract states. Many will have a must return for six month/year or anything above statutory will have to be repaid. My contract stated nothing and therefore they could not ask for the extra back.

You are definitely entitled to statutory regardless of whether you intend to return.

The vast majority of employers that offer something extra do so on the condition that you return and require you to repay if you don't - so if you are 100% certain you won't return then just ask for statutory and don't claim the extra.

No one can predict the future though. Is there any kind of worst-case scenario (eg sudden DH redundancy) that might make you choose to return? You are legally entitled to keep your options open so you can choose to maintain a 'fiction' that you will return, pay 100% of the extra pay into a savings account, so that you can pay it back as soon as your plan looks sure to be working out and you can pocket the interest.

Ask to see the policy. We can't help as we don't know what it says. At my work I have to return to work for 3 months I think otherwise I have to pay some back.

To get statutory maternity pay you need to have worked for 26 weeks by the time you are 25 weeks pregnant i.e. you need to have been employed for at least a week before getting pregnant.

Enhanced maternity pay will depend on what is stated in your contract and you may to have been there longer to qualify