HR have lost my MATB1 form!

[Thegirlhasnoname]

Just a little rant really as I’m not sure there is anything that anybody can advise apart from screaming into a pillow!

My HR department are based in the head office in London (I’m based in Leeds) and were adamant that they needed the hard copy of my MATB1 form; I sent it recorded delivery, confirmed that it had been sent and popped a scanned version to the email just to be safe. It was signed for the day after I sent it by the head office... yet HR said it never arrived. So now I’m freaking out thinking that I’m not going to get any SMP especially given I have 7 weeks left in work! They’ve asked for me to get another copy from the midwife (luckily I’m seeing her today but I’m not hopeful for a duplicate given my quick google search) and send it recorded delivery again

Has anybody else’s HR mucked up royally with it and still managed to get SMP?

Not quite the same, my work had to fill out a form saying I wasn't entitled to SMP so I could send off to get maternity allowance.

They sent me the form three weeks after I went on leave. They lost my MAT B1 several times, then just didn't bother doing it

I demanded my annual leave was paid upfront to ride me over, the pay I would accrue while on mat leave anyway. They sorted that out for the first payday after I left. But I didn't get my maternity allowance sorted for about 8 weeks.

Oh. And my midwife was lovely about doing duplicates. I actually printed off the emails work sent requesting them and took them with me so she could see the stupidity I was dealing with.

My workplace lost my MatB1 form too before it even got to HR! Midwife did me another- she was a bit snooty about it (as they generally were with everything) but they did it. And then made light of it when I told them I'm also NHS. Essentially they did it when I asked nicely and explained. Not a lot else I could do! Good luck!

MatB1 is needed within 21 days of your maternity leave start date so you have a wee while to get things sorted (If they dont fuck up and lose it again!)

The scanned copy should be sufficient. My HR (large local authority) have never had my original, just a scanned version sent to them by my direct manager.

They lost the original it's now their problem.

Don't worry too much though, for various reasons outside of my control my employers didn't get my MatB1 this time until I was about 30 weeks and it was fine.

Have you emailed them the proof of delivery? Really they should be chasing that internally.

Here an hour early! Sitting in Costa and trying to compose myself a bit.

Any last words of advice?

Proof of delivery has been sent to them but they are still adamant it hasn’t entered in the building. Head of my department is logging it as an IG incident and has asked me to hold off on sending the duplicate one that the midwife gave me today until HR come up with a solution.

I prewarned the midwife that I had had a stressful morning before she did my blood pressure though lol