Finances on maternity leave

[LouisLitt1]

How much maternity pay do you get? I’m lucky I think my company is more generous than most and I get 20weeks full pay.

3 months but my work made a cock up in my first mat leave when they thought the 6 weeks from the government was in addition to this not part of. Very kindly they honoured this. This mat leave I will also be using my unusued holiday from this year (thank you covid) and next years should give me another couple of months.
Most of my friends work for companies that pay between 5-9 months full pay

Surprised to hear how different the arrangements are in different companies!
I’m a school admin, have been on mat leave since 1st June. I get 90% pay for 6 weeks, then 50% pay plus SMP for 12 weeks (this works out pretty much the same as 90% after tax etc) then SMP only until week 39 and last 3 months unpaid if I take the full year, which I’m planning to. Teachers in our school get full pay for the first 6 weeks but otherwise the same.

@Dinosauraddict Definitely not ideal but we’re just making the best of it lol. DH has managed to get self employed contract work in the same industry so money is coming in 😊 he’s having to go away on much longer trips and travel abroad during Covid so I’m self isolating at home alone, and he’s lost all paid pat leave etc that his job gave 🙈

Just rolling with it and doing what we can with what we have 🤷🏻‍♀️ We’re very lucky to be expecting our first little one and there’s people that do it in far less ideal circumstances so hopefully it’ll all come together 🤞🏼

SMP.
Teacher, but they've decided that this year they won't be renewing or extending my contract because I'm pregnant, so I'll be unemployed 3 weeks before due date when contract ends despite 3 years working full time prior with the same employer. Total discrimination "we assumed you wouldn't want to stay on because you're pregnant".

I'll be on maternity allowance despite being in a well paid job for most of my career, I was made redundant shortly before getting pregnant (we'd been trying for a long time so weren't going to stop) then due to Covid the job market is tricky at the moment. Going to be surviving on savings mostly!

@Margo34 That doesn’t sound right at all!! Have you contacted your union or ACAS for legal advice? I’m pretty sure they can’t use your pregnancy as a reason not to renew your contract!

Margo34 if you made it to 24 weeks pregnant don’t they still have to pay you mat pay? Not entirely sure but do check your rights.

I believe they only pay mat pay under policy if I'm still employed at time of due date as one of the conditions for enhanced mat pay is returning to the role after leave for set number of weeks munimum - which I obv won't be able to do if they have ended my contract.

I should still get SMP though because I made it beyond 24w, just not teacher mat pay.

I've got another gripe to speak to union about so I'll add this one to the list, but doubt there's anything they'll be able to do and I'll probably have to chalk it up to experience.

Yes do check _also check if it’s from your due date or date your mat leave starts. If the latter maybe worth leaving earlier.

I was a Teacher in the U.K. at the time of mat leave and it was something like OMP at
100% for the first 4 weeks
Weeks 5&6 at 90% pay
Weeks 7-18 at 50% pay plus the SMP
AND then just SMP....HOWEVER
I had TWO teaching posts so I got TWO lots of SMP which was Fantastic!!!!

@OnlyFoolsnMothers but even then my contract would still end during mat leave so I still wouldn't be able to meet the condition of returning to the role after mat leave, surely? I'll check but I'm pretty sure mine is a lost cause, sadly.

I’m exceptionally luckily with my mat pay and well aware of it. I think it’s probably the most generous package going, I haven’t heard of anyone else getting more.

I’m also public sector and get 26 weeks full pay and 13 weeks SMP. It means that if I save carefully over pregnancy and the first 26 weeks of Mat leave, I’m able to save enough to cover the 13 weeks SMP and 13 weeks unpaid leave and comfortably take the full 52 weeks (plus generous accrued annual leave). My job isn’t perfect but I can’t fault their holiday, maternity and sick pay policies and they’ve been supportive through my poorly pregnancies too. As above, I am acutely aware of how lucky I am and I’m sad that not everyone gets the same.

Another lucky one here with 26 weeks full pay and 13 weeks statutory. I was given the option of redundancy a few years ago or be redeployed and your benefits package is what swayed the decision for me. Private sector with good pension, private healthcare and great mat leave. It's not something I thought about when I took the role but it's been a big factor in keeping me in it.

@WK29 ouch! You have my sympathy - I'm seven months into mat leave and DH has just been made redundant too. Whilst he's been there a while he works in a niche sector and it's clear I'll be cutting my mat leave short which I'm gutted about but it's just not feasible to have us both off work and not earning long term.
I was lucky to have enhanced mat pay so our savings is still intact but I'm gutted coming to terms with an early end to it.

@zaffa It’s rubbish isn’t it?! That’s really sad about having to cut your maternity short. Thank goodness you’ve managed to still have your savings intact though - I bet that’s at least a bit of a relief! Does that mean your little one will get some time home with DH while you’re back at work?

We were on track to have DH be able to take about 4 months off with us when our little one was born which would have been amazing so I’m much more gutted about us no longer being able to do that to be honest 👎🏼

16 weeks full pay and 23 made up to £200 a week.
When I was on maternity I worked for the NHS, which was 8 weeks full pay then 18 half pay plus SMP and then 13 just SMP.

@WK29 he's home with us now (gardening leave) and then we will all be home together for a couple of months (I figured whilst I'm still being paid something no point going back and he gets a few months pay in lieu of notice so we are taking advantage of that)

I'd prefer to keep his redundancy pay in savings for emergencies, so I'd hate us both to not be earning come September when his pay in lieu will run out. It's all happened quite quickly and we are very lucky to have savings already (enough to get us through mat leave really) and for him to get a really good package but long term we will have to make real changes to how we live and budget - but it is what it is and a lot of people are much worse off than us so we must count our blessings.

He will have a much closer relationship with DD as a result - he travelled a fair bit (I'd planned to go back par time originally to accommodate this) and he's been at home for most of lockdown WFH so he's had an extended paternity leave in a way. I also have a DSS who is with us 50/50 and he's due to start secondary school in September. He has a lot of behavioral issues so may benefit from having DH more available too.

I've loved having him home with us so much, I think I'll be really upset when I actually start work again and I'll miss DD terribly but she will benefit long term from this because we'll still have the house and she'll have a much closer relationship with DH. I have warned him to expect tears from me though.

I'm so sorry you're going through similar issues - I hope your DH is able to find work quickly.

I get 12 weeks full pay, 12 weeks half pay, 12 weeks SMP. Could be better, could be worse!

@zaffa Yeah I agree, it always helps to look at the positives 😊 fingers crossed even if it’s not great financially and you need to make some changes, at least it’ll hopefully be good for family life and DH being able to spend a bit more time with both children 😊

So I work in a local authority and my package is poor for a local authority, but generally pretty good compared to other sectors.

I've been there over a year and I get:

• 90% pay for 6 weeks
• SMP plus 50% pay for the next 12 weeks
• SMP for the next 21 weeks

This thread has been super interesting, it's such a broad range of offers. I've just put the details on Glassdoor.co.uk where you can upload info about your employers such as maternity package, pension etc.: www.glassdoor.co.uk/index.htm

This makes the package publicly viewable - might encourage employers to do a bit more to attract staff! Also it's always awkward asking for details about this sort of stuff when you apply for jobs - often in the contract it's referred to in the 'staff handbook' which they never provide unless you ask...

Also it's always awkward asking for details about this sort of stuff when you apply for jobs - often in the contract it's referred to in the 'staff handbook' which they never provide unless you ask so true! It’s pretty appalling they don’t lay it out in the contract. Going forward for any new roles I think I’ll ask for a copy of the employee handbook.

Oh gosh I feel sick reading these posts! I only get 6 weeks at 90% then SMP thereafter. And I work for an extremely successful company :(

Oh well I guess i just have to think of the positives, at least I am still in work and have the opportunity to save.
Sending positive money vibes out to you all...x

I teach and get a pretty standard teaching package:

2 weeks 100%
4 weeks 90%
12 50% + statutory
And 21 weeks statutory

Some local authorities are more generous though. However, we’ve had a change in leadership and my previously lovely school is being decimated by an awful head. I don’t think I’m going to want to return and may ultimately have to replay my enhanced package which is a bit of a kick in the teeth.

For me 90% for 6 weeks and then SMP for 33 weeks. I can take the remaining 19 weeks off unpaid.
Atleast that’s what I’m gathering from my employee handbook... 🙄 pretty shit really. We are just saving as much as we can until Jan.

Oh.. and I work for a small company (under 15 employees) and the business’ net profit last year was £1mil...
Better than nothing though I suppose.