Maternity Leave/Holidays

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I’m due mid Feb so plenty of time left but I suspect my work will want me to take my holiday entitlement before maternity leave as our holidays run Jan-Dec.

I will be taking the full year but have savings to cover the last 3 months unpaid leave.

I’ll finish before Christmas if I have to take them, which is about 33 weeks! Far too early.

Curious to see if there’s anyone who took a year/planning to when you took your holiday?

I took all my annual leave for that year except 5 days (the max I could carry over) before maternity leave. When I got back from maternity leave I had a month off to use up the leave i’d accrued while on maternity leave.

I did finish at 33 weeks though and to be honest I needed it by then as I could barely walk due to SPD … baby came 4 weeks later.

I started and ended mat leave half way through the annual leave year.

Currently on mat leave and our holidays run April-March.

Finished work Christmas Eve (DS was due Feb 11th but born last week in Jan) and used my annual leave to cover until Mat leave started at 37 weeks - DS showed up at 37+4! Am taking a year so due back at the end of Jan ‘22 however I work for the NHS and can’t sell my leave back to the company so using all of 21-22 leave at the end of my mat leave… returning mid March 2022 😅

I’m going to need reminding how to do my job and how to have conversations with people that I haven’t birthed!

I finished work on 30th March. Will be taking the full year. I'm taking my annual leave when I return to won't be starting Back at work until the 6th June.

I'm due the end of jan and will finish at the end of term in December, I then plan to return for 2 days before summer holidays to get full summer pay and go back in September!

Do you mean 2022 annual leave as presumably you will have taken all of 2021 by the end of the year?
I think you may be encouraged to at least take what you have accrued before you go, but if your 9 months finishes before the end of the year you could use annual leave to get paid in the last month perhaps? Don't forget keep in touch days too, if you use them wisely they can boost your income / duration of maternity.

Our annual leave starts in our birthday month each year, mine being January and only using 14 hours worth so far this year, I've managed to take the equivalent of 7 weeks off prior to maternight leave starting at 39 weeks 😂 seems mad to some, but the building I work in is as warm as a sauna, close contact looking after elderly people moving and handling etc I just knew it was the right time to go.
So when I return to work at the end of June I'll have all 2022 entitlement to use between July and December 😂 lovely

Thanks everyone.

@Taswama yes, 2022 holidays.

Do employers have to offer carry over into the next holiday year? My company has always been use it or lose it. I’m the first pregnant employee and we have no HR dept to query with.

My leave year is March to Feb and I am due end of Jan. I am planning to use my annual leave to take off Christmas day-16th Jan with maternity starting on the 17th when I am 38 weeks. I am then planning to use as much annual leave at the end as possible returning to work properly on the 1st March at the start of my leave year with 8 days rolled over (we are allowed to roll over 9 anyway).

As for whether your employer has to i would assume if you finish your maternity leave on say 2nd Jan you wouldn't have been able to use up any annual leave from the year of your maternity so yes they would have to allow you to or pay you for it. But from the year before i don't really know the answer. if its unreasonable to make you take it all before then i suspect so

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/rights-at-work/parental-rights/rights-while-youre-on-maternity-leave/#:~:text=Holiday,into%20your%20next%20holiday%20year.

According to citizens advice they should allow you to roll over up to 5.6 weeks

Are you allowed to take leave if you haven't technically accrued it yet? This is if it's 2022 holidays. I think legally, they have to allow you to carry it over. Or pay you for it. They also need to give you all of the bank holidays you would be entitled to as well.

I know you want the whole year off. But for the sake of six weeks, in your situation, I would go on mat leave in February, 'return to work' in November, use leave until January and then actually go back in the new year.

I really dont think they can force you to use the full entitlement ahead of mat leave. For all they know you may want to return at 3m and then use leave after that throughout the year.

I'd book in the amount you will accrue before the due date (eg 8 days or whatever), then let the rest sit there to be used at the end.