MATB1 - can you change the dates?

[Jmf1990]

Hi, I'm hoping someone can help. I've seen many threads on this but never seen if anyone has actually done it.

My due date going off my LMP is 22/04/2022. The cut off date for me to receive full maternity pay for 6 month is 17/04/2022.

At the moment all is good but I am obviously so close to the cut off date I'm worried that my dating scan will totaly change and will effect my maternity pay. I can't survive off SMP I already have one child and with the bills it is not possible.

How likely is my due date to change after my scan? Can you use your LMP for due date?

Has anyone ever managed to get a midwife to put a different date ok your MATB1, can you tell them what date to put?

Has anyone ever amended the MATB1 themselves? Risky I know but they can't validate it they just use the dates on it.

Obviously I might be worrying for nothing but I am genuinely loosing sleep over this. I thought if you had been with the company a year you were entitled to the 6 month full pay. But it turns out that has to be 15 weeks before the baby is due. I've also already spoke to HR who said they are not flexible.

Any help or advice would be appreciated 🙏

I measured 5 days ahead, based on LMP my due date would have been 12/1/22 but based on my measurements at my 12 week scan I am due 7/1/22 so it can change either way.

I personally wouldn't alter the date myself, not sure how ethical/legal that would be? When is your dating scan due? You don't get your Matb1 until after your 20 week scan (I still haven't had mine and I am 22 weeks, I think I'll get it at my next midwife appt at 25 weeks).

Both pregnancies my due date was bought forward by 5 days

The MATB1 won't make any difference if you actually have the baby early anyway as your maternity leave will officially start on the day the baby is born irrelevant of what the form said

First pregnancy DD was a week early (planned c section due to breach)

Second pregnancy twins were 6 weeks early

Don't risk it. MAT B1s are controlled documents and each has its own unique identifier, so they can be traced back.

It's completed by a midwife or other medical professional at around 21 weeks of pregnancy. It's to trigger statutory maternity pay and leave.
You could talk to them about the predicament you find yourselves in but it would be very unfair to try to pressurise them into putting something because it suits you better.

It sucks if you miss OMP by a few days.

But if you mess with it it is potentially fraud or at least interfering with official records, and I am sure any employer would look on that as potential gross misconduct.

I had this 14 years ago when they changed the maternity pay from 6 months to 9 months.

Missed out by 1 day! Midwife refused flatly to amend the day said they weren’t allowed to.

As PP said, your maternity leave/ pay may be as per when the baby is born anyway.

But your employer's policy probably links eligibility for Occupational Maternity Pay to the length of service at 15 weeks prior to the EWC - which is completely determined by the MATB1.

The midwife will use the scan date from the 11-13 week scan if available. You can’t choose the date and ask her to write a different one. You could cross out the date I suppose although it would be fraudulent but perhaps you may get away with it? Hopefully the scan won’t change it too much

From what I’m aware, you can’t change that date at all.

I am not sure entirely about how the pay works, but I think it’s likely that if you give birth earlier than that cut off date then you won’t get the maternity pay so even if you somehow managed to get the MATB1 certificate amended, it won’t definitely work in your favour. There was a similar post with a similarly close fine line between maternity pay cut off date and due date on here recently that might be useful.

You can tell them a different date for your LMP, no-one can check that. But your dating scan date will be the one used.
But babies will come when they come and surely your pay will start or stop based in the actual birth date regardless anyway?

The date you are entitled to maternity usually doesn't change based on when the baby is born. it is usually based on the 15th week before the "expected date of childbirth" ie due date. Double check your policy as it may be that the 22nd April may have to be the 15th week before the expected birth not the actual birth.

due dates can be pulled forward or they can be pushed back on your 12 week scan. it won't change after that date unless you change hospitals etc.

You can ask the midwife but she's unlikely to change it

I have a different midwife every time I go, they wrote my date wrong on the form and I said it was wrong after she wrote it and she just crossed it out and wrote the right one on.
So if it bothers you that much, change it and be none the wiser and if anything comes of it, you've got no idea!

@Senorasurf

I have a different midwife every time I go, they wrote my date wrong on the form and I said it was wrong after she wrote it and she just crossed it out and wrote the right one on. So if it bothers you that much, change it and be none the wiser and if anything comes of it, you've got no idea!

I think if her employer are looking at this date as a determining factor in their enhanced package they will scrutinise the date slightly more if it is so near to the "cut off" and may well query anything crossed out!

They can then be traced. So this is risky OP.

... especially as you've already revealed this predicament to HR. I think you're a bit exposed to be altering the date!

Agree - the fact you've already questioned it with HR would make it very suspicious now if conveniently there was a change to the date....

Yeah I wouldn't risk if.
When's your dating scan?

Thanks everyone appreciate all your answers!

My maternity pay is based off the due date. Even if I went into labour early or later it would not effect my maternity pay.

My scan isn't till next month. ATM my due date is 21st April, 17th is the cut off. I rang HR because I wanted to know if there was any leeway with the dates but there isn't.

I'll just have to keep my fingers crossed my due date doesn't change before this.

@Jmf1990 both times my due date was bought 2 days earlier than the date of my LMP. I think it’s uncommon to shift more than 3 days but obviously does happen. It is a bit crazy- I’ve had two friends who used sperm donors so were 100% sure of the date of conception…and it still goes off the date of the scan! Fingers crossed it’s all fine for you.

22nd not 21st!

In addition to what others have said, I would just advise you check the policy and that it definitely refers to the due date and not the expected week of childbirth (which is common terminology as is used for SMP).

The expected week of childbirth is always the Sunday before your due date, so if you were due 22nd April the expected week of childbirth would be 17th April.

Not saying that your policy will say this, just advising to check as it can make a difference!

[quote CarryOnNurse20]@Jmf1990 both times my due date was bought 2 days earlier than the date of my LMP. I think it’s uncommon to shift more than 3 days but obviously does happen. It is a bit crazy- I’ve had two friends who used sperm donors so were 100% sure of the date of conception…and it still goes off the date of the scan! Fingers crossed it’s all fine for you.[/quote]
Even using a sperm donor doesn’t tell you when conception happened. Sperm can live for a week, so eggs can be fertilized some time after the date the sperm was released -however that occurs.

Mine signed the form and told me to fill in the date!! (I was honest, but certainly could have changed it). My due date was brought forward three days at the dating scan - from speaking with my friends it seems more commonly brought forward than pushed back. Mine actually brought my eligible date forward quite a bit because of the Sunday-Sunday expected week.

The Sunday is the cut off date as this is the start of the week and that's what they go off. So anything after this will be fine.

Fingers crossed it is all good.

If its not I won't change the MATB1 from myself as its to risky if I was to get caught. But it the midwife let's me fill it in or just asks me for my due date rather than checks my notes I will be making sure the date fits so I am entitled to the full pay.

I have never heard of anyone being told to complete their own date on the MAT B1 form, it is an official document

Don't amend it

I hope it works out for the best

If its not I won't change the MATB1 from myself as its to risky if I was to get caught. But it the midwife let's me fill it in or just asks me for my due date rather than checks my notes I will be making sure the date fits so I am entitled to the full pay.

The midwife shouldn't let you do this - it's a legal document.

But also, I got mine a few weeks ago - I'm 25 weeks now, and was told that they are now posted out. The date is the date from my 12-week scan; and it's stamped and signed.

I'd prepare for it to be the date that you're given at 12 weeks, my date changed again at 20 weeks but the MATB1 uses the 12-week date, as that remains your official due date, regardless.

Fingers crossed you qualify; I think it's more common to have your date moved back than forward, but I wouldn't risk changing it if it's wrong.

Yeah I definitely won't be amending it as I don't want to loose my job. I've seen so many different responses to how the MATB1 is filled in I think I will just have to wait and see.

Hopefully the date is after the 17th. If not as long as baby is healthy is the main thing.

Just seems so unfair to loose about £6000 just for the sake of potentially a few days!

Obviously, take my comment in context of how things pan out and what happens at your scan, but do insist that your LMP is known and not an estimate and confirm to the midwife that you are keen that the records reflect what you know to be true about your body and the date of conception of your baby. You can also mention that adjusting it based on population based averages will have a significant impact in this case and you would prefer that it did not happen. Good luck, try to put it out of your mind until the scan date and then maybe ask for the measurements to be done again if they change things..