Pregnant whilst on maternity leave - looking for another job?

[Meganlouisexo]

I have a six month old baby boy & we have just found out we are pregnant again. My maternity doesn't finish until the end of august- but my problem is I am looking for another job. I have already informed my current manager of this before I discovered I was pregnant. I am unsure what is best to do- to my understanding even if I start a new job tomorrow I won't be entitled to SMP as you've got to be there for 26 weeks before 15 weeks to the due date, am I correct in this? What maternity/ support - if any - would I receive if I don't meet the requirements for SMP? Returning to my current job isn't an option, whilst pregnant with my first I was hospitalised due to the stress of work & I won't let that happen again. Money's tight as it is and everything online is so overwhelming & I honestly don't know what to do. Has anyone got any advice?

You should be eligible for maternity allowance. If you are on maternity leave at the moment you are still classed as employed and SMP is considered earnings for calculating mat allowance.

maternityaction.org.uk/advice/pregnant-during-maternity-leave/

It may be worth investigating what other benefits you may be entitled to as well.

Are you sure it's not an option? Have you worked out how long you'd actually have to be at work before you are off again? If it's not then fair enough. I would suggest the online interviews will work in your favour as they will not be able to tell you are pregnant so there is absolutely no room for them to discriminate.

Hi @Meganlouisexo congratulations on your pregnancy 🥰

your understanding is correct in terms of the qualifying service for SMP. Your current employer doesn’t have to accept any Redaction of resignation (I understand you don’t want to do this anyway).

ultimately, your option is to claim Maternity Allowance (MA), which is the statutory rate for 39 weeks, but doesn’t include the 90% that SMP does.

hope that helps x

Yep it would just be maternity allowance you would be entitled to. You say money is tight as otherwise I would suggest being a SAHM until after your second pregnancy.