Maternity Pay

[Jenjo13]

hi all,
I am about to start a new job at the end of Jan. me and my partner and thinking of trying for our first baby and starting our own family later on in the year. When reading my works contract it states that I will get full contractual maternity pay after a year of continuous service by the end of the qualifying week (15th week before due date).
can anyone explain what this means please? Would I need to wait a full year which would be next January before I start trying for a baby? Or can I start trying sooner and still qualify? Thanks all :)

It means you have to have a full years service on the date which falls 15 weeks before your due date. So if this date falls (around 25 weeks pregnant) before January 2024 you won’t get occupational pay. So maybe best to wait a few months if you want the additional pay. You can look at a due date calculator to plan.

So by the time you are 25 weeks pregnant you need to have been employed by them for 1 year. You wouldn't need to wait until January but you'd maybe be best to wait 7 or so months before starting ttc