MAT B1 form. Help!

[jessm44]

I'm currently from the UK and live in Costa Rica and I'm pregnant. My employer does not know I'm working abroad and they have asked me for a MAT B1 form to allow me claim SMP. I cannot travel to UK, is there a way around this?

How can your employer not know you’re working abroad?

No. If you're not UK resident then you're probably not entitled to SMP anyway

You are living abroad and they don't know?!! Oh dear.

No there’s no way round it. If you’re not in the NHS maternity system and seeing a midwife you won’t get one. Could you just decline maternity pay?

Although saying that, they probably won’t even authorise mat leave for you without the matb1 form a they'd be no proof of pregnancy

You won't be eligible for SMP if you're not living here.

You won't get a Mat B1 if you're not having your antenatal care here.

Overall, you're going to need to let your employer know about your location at some point - but I can see why that's probably inadvisable right now.

Are you still tax resident in the UK?

Can you just decline maternity pay?

Only way I can think to do it would be to take sick leave for a couple of months then go back to work early. Not sure how else you’d get mat leave if you don’t want to tell them your location.

PP is right, from a HR perspective without the MATB1 to prove pregnancy, you won't be eligible for maternity leave, paid or not! I don't understand how you were planning to get away with not telling your employer you have moved out of the UK?!!!

I have lived here for 1 year now. I'm sure I asked a question about MAT B1 form, I didn't ask for your opinion nor do I care, thanks

There’s no way of getting a MatB1 form without seeing the NHS maternity team as they need to confirm pregnancy, and as others have said you won’t be eligible for either SMP or Maternity Allowance without one x

Good luck to you OP, I feel you are going to need it!

You won't get a MATB1 form as you aren't living in the UK and haven't been under NHS maternity care. You won't be entitled to SMP or maternity leave on this basis. I think your house of cards is about to come down around your ears. You will be unable to provide any evidence that you've seen a midwife or doctor in the UK, neither would they provide you with a MATB1 when you're living in Costa Rica.

What if I came back to me UK to see the doctor?

You need a permanent address in the Uk for a matb1 form. You need to be living and paying tax in the UK. You need to be regularly seeing a midwife in the UK. You don't get a matb1 form until you are 20 weeks pregnant.

What are you thinking, lying about where you live?

play stupid games, win stupid prizes!

you do realise there are tax reasons why your UK employer cannot allow you to work overseas? You’ve got bigger problems than a form, you’ve committed fraud

You cant just live abroad and not tell your employer, even remote workers. This introduces tax issues for the employer and employee!

Sorry no help re the Mat B1.

Don't you need to be ordinarily resident in the UK to access free maternity care though? I'm not sure on the exact rules for this but something to look into.

As you’re not a permanent resident with permanent address you won’t be able to just pop back and do that

Sounds like a hell of a gap year based on your other thread too 🤣

@jessm44 no, you still wouldn't get one. You need a UK permanent address, you need to be receiving regular and ongoing maternity care here. I think in all honesty you're about to be found out.

😂

Not a chance OP. Not a chance. Time to come clean with your employer.

I think you’re entering the realms of fraud. You’re not entitled to the money or nhs care. You don’t live here.

MATB1 forms are issued by your UK midwife that you'll have seen for your antenatal care in the UK - so your 8w, 10w, appts, 12w scan, 15w appt, 20w scan. MATB1 gets issued at or shortly after your 20w scan.

Have you been in the UK for these appts?

You'll have also given proof of address to your NHS midwife and your NHS number, they'll have had to confirm both.