Maternity Paid on FTC

[Addie4]

Hi, me and my partner are thinking of starting a family in the next few months. I’m currently on a FTC contract which is set to end December 2026. I will qualify for SMP by the time we start trying but depending on when we conceive, it’s looking like my FTC will end whilst I’m on mat leave. If this isn’t extended or made permenant before hand.
Would I still receive SMP even after my contract ends or does all funding stop?
my company also offers a added plan for enhanced maternity and again o meet this criteria but unsure whether this can be offered to me as I wouldn’t be given the chance to pay back.

Pretty sure you would still get statutory maternity pay, but any enhanced maternity pay might stop when your contract ends - it depends what it says in your contract and the maternity policy so worth checking those.

My fixed term contract with my first child ended when I was about 29 weeks pregnant. I got SMP through them because I was employed in the qualifying period. I also got enhanced pay because I’d been employed with them for whatever length of time they’d specified (I can’t remember how long they required). Normally you’d have to return for a certain length of time or have to pay back the enhanced pay but that was waived for me, since it was their choice not to make me permanent. Only thing was that I had most of the pay and also my redundancy pay all in one lump at the end of my contract - together with my final month’s pay, which was a bit annoying re tax.

My employer states in their maternity policy how maternity is handled on fixed term contracts - it's worth asking for a copy of this from your HR as hopefully your employer will do the same

You don’t get enhanced mat pay unless you are on a perm contract at our place. It’s worth seeing if you can find the policy and have a read. Like you said it’s because we have a clause about paying it back if we leave after a certain about of time.

Thank you all.
The enhanced mat policy only states you have to have worked 52 weeks continuing into your qualifying week (15th week)
it does state if you choose to resign you will be asked to repay the enhance pay but what’s not clear is if they choose not to extend the contract as to whether I will be asked to pay this back or not. It’s also unclear whether this would be offered to me in the first place as I’m on FTC even if I qualify for the policy (worked 52 weeks by the 15th week before birth)