SSP/SMP/panic! Please can someone help...

[glitterjo]

Hi,

I'm so desperate for advice, I hope someone can help me. I've posted this in both pregnancy and employment issues, I hope that's ok. I've typed this into Word and spellchecked so I'm hoping it will be legible but apologies if there are errors - I will explain why...also, this is long!

I'm 28 weeks pregnant and have been off work sick for 2 weeks with visual problems. After much to-ing and fro-ing to the hospital I have been diagnosed and told not to go back to work. I can't look at a computer for more than a few minutes and even when I do I can barely see the screen; also the condition may be related to pre-eclampsia so I have to rest. My job totally relies on using the computer.

My employers are lovely and will be fine, I'm sure, but it's a very small office and the woman who does HR stuff doesn't really have a clue beyond the basics so won't be able to advise me.

I spoke to the EHRC helpline earlier who gave me totally inaccurate information about maternity leave (though they were very friendly!) and also the solicitors helpine that you get put through to when you call the NCT helpline, who couldn't really help at all. So now I'm hoping someone here can help....

I can barely afford to live on SSP. Partner has had his hours cut drastically and is desperately trying to find full-time work, but no joy so far, so relying on SSP will put us in a very bad situation financially. Obviously SMP is not massive but it is more than SSP so I am wondering about starting maternity leave early (I know that at 4 weeks before due date I will go onto it automatically if I am off sick). I think I can start from 11 weeks before, is that right? So that would be from next week...however I can't see us managing when the SMP runs out so it would mean going back to work when the baby is just 3 months old, which makes me feel incredibly upset.

The other option is to stick with the SSP for 8 weeks and try and get by, but will this affect my SMP when it does kick in? I am not sure if the average is taken before this point or if it is just before you start getting it?

Also (told you this was long!) I've got about 2 weeks holiday left - what happens there? Can I take it or do I lose it, or does it get paid to me additionally?

I would so appreciate any advice anyone has, I'm feeling really desperate and upset at the moment...

Poor you!

In terms of your options, yes you can start mat leave at 11 weeks before due date, so next week. Technically you're supposed to give adequate notice of any change to your mat leave dates but given you're not in work anyway, your employer should be fine with that.

Your SMP amount will be based on your average earnings between weeks 17 and 25 of your pregnancy, so going on to SSP now will not affect your SMP.

You need to make sure you take your holiday. Do you know you continue to accrue holiday throughout your maternity leave as well? Make sure you factor that in. Because you keep accruing it, given your situation a nice employer would allow you to take anything accrued up until now plus at least some of what you will accrue during mat leave.

I would suggest you take as much holiday as you can now, then manage on SSP for a couple of weeks if you can do that, to delay starting your SMP as long as you can.