Paying an allowance for 9 months of maternity leave, should it be 12?

[HarrietJones]

I asked a while ago about my employer paying car allowance while I was off & have now been told they stopped it incorrectly and its paid in full for 9 months. There doesn't seem to be a policy for it so should they be able to not pay it after 9 months?
I'm going to be actually working KIT days in months 9-11 so will be using my car.

I don't know the answer for sure but would have thought it depends on your employer's terms and conditions/what is in your contract. I did not get car allowance paid for any of the time I was on maternity because I wasn't working and therefore not using my car for work. The allowance was to reimburse costs of driving for work purposes so I don't see why they would pay for an expense that actually hadn't been an expense for those months.

Because they haven't put a clause in the contract. I didn't expect it but then they paid it sometimes & not others. Then said I should only be getting part etc.if it was a car I would still have been entitled to keep it and I wouldn't need to run a car if I wasn't going back to work.
When I asked about a policy they went 'erm...' we won't be getting at all soon, just mileage payments.

Car allowances can be a bit up for debate as you know, however as they seem to have accepted that it is a contractual benefit rather than part of your salary, then it needs to continue throughout your maternity leave. You are entitled to benefits throughout, not stopping at 9 months. The only maternity-related entitlement that stops at 9 months is SMP.

Thanks flowery. That was what I understood it as from last time I questioned it.

Think I'm going to take it to the union, payroll woman didn't seem able to work out what they owe me or tell me whether I'd get it this month I must have chased up a problem with pay/contracts/redundancy protection etc every week I've been off & I've has enough