Not planning on going back, but do I tell them 9 or 12 months?

[miamama09]

meeting with HR in less than an hour. I don't plan on coming back to work as I will have 2 children under school age so will be spending more £ on childcare than what I am earning.
Not telling work this obviously! they want to know today how long I plan on taking for mat leave.
So I say 9 months or 12 months? 9 and then I'll decide/hand notice in? or 12 and then hand notice in?

just say you are not sure at the moment, but at least 9 months? they are sopposed to assume you are taking the full 12 months

Definitely say 12 months, then work back from your date back into the office minus your normal notice period and hand in your notice then. You may not be owed any maternity leave between months 9 to 12 but you will still accrue annual leave which is about a weeks' pay - not to be sniffed at!

Why don't you want to tell them that you aren't returning? Your employer has to pay SMP whether you are returning or not.

do you know if you have to pay the 90% of your salary back, if you don't return? that you get in the first 6 weeks of mat leave?

I don't want to put all my eggs in one basket really, as last time I didn't plan on returning to work full time or until after the full 12 months, but DH got made redundant so I went back a lot sooner.

So just in case something happens and I do have to come back, I'd prefer to leave it open..

no - that is SMP - only thing you would have to pay back - and this is not always the case is anything over statory

No it's statutory maternity pay.

Why would you not leave it open? You would miss out on annual leave! Get as many benefits as you can from maternity leave, you don't get a lot.

I am in the same situation, and when I got the letter saying what I was entitled to it said 6 weeks at £. then underneath 22 weeks at £. SMP.
So I also wondered about those first 6 weeks as they don't specify that it is SMP but they do for the 22 weeks.

I would imagine it depends on your company. I was given three options. I will be returning, I won't or I may be.
If you said you were and then didn't you had to pay back any extra maternity pay, not SMP, but if you said maybe and then did come back then the extra was given after you came back to work.
Did any if that make sense? :)