What paid work can I do whilst on SMP?

[TartyMcFarty]

It's just occurred to me (doh!) that I might not be able to do my usual exam board marking and private tuition whilst receiving maternity pay. Can anybody answer some questions for me please?

DC2 is due in October. I am a teacher on a 0.5 contract.

Exam season would begin when the baby is 2-3 months old, so I would still be receiving some enhanced maternity pay. I was thinking of picking up my tuition again a month after that, but would have a small amount of EMP left, a period of SMP and then nothing. I have no plans to do KIT days with my employer.

Do my self-employed hours count against my SMP? And if so, would I be better or worse off by doing them?

I didn't think you could be on mat leave & work elsewhere?

Hmm. I really hadn't thought it through. Bugger.

As far as I'm aware you can work for a different employer if you were already employed by them when you firsy became pregnant (and continued to be employed by them) however, if they are paying you SMP and you do some work for them you will lose your SMP unless you can use KIT days. So to summarise - you can only do work for someone you were already employed by.

What are KIT days?

Keeping in touch days

Are you self-employed and employed? Because if so, they don't conflict: www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/spmmanual/spm21115.htm

I qualified for SMP under my employer but I also have a totally different self-employment so whilst on maternity leave any self-employed work I do does not mean that I lose my maternity pay.