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Original poster

Maternity Pay with 2 employers

24 replies

broodynmoody · 30/05/2017 18:13

Can anyone shed some light on this?

I had rang DWP the other day about maternity pay (it took me half hour of ringing around for the right department first), anyway, they said I can claim 2 lots of SMP if i earn the average of £113 a week (£452 a month) of each employer in the 8 weeks before maternity leave and worked there for a year.
Well my 2nd job i earn roughly £390 a month. But what i was thinking was putting some holidays in for them 2 months to make my wages up..would it still count?

I'd phone DWP again but its bloody nightmareHmm

OP posts:
skyzumarubble · 30/05/2017 18:17

I don't think so - doesn't it come from your main employer?

Original poster
broodynmoody · 30/05/2017 18:19

I can get Statutory maternity pay from each employer as long as i meet the essential criteria for each job. I have to earn 452 a month but i earn just under. So what im querying is whether i can put holidays in to boost it up so i take home 452 so i can claim maternity pay

OP posts:
RBtraveller · 30/05/2017 18:23

Yes you can, but you've got the qualifying weeks wrong. It's the eight weeks before you're 25th week (so what you are PAID (not necessarily earned) in weeks 17-25 of your pregnancy. So assuming you're not already past that point it is possible.

flowery · 30/05/2017 18:24

What do you mean "put holidays in"?

You are right that you can in theory claim SMP from two employers as long as you meet the criteria for both, but holiday is paid time off work, it's not increasing your pay. If you take time off work on holiday you'll be paid the same as if you're working, so it won't help your SMP issue.

RBtraveller · 30/05/2017 18:25

I don't think it's take home pay, either - pretty sure it's gross (although at that level you might not have any deductions for tax or NI anyway)

RBtraveller · 30/05/2017 18:26

Flowery, if you worked part time you could ask to put in holidays for non-working days to increase hours for those pay periods or if your employer agreed you could get some leave paid out instead of taking it (maybe what you would have accrued while on maternity leave?)

Original poster
broodynmoody · 30/05/2017 18:30

RB Yes thats what i was thinking, as of from last year we can put holidays in on non working days so it would put me over the threshold.

OP posts:
flowery · 30/05/2017 18:35

"if your employer agreed you could get some leave paid out instead of taking it'

Only if employment is ending. Or if the OP gets more than the statutory minimum. Otherwise holiday must actually be taken, not paid out.

Subject to the employer's agreement the OP could ask to temporarily increase her hours and take the extra hours as annual leave, thereby increasing her salary. But for the same reasons the OP wants to do it, the employer probably will refuse!

Original poster
broodynmoody · 30/05/2017 18:38

Flowery, we can take holidays on non working days, my employer told me this last year.
And if i put them thw holidays in now, she wouldn't know what they were for anyway.
All i want to know is, if i take my holidays to boost up my wages, can i still get SMP?

OP posts:
RBtraveller · 30/05/2017 18:41

The answer is yes. If your salary is over the minimum you can claim from both employers.

smu06set · 30/05/2017 18:42

You can, But it will need to boost your salary from weeks 17 - 25, so that's a fair chunk of holiday.. .

anyoldname76 · 30/05/2017 18:46

i didnt know that you could claim 2 lots of smp, seems a bit unfair on full time workers

Original poster
broodynmoody · 30/05/2017 18:46

smu06 DWP said that if i earn over £452 in the 8 weeks before, so it's only 2 month and id probably only need to put 1/2 days a month to make it over 452

OP posts:
TittyGolightly · 30/05/2017 18:47

113 per week = 490 per month.

Redken24 · 30/05/2017 18:47

Two jobs in Same place here. Only got statutory for one job.

Original poster
broodynmoody · 30/05/2017 18:48

any i agree but if there's a chance i get more SMP on maternity i will def fight for it! Plus us with 2 employers do pay more tax

OP posts:
Original poster
broodynmoody · 30/05/2017 18:49

titty i thought 113 x 4=452? Hmm

OP posts:
MirandaWest · 30/05/2017 18:52

Monthly amount is more than 4 weeks. If it's 113 a week then it's (113 x 52) /12 = 490 per month.

You can split your personal allowance over both jobs but if you don't it will all even out eventually.

Original poster
broodynmoody · 30/05/2017 18:59

Miranda thats not what DWP said to me, they said £452 in the 8 weeks before mat leave. Ill just ring them again and go to citizrns advice as everyone seems to have different answers.
Thanks everyone anyway Smile

OP posts:
MirandaWest · 30/05/2017 19:13

Didn't totally read every post - yes for the entitlement period it is 8 weeks so will be what you've said.

TittyGolightly · 30/05/2017 19:15

Lots of people don't know that a month is longer than 4 weeks, even though only one month has only 28 days (4x7).

If a month were 4 weeks long there would be 13 months in a year.

Original poster
broodynmoody · 30/05/2017 19:44

Titty thanks i am aware that only the month of February has 28 days. Im just saying what DWP told me. 452 for 8 weeks before mat leave.

Thanks again y'all

OP posts:
RBtraveller · 30/05/2017 19:54

In this case it is 8 weeks, not two months.

Good luck, hope you can make it work.

Izziew · 18/02/2019 07:06

Did this work?! I'm in the same situation however I do earn enough already! So I'm hoping I get it twice! Did you get it?? X

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