Maternity leave and contract work

[NewYearDear]

Hello! I wonder if someone can help?!
I’m on maternity leave. 5 month in and I’m on SMP only (there was no enhanced package). So I’ve got another 7ish months off that I could take before maternity leave ends (appreciate SMP won’t be paid all that time). However I’ve been offered some contract work that I could do under my own company of which I am a director and not an employee. If I did the contract work (need the £ but don’t want to go back to depressing day job yet!) would I forfeit my remaining SMP? Thanks so much!

Are you sure you’re not an employee of your company? Usually when someone is ‘self-employed’ through their own company they are technically an employee of that company. I’m employed by my own company and I get my income through taking a minimal salary and then anything on top I take as dividends as shareholder.

You can do as much self-employed work as you like without forfeiting your SMP, and that would normally be as a registered sole trader, but you can’t do employed work. Unless it’s for a company you were already working for at the time you qualified for SMP.

See guidance here

That’s so so helpful - thank you!

MusforebayXguardian I have reported you there are correct channels for this kind of request rather than spamming the message boards.