Maternity Pay/qualifying week question

[MinisterforCheekyFuckery]

I'm pregnant and trying to work out what I'll be entitled to in terms of Maternity pay. As I understand it, your maternity pay is calculated based on your earnings in the 15th week before your due date.
My due date is October 25th but prior to becoming pregnant I had already agreed with my employer that I would be reducing my hours from September. Until then I will still be working full time. So my question is, will my maternity pay still be calculated based on my earnings in the qualifying week (full time hours) or will it be based on my new salary (which will be lower due to reduced hours) that starts in September?

Thank you.

It will be based on your qualifying weeks. So your average weekly pay during weeks 17 to 25 of your pregnancy.

So if you can work full time up to 25 weeks and get paid as much as you can.

I get a bonus in my final qualifying week which has a massive impact on my SMP so I’ve read up on this a. It!

Thank you

The above is correct for SMP but any occupational/enhanced mat pay is likely to be based on your salary at the point you begin your mat leave.

But nerdsville I thought SMP was a flat rate and not actually based on your salary? So if that's the case what is the point of the qualifying weeks if OMP is based on salary at the point you go on maternity leave? Sorry if I'm being thick.

SMP is 90% of pay for 6 weeks, then a flat rate.

Some OMP is based on salary at the time leave begins, some is based on the same calculation as is used for SMP, and some use a different method. If your employer offers occupational maternity pay you’ll need to check how it is calculated.

Yes sorry - I was thinking local gov for some reason when I responded (must have got confused with some other thread!) but flowery is as always correct that it will depend on your employer's policy.

Must not mumsnet while tired!

SMP should override any OMP though if it works out to be more as you are entitled to SMP for the first 6 weeks.

Have just looked in my organisations maternity policy and there's not mention of qualifying weeks or how OMP is calculated. It just says I'm entitled to OMP of 9/10ths of my salary for 6 weeks, followed by half pay for 12 weeks, followed by flat rate SMP for a further 21 weeks. So I assume it will be based on my part time salary from September

As coffee says, if your first 6 weeks SMP is higher than your first 6 weeks OMP would be then you'll still receive the higher SMP. So your first 6 weeks will be at 90% of full time as the SMP is calculated on weeks 17-25.

So then it'll just be the 12 weeks at half pay that's calculated on your part time salary. Does the policy state whether you get half pay plus SMP or if they just top up the SMP to half pay?

Are you local govt/non-teaching school staff out of interest? If so then the half pay is paid in addition to SMP.

nerds thank you, I was getting confused but now understand what coffee was saying about SMP overriding OMP. I'm useless with things like this at the best of times but hyperemesis is making it very difficult to think logically at the moment. Yes, I am employed by a school. I don't have the policy in front of me but so will have to double check but I looked at it again last night and I'm sure it said half pay plus SMP for the 12 weeks.

If you’re on Green Book terms then yes it’s 90% for 6 weeks then half pay plus SMP for 12 weeks.