Maternity Leave/Holiday

[Moominy12]

Hi All,

I'm currently 17 weeks pregnant with my 2nd and being asked at work when i'm planning on leaving for maternity. I'm due on 16th June.

I have my full holiday entitlement available and wondering if its an option to start my maternity leave officially 2 weeks before due date? Then take 2 weeks holiday before this? My manager doesn't really have a clue as its a small business and I'm clueless also!

Does it matter if i have the baby early and will this affect my maternity leave start date? Just want to use as much holiday as i can before i have to start maternity so i can spend more time with the baby.

Yes you can take holiday and then start maternity. If the baby comes early mat leave will automatically be triggered but you cannot lose the holiday, you can tag it on at the end of mat leave. You will also accrue holiday while you are off.

The above is correct, although I believe you can loose holiday. So if you started maternity the day you are due, and took 4 weeks holiday before that... then baby came 2 weeks into this holiday, your maternity leave would automatically begin and the remaining 2 weeks of holiday that you booked would be lost.... potentially. It's at your employers discretion as to whether it could be reimbursed, or if the holiday could be carried over to the next year before you are due to return. To be safe I always take 2 weeks mat before I am due and have a 2 week chunk of holiday before it (so leave work a month before I am due). I take a couple of weeks here and there wayyy early (like 22-32 weeks pregnant) just in case! Remember you accrue your bank holidays too (I think this is standard, it is where I work) if you would have worked them anyway (I.e. if you are full time so wouldn't usually be off when they fall), so you can carry those onto the end of your leave.

Im reading around now as I'm preggo and I think you're entitled to carry a certain amount of leave over. So if you're due mid year then you can carry half your leave, legally. But employers usually like you to take as much as possible beforehand. It's very confusing!!

Posters above are correct, you are entitled to your full holiday allowance for the year and absolutely normal to take holiday before leave starts.

You might want to say your mat leave starts on your due date and take two weeks hol before that, that's what I did and it gives you longer off afterwards.

If you are unable to take all of your annual leave entitlement due to sickness of maternity leave etc, you can carry over 20 days by law. Anymore would be at the discretion of your employer.