Enhanced maternity pay - length of service / eligibility - professional services

[maw86]

Hi all

I'd like to get an idea of what is a normal or reasonable length of service to qualify for enhanced maternity pay. I'd be particularly interested to hear from people in law or other professional services, for a 'like for like' comparison.

My firm's policy is 3 years continuous employment (at 15 weeks before the EWC) before qualifying for enhanced, which seems a little steep to me? It would be great to get a feel for what other places offer before I raise it.

I appreciate not everyone is fortunate enough to get enhanced maternity at all and hope this doesn't cause offence.

Thanks very much!

That seems excessive. I work (and many friends do) for very large IT companies and imodf the top of my head I had to work a year before I qualified for enhanced mat leave

Can you detail also what you mean by enhanced?

3 years seems a lot, do they pay a small fortune in enhanced leave for that? Is it to do with likely training contacts in that field?

I'm thinking 12 months is more usual.

By enhanced, I'm assuming the employer pays additional maternity pay over and above the statutory pay you'd receive.

I'm a government department and it's 52 weeks continuous service for the enhanced maternity pay (6 months full pay)

Im sure at my place its 6 month continuous service by the time you are 15 weeks

Mine is 67 weeks service by the week of birth, which I guess in the case of prem etc could be a good thing?

Mine is one year by the 15 week before childbirth.

For that we get a lump sum of 25% of gross salary spread throughout maternity as desired, so mums who go back early can fully benefit.

Military doesn't have a length of service to qualify, however you can't join or complete basic training pregnant 🤔 but our standard is 6 months full pay, 3 months SMP and 3 months unpaid.

One job I had paid enhanced at 12 months at 15 week EWC but another company I worked for before that was 2 years.

This is all very helpful, thank you. By enhanced I mean the contractual enhanced pay over SMP, which is only 12 weeks at 90% anyway so not particularly generous... definitely not worth a 3 year wait!

Everywhere i have worked has required one year of continuous employment for enhanced pay. But I cannot remember the qualifying week, sorry.

My employer allows an automatic 3 month phased return, hours to suit.