Holiday entitlement & Maternity

[Kayla1992]

I am due to have my first baby in June and I planned my maternity a few weeks ago and let my employer know what I was thinking. I am owed 5 weeks holiday so I planned to take the 5 weeks then start my maternity two weeks before baby is due. My employer has now said that they are going to struggle to pay me 5 weeks holiday in one go so can I only take 3 weeks and then start the maternity 4 weeks before baby is due and save two weeks holiday to add on at the end of the 9 months?
Do I have to do this ? Or can I take my holidays all at the start like I planned?
Thanks 😊

Not real experience, but I've always thought you can't just take annual leave when you want to, it also has to fit the employer's needs. In this case, why don't you take as much annual leave as they let you and save those ML weeks towards the end?

It might be worth pointing out to your employer that as you will be accruing holiday whilst on maternity leave they may find themselves in a position where you have to take block-holidays when you come back from maternity anyway as you'll have so much holiday you need to use up.

Employers are required to allow you to take your annual leave, and if you want to take it before your maternity leave (if your annual leave is Jan-Dec and your maternity leave takes you over to 2021 for example) then that's kind of that.

They may have a HR agreed policy where you can't take more than 2-3 weeks without managements approval, but if that's the case you can still take your holiday before you go on maternity, it might just be if you work full time now you work only 2/3 days a week for several months on full pay as it's taken as holiday etc. Speak with your HR team.

It is up to the company how they operate their holiday policy. There is no requirement to alter it for pregnancy.
Have you accrued the 5 weeks by June?
If not you can add it to the end of your leave.