If I get pregnant on maternity leave will I get paid for my second maternity leave?

[ALJ1210]

If I were to fall pregnant during my maternity leave, would I still qualify for the same rates of pay as the first, with them being back to back? (6 weeks 90% then SMP).

My specific circumstances:
I work part time for a large supermarket based opticians, I have been employed there since 2018 and am currently on maternity leave with first baby.
I got first 6 weeks 90% pay and now receiving SMP. My average monthly earnings before maternity leave was around £800 per month.

My maternity leave ends on 14/02/2021 then I have annual leave from 15/02/2021 until 14/03/2021 meaning I return to work on 15/03/2021. If I were to fall pregnant this month my due date would be around 15/04/2021.

As you can take maternity from 11 weeks before the due date, I wouldn't have to return to work for those 4 weeks. This would mean back to back maternity leave.

Ignore the comments about employers being pissed off. You live your life to suit yourself and your family, not the whims of some crappy company who would replace you without giving a shit if you dropped dead. I’ve learned the hard way that giving everything to a company gets you nowhere.

In response to your query, I haven’t looked at your dates but it will depend on whether your earnings over the SMP qualifying period were high enough for SMP. If they were, you’ll get it, if not, you won’t but might get MA.

Qualifying amount is £120 per week - need to earn at least that in weeks 17-25
SMP is 90% for 6 weeks and then £151.20 or 90% of earnings (whichever is lower) for the remaining 33 weeks

Depends where you are in your pregnancy during the weeks specified

@SuperStay7

Let’s be very clear here, your comments towards pregnant employees show you to be misogynistic in your outlook. An employer should know and accept the employment laws fully, and if you can’t do that for all of your employees then you are in the wrong job. Who are you to judge a woman who gets pregnant twice in a year? The comment about ‘inability to practice safe sex’ is disgusting. Birth control fails, women get raped, and ultimately women have autonomy over their bodies

This.

I’m disgusted by some of the comments here. Misogyny in the extreme.

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Quitting is probably exactly what they would want you to do in this situation!