SMP paid in lieu, can I seek employment?

[kate123cl]

Hi all, I was made redundant at the end of Nov, I'm due a baby in early March. My company had paid my SMP in lieu. Question is, can I look for work at the moment and possibly start a new job having already been paid SMP in a lump sum? Hope this makes sense and thanks to anyone who takes time to respond.

You can seek employment, certainly. But your entitlement to SMP from your former employer stops as soon as you work for an employer that didn’t employ you in your Qualifying Week, after the baby is born. The attached photo is from the technical guidance to maternity pay.

It just means you’d need to contact your old employer and make arrangements to repay the appropriate amount of SMP, which if you’ve returned to work you presumably won’t need anyway.