Not going to return to work after maternity leave - when should I resign?

[loucee]

Hi

I went back to work part time when DD was born but now I have DS (3months old) I am not returning to work after maternity leave.

When should I resign? I received a higher wage than just SMP for 18wks of maternity leave which I don't have to pay back if I don't return so should I wait until SMP has ended to resign?

If you don't feel particularly charitable, leave it to as late as possible, which is one year after the start of your maternity leave. You might get made redundant prior to that and don't want to miss out on the payments!

Otherwise, I would wait until end of SMP just to be safe.

oh yes a nice redundancy woud be ideal for me but i dont think that'll hapen as they are recruiting for additional stsff.

Take the full years mat leave before resigning as you never know what might happen...you may want to or even need to return, so don't burn your bridges yet.

I took a full year off and then decided to take a career break... so I've kept my options open further until decisions are made, but now I know that not working has huge financial concerns for me personally, I'm glad I still have the ability to return.

Good luck.