Some Parental Leave questions.

[JetLi]

Hi - the subject of Parental Leave came up whilst out with some other new Mums today. Someone mentioned that Parental Leave could well mean I can extend my Mat Leave for another 4 weeks. I've had a poke around on the Tinterweb, but I have some questions, if anyone can answer. DD was born in July 2009 and I elected to take 52 weeks off work.

If I can take 4 weeks Parental Leave a year, how is the "Year" calculated? Does it run from DD's birthday to birthday or does it run in the same way as our company holiday year?

If it runs birthday to birthday, and I can take 4 weeks this year (the year from her being aged 0 to 1), can I tag this onto the end of my maternity leave, thereby extending my mat leave to 56 weeks? Have I sort of "accrued" this (for want of a better phrase) or once she hits her 1st birthday have I missed out? And will this still leave me with anther 4 weeks in case (heaven forbid) she became ill or something in the year aged 1 to 2?

I only gave up work 2 weeks before she was born, so maybe I can only take 2 weeks Parental Leave on the end of my Mat Leave?

I'd talk to my company HR dept. but TBH they scare me I'm already in dispute with them because they've stopped paying employer's pension contributions whilst I've been off

Thanks very much

When is your DD's birthday and when is your return to work date? Is it exactly 2 weeks? I am assuming you have been with your employer for more than a year.

You also have to take parental leave in blocks of full weeks so you may wish to use some annual leave to avoid wasting a whole week of parental leave for a few days off if her birthday falls in the middle of a week, but without specific dates it's hard to be specific!

You can also take emergency leave for dependents if you have a sick child to look after.

The year runs to her birthday. So you can take 52 weeks mat leave, then 2 weeks parental leave (assuming exactly 2 weeks between). Then you get your allowance re-set. And you can take another 4 weeks.

So, in theory you could take 52 weeks mat leave, your remaining parental leave entitlement (say 2 weeks) then another 4 weeks and then some annual leave for good measure before you have to go back to work!

Parental leave is not an annual right. You have 13 weeks to use before your daughter's fifth birthday.

The four week rule is to do with how much of this balance you can take in a single year. Unless your employer has chosen to be more generous ( and some are), you can only take four weeks (in complete weeks) in each year. A year runs from your daughter's birthday, so yes, in theory you could ask to take two weeks from year 0-1 and then four weeks from year 1-2 before returning to work.

Bear in mind a couple of things though. Firstly, because it's a lifetime entitlement, be cautious about using too much at the start of your daughter's life (although it's an allowance per child, so if you have more, you'll get another 13 weeks).

Secondly, your employer can postpone your leave if they feel they need you back for business reasons. Unlike maternity leave, it's not guaranteed you'll get it exactly when you want. This is only relevant to a few people if you've been off for a long time though - like perhaps an accountant who is needed for the company's year end and would otherwise miss it.

You'll also have accrued holiday you can take before you go back.

Finally, and sorry if this is a bit personal, why are you so keen to stretch out your maternity leave to the last possible morsel of time off? I don't mean to sound harsh, but most people find that, by the end of the year, they are feeling ready to pick up. Are there other aspects of your job or working arrangments you are not happy with?

Hi Ribena. I don't accrue leave that I am able to take, in the sense that my employer paid the equivalent of the accrued leave in salary at the beginning of my Maternity Leave. At the moment no discussions have taken place regarding my working arrangements when I go back. Thanks for the info