Maternity pay on part time hours

Hello! So my husband and I are considering having a second child (after all the sleep deprivation, we must be mad lol) but just wondering how maternity pay would work. I was lucky for our first in that my employer offers 6 months full pay, but since I returned I am only working 4 days a week. If we have a second, would that 6 months mat pay be based on the 4 days a week salary, or my full salary? Cause otherwise surely I could just go back to full time for a bit, then go off on mat leave again?
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In the UK they tend to do it off the 3 months prior to going on Mat leave there's a maternity calculator on the government website

You need to check your contract assuming you signed a new one when you returned with changed hours. However I would assume that the mat policy would be the same company wide and therefore you would get the 6 months again just based on your new reduced hours wages

It won’t be full salary if that’s not what you’re currently earning.

It works on your actual earnings, so it'll be your four day wage. I did the same with my second but was very lucky to get 100% pay for 9 months. I toyed with the idea of cheating a little bit and going up just for the qualifying weeks (how it works at most companies) or just before I left (how it works at my company). But they don't have to approve it and likely won't if they know what you're up to. You also run the risk of them expecting you back full time when you return as it's their right to be fair as that'd be your contract. I decided it wasn't worth the hassle, risk and potential bad blood so I was happy on the four day wage. It's what we were used to as a household anyway tbh!

Thank you so much ladies! So helpful! I agree Caroline, I'm happy with my employer so definitely don't want to burn any bridges! 😊

It won’t be full salary because you havent worked full time so it will be based on what you work and what your entitled to x

Where I work it’s based on the salary you are on when you are 20 weeks pregnant. So I would check your works Maternity policy

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