Maternity Leave

Do you own your house or rent? And do you get enhanced maternity pay? X

Rent, and not entirely sure. Will need to check my contract!😬 x

At the min, I'm only on SMP so 736 a month, and then I get child element on UC which I think everyone is entitled to which is £287 and then standard allowance is 393 but some of it gets reduced so altogether end up with about 660 from uc on top of SMP a month, and then child benefit as well which is an extra 100 quid a month x

If you rent, you might get money towards housing costs as well! Read your contract, but ether way you'll deffo be entitled to something, i had no clue about UC when I went on maternity and was panicking so much

Also you can try and claim healthy start if you're eligible for it, and that's an extra 38 a month as well!

Do you mean what you'll be entitled to on universal credit. Depends entirely on your own situation, there are calculators online which can help - Entitled to

Everyone is entitled to SMP but You need to check your employer benefits to see what they offer. A lot of companies offer enhanced pay for a number of months. It’s often tied to you returning to work after your Mat leave make sure you read the small print so there are no surprises. The i’d go on the government website they have a calculator where you enter your salary etc (and partner/dad If you live together) and then it will tell you what you can apply for extra.

I got a week by week breakdown from my last employer of how much I will get a month of SMP before tax and insurance was taken away x

I got 6 weeks at 90% of pay and then SMP until 9months. I used all my holidays at the end of my maternity as well. Once baby was born I claimed child benefit which at the moment is £102 a month for 1 child

Do the calendar for uc, can give you a rough estimate what you can get. I’m on about £736 from work ( was 90% for first 6 weeks) maternity, the £109 for child benefit then uc too me up even with my partner working full time as our rent is high etc. so I’d advise just apply as soon as you are on maternity leave to see what you can get. If you’re able to get uc you can apply for the maternity grant £500 which I got really quickly.

@Kath 6 weeks at 90% is SMP, that's what SMP starts as before dropping to £180 odd a week

@Naomi not everyone is entitled to SMP, you have to have earned enough in the qualifying period

@Charley yes I know this, but not everyone is aware that the first 6 weeks are 90%. I didn't get any enhanced maternity

@Emily not everyone is entitled to the child element in universal credit.

@Kath your comment makes it sound like you got 6 weeks at 90%....followed by SMP. So just clarifying for other readers that that is the normal SMP payment anyway

I got 6 weeks at 90% then SMP which doesn't even cover my share of bills/mortgage etc and my husband can't afford it by himself. The way it works is so silly... surely everyone on SMP should be entitled to universal credit. The system doesn't take into account that higher earners are likely to have larger mortgage payments etc, and you can't just put all that on hold whilst on mat leave 😬 x

I’ll have to look into the universal credit, as I’m full time employed never claimed it before. Thanks for the advice. Really helpful all! Xx

@Charley oh are they not, my bad i thought they were!

@Emily everyone is entitled to child benefit of £25.60 a week

@Charley well, unless you earn over £80k 😐🤣

@Rachel oh yes true!

Your employer can give you a month by month breakdown until you're on to statutory maternity pay. Then you could potentially apply for UC depending on what your household income is. You'll also be entitled to Child Benefit x

It will all depend on your work place policy as to what you will get. Some places pay enhanced some it will only be SMP. They should have a maternity/paternity/parental leave policy. If you can’t find it speak with someone from HR

@Emily how do you get UC is it based on your salary and savings?

in regards to UC - they’ll take your partners wages into account if you live with them. as i’m not entitled to any more help once i’m on SMP as my partner earns way over the threshold. luckily we’ll be fine without any extra help but i know not everyone is. unfortunately you may not be entitled to anything if your partner earns too much in their conditions. even if it’s not enough for you both.

@Emma yeah, if you have under 16k in savings I think it is, I'm not really sure i just applied for it and based on the smp, I'm getting 664 a month 🤷‍♀️

I got 6months full pay, then it will be half pay for 3months then I could use my holidays for the last part but ill also be reiceveing uc etc during that time.

@Beth note that savings need to be under £16k to receive UC

You can use this to work it out https://www.gov.uk/maternity-paternity-calculator

This is dependant on your employer. I get 6 months full pay but your employer will give you a breakdown of your monthly payments ahead of you starting mat leave that they should discuss with you. If you pay pension contributions you can pause those too to top up salary etc.