Statutory maternity pay/ Maternity Allowance
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@Ki because I’m a sister, the statuary maternity pay from nhs id almost double MA for first two months ,which is a shame however just thankful to get any financial support! Thank you xxxx
I work for the NHS too and I believe our policy says if you have to claim maternity allowance then it's through the job centre. Your employee relations department should have a maternity specialist who can help guide you through it!
@Heather oh wow that’s crazy and is a shame. Yeah it’s hard I was a Locum in NHS when I had my LO so had to claim MA x
Did you have a break in service/any time off in between roles? Maternity pay entitlement should be based off continuous service, so if you’ve worked for NHS for 5+ years even in different trusts, I would have thought you should have been entitled to enhanced OMP as well as SMP!
I would go off work later so I meet criteria
@Beth I had one week off, as I knew this wouldn’t affect my continuous service! So technically, no. Which means I’m entitled to the 2 months full pay however, not SMA which is a real shame as I’ll miss out on around £500 a month! Xxx
@Beth I will definitely speak to hr but based on gov website, and RCN I’m not entitled to it 😭
@Jay it’s got nothing to do with when you go off work, it’s based on your pregnancy dates.
MA is claimed through the government online, it’s the same amount as smp minus the first 6 weeks being at 90% and it can be paid 2 or 4 weekly
@N 💞 thank you so much ❤️
https://faq.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/knowledgebase/article/KA-23759/en-us - if your break is less than 3 months you should be fine, I’d query it again with HR and the RCN to be honest (edited to add it does only state it affects your contractual maternity pay and not statutory, so you’d just claim maternity allowance as well which you can google how to claim)
@Chloe I’m really nervous as I had a break for one week Sunday - Sunday before starting my new job, according to that website, that’s now classed as a break in service which means I technically lose my 5 years continuous service 🥲 do you think this still counts and qualifies me for the Occupational maternity pay! I’m almost too scared to ask HR cxx
I had the exact same problem. Have payroll fill out the SMP1 form which they can find online (this is them giving a reason as to why they can’t give you SMP) , you fill in the MA form which is online too and send it off with the SMP1 and some payslips! It’s super easy. And it can start along side your occupational maternity pay too. My MA is starting as soon as I go on maternity leave so if anything it’s actually better than SMP x
Also you’ll still be entitled to the OMP if you didn’t have a break in service - I thought a break in service was if it’s 3 weeks or more but don’t quote me on that! Check with payroll (HR weren’t much help for me) x
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@Rachel hey!! Your message makes me feel reassured. I just feel frustrated that due to having Sunday - Sunday off is counted as two weeks off which is classed as a break in service therefore not entitled to my band 7 full and half pay! And as I’ll br in my current roll for 24 weeks rather than 26 weeks I don’t even meet the criteria for 90% pay! Thanks so much!!! Cxx
You can apply for maternity allowance online. It’s a long form but super easy and they are very quick with giving you a response on whether you qualify (you will defo qualify as I was in a similar situation but in teaching).
@Jay it doesn't work like that! You have to have been employed before conception for you to qualify for SMP.
It’s definitely break in service for more than 3 months. You are entitled to OMP.
Maternity allowance is the same as statutory in how much you get, just named different and has a different criteria. I think you apply online x