Anyone know when you're entitled to maternity pay?

Question

How long do you have to of been working before you're entitled to maternity pay? I've just started a new job, but want to start trying for a baby. Is it 6 months?

x

Answer 1

Hi there

Im pretty sure its a year but I may be wrong.  If you are in the UK the following link should help you:

http://tiger.direct.gov.uk/cgi-bin/mater...

Good luck with trying for a baby.

Answer 2

That's different at every job. My job personally won't pay any of it's employees for maternity leave. Now, by law, your work place is supposed to allow you time off of work to have and care for the baby. BUT they don't have to pay you for it.

That's something you'll have to speak with your boss about if you want to be clear on their personal policies for payment during leave.  

Answer 3

wow, I didn't realise other places were so mean, I'm in the UK and was wishing I was entitled to more than I'll get with my statutory and company (not everyone gets this) maternity pay but some places pay nothing at all? You will get paid in the UK by the government if you have worked long enough before taking the time off, which you will cos you're not even pregnant yet and maternity pay doesn't start til you leave so thats going to be at least 6 months away.

Answer 4

in uk i think yes is 26 weeks....is that six months? near enough

Answer 5

If you live in the UK you must have been working for a company 26 weeks before the 15th week prior to you leaving.

So if you was leaving 4 weeks before your due date then you must have been working 26 weeks by the time you are 21 weeks pregnant.

Sorry l h is right.......baby brain has vanquished some of my memory!

Answer 6

If you're in the US, we don't have a policy guaranteeing maternity pay.  99.99% of people wouldn't get it anyway.

That would only be out of the kindness of your company, and probably would only be given to top level people that had been there for years.

Your average person would never get a benefit like that.

Answer 7

It depends on where you work.  I didn't realize that short term disability is what covered maternity leave at my work so I didn't sign up for it.  Well...when I got pregnant I had to go on the family medical leave act, which is fine but you don't get paid a cent!

You are never entitled to it so make sure you ask your employer if and how you get covered!

Answer 8

The law says you're entitled to maternity pay when you've worked for your employer for 26 weeks, by the time you're 15 weeks till you due date.

In other words when you're 25 weeks pregnant, you should have worked for your employer for 26 weeks.  

EDIT - Lauren is a little incorrect in her answer - you only have to be employed for 26 weeks by the time you've got 15 weeks before your due date.  It's nothing to do with the date you plan to leave.

The law:

Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP)

You can get Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) for up to 39 weeks, as long as you meet the conditions.

To qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay you must have been:

employed by the same employer continuously (some breaks do not interrupt continuous employment) for at least 26 weeks into the 15th week before the week your baby is due; and

earning an average of at least £90 a week (before tax)

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Mone...

EDIT - Cat - your link doesn't work, and the link for direct.gov.uk is above for maternity pay. It states the law clearly.  I think you must be thinking either that you can take 1 year maternity leave (only 9 months is paid) or that if you work for 1 year you cannot be unfairly dismissed for pregnancy. Nothing to do with maternity pay.

Sorry to keep adding info, but I hate it when people guess the law when they don't actually know it. Hence why I put links to my answers to prove I'm correct.

Cheers Lauren - dunno why someone thumbs down us both anyway - no-one else is even close with their answer!

Answer 9

In australia its 1 year but not all places pay maternity leave, you will get leave but might not get pay

Answer 10

In the US the only time you get "maternity" pay is when you have paid time off available and you don't qualify for Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) until you have been with the company for a year so you may not even have a job to go back to when you take your maternity leave.

Answer 11

l h is right, you have to be working for your employer for 26 weeks by the 15th week before your due date.

Answer 12

you have to be working from 15 weeks before the 24th week that the baby is due

Answer 13

depends on the employer. at my work we get 3 months full pay, or 6 months at half pay, and 12 month maternity leave.

but all work places are different. you need to ask them, or suss it out on their intrant (if they have one). there might be a HR document on there outlining it.

(whats with the thumbs down??)