# Maternity pay for Temp workers?



## pink_glitter

I have been in a temp contract for a year however i have just found out i am pregnant and wondered as its a long contract will i get maternity leave from the company or will it be government maternity?

Also can anyone confim is government maternity £117per month?

Many Thanks


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## Jai_Jai

Hey babe SMP (from govt) is £119 p/w not per month.....u will get it from them not from work as u are not perm!! its called maternoty allowance and u should receive a £500 grant about 11 weeks before bubs is born to help equip u!! jst ring up ur council and they will confirm it all with u cxxx


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## caggimedicine

I'm not entirely sure, but i think maybe you might be entitled to some maternity rights from the company you're working at because you've been there 1 year. You'd have to check this though. I think you'd have to have been employed continuously though, rather than lots of different short-term contracts one after the other - and i'm not sure what "rights" you'd be entitled to (e.g. not sure about maternity pay, but you may have the right to return to the same job after maternity leave etc). Check the company's maternity policy too.


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## Shifter

Do you work through an agency, or are you employed by your company on a temporary contract?

If it's through an agency then your agency has to pay you SMP. If it is a temp contract with the company you should still be entitled to SMP from them, if they have additional benefits you may even be entitled to that. It doesn't matter that your contract is temporary, just that you have been with that employer for long enough. This site explains it: https://www.dwp.gov.uk/advisers/ni17a/smp/smp_2.asp

The only thing to watch for is them finding an excuse to end your contract to get out of paying you. That counts as discrimination and the law would favour you, it's just tricky to prove anything.

Hopefully they won't do anything like that though!


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## krissie1234uk

I work in a temp agency - providing you have worked for the company for over 26 weeks by the 15th week before the baby is due you should be entitled to SMP from the company you work for. If you do work for an agency, provided the work you have done is continuous you still qualify. If for any reason there have been any breaks in employment, then you have to look at whether the agency offered you any work - if they did and you turned it down you don't qualify - however if they had no work to offer you, you still qualify.


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