Help regarding Maternity pay

[supertabby]

my brother wants to do that and take some time as then she can go back to work but my sis inlaw and her parents want her to stay at home. so i'm not sure what they are going to do. i just want them to be happy and not stress about money cos its not helping things xxx

Well unless her parents are going to subsidise her wages then she may end up back at work.......
They need to make a proper plan and stick to it. Lots of mums would like to be SAHMs but just can't afford to. I'm a SAHM but money is pretty tight and we wont have a holiday for years but we budget well and stick to it
Thats our choice tho and i would never criticise anyone who did go back for a bit more money and luxuries for the whole family.
I hope they can work something out that everyone is happy with

Totally disagree. I would have promptly whacked anyone who told me I HAD to go back to work. It sounds like she doesn't want to go back because she wants to be at home with her baby and quite rightly her parents are backing her up. I think it would be awful to force a mother to be separated from baby when not ready! They will have to work something else out.

I took the last 3 months unpaid even though we didn't have a penny to our names and ran up 2.5k worth of debt in that time. OH wasn't happy and neither was his family but I don't care, it was much more important for me to spend over a year home with my LO. I always had plans to go back when LO was 4months old but when reality hit I just couldn't do it.

Sorry hun, i didn't mean she should HAVE to go back to work, i meant more that they need to figure something out.. i think i just worded it wrong if that makes sense. I understand exactly where you are coming from about not going back, as i've said things are tight in this house, esp with another on the way but there was no way i was going back either and i certainly wont be once LO number 2 is here

Ha, it does sound like you are saying she needs to get her backside back to work but reading it again I get what you mean now!

We are NTNP no 2 and I won't be going back after number 2 either xx

I didn't read it that way at all, I read it as the op's brother and sil need to make a new financial plan and that its all very well her parents not wanting her to work but if they can't pay essential bills and buy food then she may have no choice. It's not a question of anyone being TOLD to go back to work, but sometimes families really have no choice. I've taken the full 12 months off, we've budgeted for the last 3 months when I won't receive smp. Personally even though I think its really important to be home with Isobel as long as possible I wouldn't get into debt for it - we are saving for Isobel's future, who knows how expensive university will be in 18 years and debt won't help with that. But you've taken that option because it was the choice your family wanted - the point is whatever you do there's no point burying your head in the sand, the op's brother and sil need a proper plan.

 

[truly_blessed]

When I handed my MatB1 form in and confirmed my dates, I received a letter about 4 weeks later from my employer stating exactly what my maternity pay and rights would be. It didn't state actual figures but did say 100% for 8 weeks, 50%+SMP for 18 weeks then just SMP for 13 weeks. If we didn't have savings, I would be going back after 26 weeks but I have been saving for quite some time so should be able to manage taking the 33 weeks where I still get paid something. I definatley need to go back once the 33 weeks are up as we cannot afford to live off one wage after that time at this stage.

 

[tinki87]

Well thats the good thing we have been able to save a bit of money through out my pregnancy so we still have that so we have worked out that i will be able to take 9 months as maternaty leave. My parents have not said that dont want me to go back to work!!! they have said that it would be nice for me to be of work for abit longer than 3 months which i thought about doing, but my husband and i are very lucky in that my parents are my landlords!! So we dont need to worry about money as we have saved and we can just put all our focus and love in our little princess!!

 

[tinki87]

Well thats the good thing we have been able to save a bit of money through out my pregnancy so we still have that so we have worked out that i will be able to take 9 months as maternaty leave. My parents have not said that dont want me to go back to work!!! they have said that it would be nice for me to be of work for abit longer than 3 months which i thought about doing, but my husband and i are very lucky in that my parents are my landlords!! So we dont need to worry about money as we have saved and we can just put all our focus and love towards our little princess!!