Options and what to do? Help!

[Lotti1978]

Hi

I work for the NHS and as far as Ive gathered, I can take 52 weeks Mat leave.
I think 26 weeks are 90% of your earnings and 26 is 90% or £157 whatever is less????? All a little confusing.

Im trying to work out then what benefits you get.....Ive heard £20 per week for help towards childcare.....

We earn approx 52k between us (sounds like a lot but its not - due to family things...we are comfortable)

I dont know whether we would be better off me going back to full time flexi working and we pay someone for 5 days childcare or me to return back to work part time and only pay childcare part time????

Its a hard decision to make and soon I will have a meeting about this with HR.

Thanks

 

[babyblog]

Hiya, me and my OH earn about that. we get £20 per week child benefit, until bubs is 18 and we currently get £98 every 4 weeks in child tax credits-soon to go down to £75.

Every employe is diff but i got 90% for 6 weeks, then 50% for 18+£123 SMP which ul be entitled to if youve worked there a while.

In terms of childcare it depends where u live, where i am it costs between £50-£70 pounds per day, so depends how much u earn i guess x

 

[MrsRH]

Hi
I work for the NHS.
Just double check your contract, I don't think you'll get paid for all 52 weeks but you are entitled to take a full year off.
It's usually 39 weeks paid mat leave.
Also 26 weeks at 90% pay is VERY generous.... I don't get that!!!


Isn't this NHS mat pay?????

For first 8 weeks of maternity leave = full pay (90% of which is statutory maternity pay plus 10% occupational maternity pay)
For the following 18 weeks =half pay + statutory maternity pay (the half pay is occupational matern. pay +approx £112.00/week statutory matern pay.
(Subsequently for next 13 weeks leave you would receive statutory maternity pay only.
total 39 weeks



you'll def get child benefit, and depending on your total household income, you may get child or working tax credit.
you can apply for child care vouchers through your employer which is a tax effecient way of paying for childcare

you'll have to work out the pros and cons of part time work and balancing money/benefits and the cost of childcare.

I am going back part time and therefore dropping a big chunk of salary but get to spend time seeing my LO growing up whilst maintaining my career ( and my own money!)

xxx

 

[Amy_T]

That is incredibly generous, I work for the NHS Trust and our local policy states the following (very similar to stated above)...

First 8 weeks = full pay less any SMP or Maternity
Allowance receivable.
Next 18 weeks = half pay plus any SMP or maternity
allowance (including any dependants allowances)
providing the total receivable does not exceed full
pay*
Next 13 weeks lower rate Statutory Maternity Pay.

After that, if you want 52 weeks off, the rest is unpaid.


Go to entitledto.co.uk and put in your info, it gives you a general idea of what you may get, childcare round here in a nursery averages around £40 a day including meals, tax credits is based on your previous year's earnings, I doubt you'd be entitled to a massive amount of help to be honest given your income. We earn less and don't get much, I will be going back part time as it doesn't benefit us for me to work full time really.

 

[MrsRH]

That is incredibly generous, I work for the NHS Trust and our local policy states the following (very similar to stated above)...

First 8 weeks = full pay less any SMP or Maternity
Allowance receivable.
Next 18 weeks = half pay plus any SMP or maternity
allowance (including any dependants allowances)
providing the total receivable does not exceed full
pay*
Next 13 weeks lower rate Statutory Maternity Pay.

After that, if you want 52 weeks off, the rest is unpaid.


Go to entitledto.co.uk and put in your info, it gives you a general idea of what you may get, childcare round here in a nursery averages around £40 a day including meals, tax credits is based on your previous year's earnings, I doubt you'd be entitled to a massive amount of help to be honest given your income. We earn less and don't get much, I will be going back part time as it doesn't benefit us for me to work full time really.

Hey Amy, shall we go and work for this trust!!!!!
Sounds like they have a big cash pot for mums!
xxx

 

[Vici]

When OH and I had a joint income of £49k we were entitled to £20 Child Benefit and £21 CTC (per week). Now we are on a joint income of £28k and we entitled to exactly the same with no childcare help. Childminder here is £37 a day so maybe you can work it out for yourself x

 

[LankyDoodle]

52k a year is not a lot at all - about average and just slightly more than my OH and me bring in when I'm not on maternity leave. Thing is, when you earn an 'average' wage, you can't get benefits as suchg so living IS expensive and yes, all the money goes, so those who look at 52k and think that's a huge amount should think of all the tax and NI we pay on that and wonder how much is actually left when we have paid our own bills/rent/mortgage.

You might want to check on the tax credits front, though, as the cut-off for receiving them is, I believe 50k. The minimum you receive is £21 a week for a year and £10.50 a week thereafter and you get that all the way from 22k upto 50k! Over 50k I don't think you can get them.

In terms of benefits, if you're like us you can get £20 for oldest child (child benefit) and then less for each younger child. Then you can get £21 a week child tax credits until the child is one; when they are one (you know... when you go back to work and actually NEED to flippin money to pay for childcare which is what the money is meant to be for!!) it halves to £10.50 a week. That's all we get. So I have to go back to work as we get the same whether I work or not (nothing extra for me not working).

Nurseries round here are about £35 a day. Childminders are about £3.50 an hour. A nanny (I've been one) would be around 20k a year plus your employer NICs.

As an NHS employee you will get more than SMP but if you don't go back will probably be liable for paying back some or all of the top-up you received.

 

[babyblog]

if ur babies under 1 ul get TC as long as joint income is under 66k. when baby reaches 1 u need to earn under 55k to be eligible x