UK Maternity Pay

[blondey]

Sorry to put even more of a downer on it but your maternity leave will probably start around 2-4 weeks before you give birth as well! So unless your company have a more beneficial maternity policy, you might be on SMP 2-4 weeks after you give birth!

Sucks doesn't it! I am civilian police staff at a police station and get 90% for 6 weeks and then for another 12 weeks 50% of my wages plus SMP so I think I loose out on around £50 a week (thats the way I've interpreted the policy anyway so thats what I'm hoping!) but I have to come back to work for 3 months or I have to repay the money!

If your company doesn't have a maternity scheme, other than the government minimum, and you think you'll struggle, the only thing I can suggest is to put a bit of money aside now, if you can! I know that when you do go back to work you aren't going to get many tax credits with your weekly earnings so I think it'll be tough then too. (Form speaking to a friend who I think has a family income similar to mine and my husbands, we get about £4 a week tax credits!) No wonder a lot of mums can't afford to go back to work as well!

Good luck and I hope you work it all out!

xx

 

[FlatShoes]

Hang on - the more I think about this teh more crazy it seems.

As a single, working mum you are expected to cope on £125 a week!

That doesn't even cover my rent!

 

[Nessicle]

Even as a double parent unit FlatShoes it doesnt cover my half of the bills and mortgage and OH earns way less than me.....it sucks!

My firm pays full pay for the first 3 months then it's SMP for 6 months, then nothing after that - 9 months is not enough time off, they should pay SMP for the full year!

 

[FlatShoes]

Its so shit! How wil we cope?!?

 

[blondey]

I think that the government should allow maternity leave/pay to be split. I did hear that a party did want to implement this (can't remember which one) which means that the mother can go back to work and the father/partner can legally be entitled to time off and the maternity benefit. I mean we are in 2010 not 1950's and women can and quite often do earn more money than men!

I'm going to wait till I've had the family before I whizz ahead of hubby in the earnings dept! (thats what I keep telling myself anyway!!!)

x

 

[Nessicle]

the thing is I would give anything to have the full year off myself not have to split it with OH lol, I just think if they want to encourage family units etc then forcing the mother to go back to work when their baby is 9 months old is terrible. It's still a little baby, even 1 year old is little but at least you'd get a valuable year at home!

I would be a Stay at home mum if I could afford it (saying that we might be bloody better off if I did....!) x

 

[leash27]

Oh my god I didnt realise thye SMP was subject to tax and insurance too? That sucks! I better start saving now!

Im am so glad someone started this thread as I have been worrying about managing our finances when I am on MAT leave, my OH and I earn over 40k a year between us so it will be a massive drop for us! Looks like I will be going back to work earlier than I anticpated!

I have been looking through all my outgoings and lisitng the things I can try and get rid of before LO arrives, I started with the gym (gladly) and I am shopping around for a cheaper tarrif for my mobile phone. Only small things so far but every little helps I suppose!

 

[anna matronic]

Well I spoke to my mw, she is happy to "bend the rules" but needed to get advice from her boss, who I imagine would obviously say no

 

[hb1]

Blimey - I am really lucky - my employers have just increased maternity pay to 6mths full pay then 3 mths SMP - by the time I am on SMP I will have saved quite a lot in petrol ( as I drive over 250 miles a week to and from work ).

I will have 6 weeks holiday to take when I go back in September along with 5 bank holidays and will be doing the "keep in touch" so have a further 10 days time in lieu - am thinking of spreading this over the rest of the year so I only have to do 3 days a week for the first 3 months but on full pay.

Didn't consider how lucky I was!!!

hx

 

[tommyg]

Maternity pay has only recently i.e. 3 years ago been increased to 9months from 6months. Huge part of the argument for it to be increased was to encourage more mums to breastfeed for the first 6 months, and to encourge mums to be to stop work a month or so before their due date rather than working up to the last minite but most people contiune to work as late as possible to have as much time with baby before they go back to work. Hence it is very unlikely that they will ever allow the money to be transfered to dads.

You are entitled to a full year of if you want but the last 3 months will be unpaid.

Yes it is subject to tax and NI but many people would remain below the threshold before you are due to pay tax or NI.

 

[gizmodo]

Don't forget you'll get child benefit as well which isn't means tested.

We've been saving up for maternity leave so that I can afford to take a year off. We also couldn't live on one wage and SMP.

 

[3011busyyear]

I don't wish to be mean here (blaming the hormones) but call me old fashioned but i don't think they are 'expecting you to survive on £125 a week', they are contributing £125 a week in addition to your savings/OH salary.

i know everyone is not always able to do this and that situations change but for example i get free milk in the kitchen at work, this doesn't mean i go in complaining that i then have to provide my own tea bags!

p.s i'm missing hubby today so don't shout at me

 

[FlatShoes]

"savings/OH salary"

What happens if you have no other half and no savings?! I've worked full time for 10 years and paid tax every month which I reckon is about £54000.

I'm asking for some of my contributions back now I need it - not something I haven't paid for!

 

[StrawberryJam]

I don't wish to be mean here (blaming the hormones) but call me old fashioned but i don't think they are 'expecting you to survive on £125 a week', they are contributing £125 a week in addition to your savings/OH salary.

i know everyone is not always able to do this and that situations change but for example i get free milk in the kitchen at work, this doesn't mean i go in complaining that i then have to provide my own tea bags!

p.s i'm missing hubby today so don't shout at me

I agree, though I recognise it's really difficult. OH and I have no savings whatsoever and a mountain of debt from a misspent youth, we both pay a lot of tax each year work full time and I have two jobs. Even with all that though I know that I'm lucky to get any SMP, the country's broke and the money has to come from somewhere. If they were to give us more they would have to tax us more or cut more services. I agree totally that we should be supported fully for the first year but I also recognise that it's not financially viable.

TBH I worry more about the rise in VAT and all the things that we'll need in the coming year. We've still got sometime to save and are looking at mortgage holidays, reducing our debt payments and so on. I will have to go back to work for at least 3months at the end of mat leave or else pay the contributions back, but when we worked it out we'd be better off if I didn't go back to work and I stayed at home...

Tough times ladies..

xx

 

[suzib76]

I don't wish to be mean here (blaming the hormones) but call me old fashioned but i don't think they are 'expecting you to survive on £125 a week', they are contributing £125 a week in addition to your savings/OH salary.

i know everyone is not always able to do this and that situations change but for example i get free milk in the kitchen at work, this doesn't mean i go in complaining that i then have to provide my own tea bags!

p.s i'm missing hubby today so don't shout at me

i completely agree

"savings/OH salary"

What happens if you have no other half and no savings?! I've worked full time for 10 years and paid tax every month which I reckon is about £54000.

I'm asking for some of my contributions back now I need it - not something I haven't paid for!

this is also true, YOU have paid in a lot, but not everyone has, so would it be fair for everyone to be given a lot back?

 

[FlatShoes]

True, that's also hard but it just annoys me so much that even though i've paid LOADS in taxes i'll get next to nothing back! Less than £5000!

While some people have NEVER worked and get fully supported - ie. rent paid, benefits etc.

There needs to be more of an incentive for working mums - maybe something like a pension scheme that builds up while you work and you can claim from when you have a child?

 

[suzib76]

its all so very wrong, i was on MA as im self employed but it was a massive drop going from being able to earn £200 on a saturday night alone to just £125 for the week

 

[Starmoon]

Well, I have come back to my thread and its turned into quite a discussion!

I think the EMPLOYER should be responsible for the payments whilst on Maternity Leave, maybe not for small businesses of say under 25 people, but my organisation employs thousands of people so could well afford it.

I got my payslip yesterday and this month, my deductions come to £638!! That is more than I will get per month SMP!

So, I have put £200 away this month and will top it up any which way I can. Have also put my name down for overtime so will add any I get to the pot too. I reckon I can probably save £2500 within 8 months but it will be very hard work and I will have to go without stuff. I plan to make more effort with not spending on things I dont need and do some extra bits like paid surveys etc cos every little bit helps. Also girls, if you havent signed up to Quidco, do so now and get money back on stuff you buy - I got £73.00 back this month so that will go in the fund. I am also going to have a clear out and eBay some stuff I think.

I dont drive and my OH has a van, so he will have to get a car or more likely a truck which has more seats but also can be used for his work, so that will cost quite a bit.

I am probably in a better position that a lot of people. If you are on your own then you should receive more help. As already said, it is difficult enough when you earn a decent wage, let alone if you dont or are on your own etc.

Lets all make a big effort to save save save!!

 

[Nessicle]

I have also paid tax and NIC for 10 years I've no idea what that amounts to but I think it's unfair to say we shouldn't get anything whereas if I went on benefits we'd probably be better off and get much more support. Surely if we've paid NIC and Tax then we should be entitled to a little more?? I'm sorry but you can't compare SMP to teabags and milk it's a little different!

We don't have any savings and OH earns about £6k a year less than me - we can't afford to save because of the cost of the mortgage and everyday living amounts to so much.

It just pisses me off when there are some scrubbers at the end of my street, who are getting sh*tfaced every single day, claiming DLA, DSS, income support, to name but a few, and I pay over £500 a month in tax and national insurance and yet will only receive £123 a week to live on for SMP for 6 months then be forced to go back to work and ripped away from my baby at such a young age? It's completely fu*ked up if you ask me.

Sorry but I'm sick of it and sick of pussyfooting around - you get f*ck all help for something like maternity leave if you work. It's like you're being punished for working and contributing for so long and want to have a baby. I don't expect to receive tons of benefits but come on £150 - £175 a week SMP is more of a realistic amount for a tiny 6 months after all I've contributed to society, given that I'll be returning to work and continuing to contribute.

Sorry rant over.....

 

[EmzyJA]

i totally agree with you. it winds me up when people scrouge off the government and then people like us who earn our money get no help when it comes to things like maternity leave and childcare if we want to return to work.

i'm gonna be relying on my husband to support us. and then i'm worried about what i'm gonna do about going back to work as the childcare costs will be pretty much the same amount as i'll be earning so it's pointless. i cant even do a regular evening job or anything when hubbi's home coz he's in the army and they often get sent on exercise etc at the last minute, so that'll be a nightmare. i have no family near by who can help either. i'm all for supporting yourself and especially when you have children you shouldnt rely on the government to pay for everything, but a bit of help with childcare costs for those who want to work and better maternity pay for those who do pay into the system would be nice. it's a joke. sometime i feel we'd be better off on benefits living in a council place.