What is your maternity package like?

[ams25]

Ams it is very sad and unfair that women have to go back early just to pay bills. There are not many benefits for working parents that are not on a huge combined wage but earn too much for tax credits...then the government wonder why there is so much benefit fraud. To a certain extent I can understand people doing this in desperation just to pay bills and spend time with their kids. Not trying to justifying it, just understanding some people really struggle with no real help. Wow sorry, Completly gone off on a tangent.

xxx

Totally agree hun! My hubby works full-time and earns minimum wage, I earn 15k, also full-time so we have a fairly low income but we are just about over the limit for any help at all, not entitled to any tax credits just child benefit at 20 quid a week. I really feel backed into a corner at having to go back after 6 months but I haven't really got a choice!

I will definitely be looking at maternity packages and the possibility of moving jobs when it comes to thinking of having more babies! X

 

[CARNAT22]

I posted this thread as a few ladies posted on my journal about their maternity packages and commented that mine seemes really measly (it is!!)

I can't change things and all we can do is save as much as we can for the next few months BUT I am disgusted as to how little us pregnant women get.

Ladies, I wouldn't recommend you looking to see if you are entitled to any "help" in terms of benefits either as if your OH works you'll most likely be entitled to naff all.

It is all very depressing!

xxxxxxxxxxx

 

[NavyLouise]

I get 90% of my average earnings for the first 6 weeks, SMP for 33 weeks after and nothing for the last 13 weeks of additional maternity leave.

 

[Amylize]

I too am only going to be recieveing SMP

First 6 weeks at 90% my full wage and for 33 weeks £135. something....

 

[FirstBabyEek]

I only get SMP too. I'm going to take the full year off as well. Dont forget though that you accrue holiday both statutory and contractural throughout your maternity leave too, which you can either tack on to either end of your maternity leave (and get paid at the full rate) or they can pay you for it, which tops up SMP a bit.

So its not just your annual leave that you are entitled to, but Bank Holidays and Christmas, Easter etc too.

I think its a bit sad that we work for companies who are supposed to encourage women back to work after having children and that is the treatment. I've been at my firm for 11 years this year, but clearly that counts for nothing when they put together my maternity 'package'.

I realise that they have to look out for themselves commercially, which is fine, but it does not encourage me to anymore than I have to these days nor come back to work sooner because it would suit them, which I was planning to do as we have a big project starting spring next year - but now as they are only offering me the measly basic, I jolly well wont help them out!!!

Sorry, went off on a rant there.....
xxx

 

[Mrsstuart01]

Mines actually pretty damn good, 6 months full pay, 3 months smp, 3 mo tha unpaid then holidays at the end which means I can take about 14 months off xx

 

[Titch85]

I used to work for a very big childcare company, there whole emphasis was on family and heart, until it came to staff! SMP only and no discount off the childcare! And anyone who works in childcare knows that the pay is not much more than minimum wage!

 

[Lynds77]

I thought my company were shit!

i get 3 months full pay, then 6 months SMP (but I still have to pay my pension out of that, so my SMP is sod all really) then 3 months no pay.

I still accrue annual leave whilst on maternity but i stop accruing days off for any public holidays. So I get my usual annual leave allowance -8 days public holiday for the year.

poop really

 

[CARNAT22]

I only get SMP too. I'm going to take the full year off as well. Dont forget though that you accrue holiday both statutory and contractural throughout your maternity leave too, which you can either tack on to either end of your maternity leave (and get paid at the full rate) or they can pay you for it, which tops up SMP a bit.

So its not just your annual leave that you are entitled to, but Bank Holidays and Christmas, Easter etc too.

I think its a bit sad that we work for companies who are supposed to encourage women back to work after having children and that is the treatment. I've been at my firm for 11 years this year, but clearly that counts for nothing when they put together my maternity 'package'.

I realise that they have to look out for themselves commercially, which is fine, but it does not encourage me to anymore than I have to these days nor come back to work sooner because it would suit them, which I was planning to do as we have a big project starting spring next year - but now as they are only offering me the measly basic, I jolly well wont help them out!!!

Sorry, went off on a rant there.....
xxx

I was going to look up public holiday as well, that is good to know - at least that bumps things up a little!

I am exactly the same hun, when I go on maternity leave I am a month shy of being here 11 years. It was my first job after Uni and I've been here through thick and thin (this includes taking a 10% paycut for the whole of 2008 )

I have decided to make sure I do not take holiday for any of my appointments and try to book my antenatal appointments to work for me! IE my 20 week scan is at 3.30pm so I'll be leaving work at 2.30pm!

It is sickening and just gets worse when you look at the cost of childcare.

However my little belly bean is all that matters. OH and I will manage as do millions of other people in this country

xxxxxxxxxxx

 

[Lynds77]

I get 3 months full pay then smp for 6 months ... Which i think is pants considering I work for the government


Please excuse any typos from my fat fingers!
Tapatalk madness!

what makes it worse is that council and NHS employees get 6 months full pay!! we get paid by the same bloody people............

wonder what the ambulance and firies get....

 

[Karate Kid]

I only get SMP too. I'm going to take the full year off as well. Dont forget though that you accrue holiday both statutory and contractural throughout your maternity leave too, which you can either tack on to either end of your maternity leave (and get paid at the full rate) or they can pay you for it, which tops up SMP a bit.

So its not just your annual leave that you are entitled to, but Bank Holidays and Christmas, Easter etc too.

I think its a bit sad that we work for companies who are supposed to encourage women back to work after having children and that is the treatment. I've been at my firm for 11 years this year, but clearly that counts for nothing when they put together my maternity 'package'.

I realise that they have to look out for themselves commercially, which is fine, but it does not encourage me to anymore than I have to these days nor come back to work sooner because it would suit them, which I was planning to do as we have a big project starting spring next year - but now as they are only offering me the measly basic, I jolly well wont help them out!!!

Sorry, went off on a rant there.....
xxx

It is really sad.... I just don't think going back to work will be the right thing for me.... after taking into account the cost of childcare I wouldn't be that much better off and the money I would get does not make up for the time lost with LO....

To top it all off I have found out how much the temp that is covering my ML will be getting.... let's put it this way I am fuming but can I do anything about it.... can I heck, my boss is too much of a tool. He is worrying so much about budgets and has asked if I will be able to come in to help him out....

I too understand that comercially it is not viable for some companies to have a 'nice' Maternity package but simply offering SMP really does not offer any incentive to be loyal to a company. xx

 

[FirstBabyEek]

I thought my company were shit!

i get 3 months full pay, then 6 months SMP (but I still have to pay my pension out of that, so my SMP is sod all really) then 3 months no pay.

I still accrue annual leave whilst on maternity but i stop accruing days off for any public holidays. So I get my usual annual leave allowance -8 days public holiday for the year.

poop really

They can't dock your public holiday allowance, it's not legal! Check the directgov website its pretty unequivocal about it.
x

 

[FirstBabyEek]

It is really sad.... I just don't think going back to work will be the right thing for me.... after taking into account the cost of childcare I wouldn't be that much better off and the money I would get does not make up for the time lost with LO....

To top it all off I have found out how much the temp that is covering my ML will be getting.... let's put it this way I am fuming but can I do anything about it.... can I heck, my boss is too much of a tool. He is worrying so much about budgets and has asked if I will be able to come in to help him out....

I too understand that comercially it is not viable for some companies to have a 'nice' Maternity package but simply offering SMP really does not offer any incentive to be loyal to a company. xx

I think our bosses must be out of the same mould hun. Proper tools. I maureen admit I've been thinking about not going back as I'll need to work 3.5 days a week just to make it worth while and I'm not sure I want to loose the time. Fortunately I've got a year off to think about that, Pickle might be a little monster and have me running back to work, ha ha!

Xx

 

[tweetyfoo]

I get 3 months full pay then smp for 6 months ... Which i think is pants considering I work for the government


Please excuse any typos from my fat fingers!
Tapatalk madness!

what makes it worse is that council and NHS employees get 6 months full pay!! we get paid by the same bloody people............

wonder what the ambulance and firies get....

Wish I knew some so I could find out ... then start a protest ... no wait, we can't do that either!

I know everyone works hard ... but I just can't believe that the NHS get so much more than we do .. given the job that we do

I think NHS get 3 months at half pay too .. no?

 

[FirstBabyEek]

Carnat - it's such a shame that we show willingness in difficult times, like taking pay cuts but, when the shoe is on the other foot all that together with the hard work and dedication etc we've invested goes completely out of the window and our firms give us basic.

You are right though as disgruntled as I feel, it does give us the fortunate position of being able to do what we are entitled to during pregnancy and that millions of others are in exactly the same position.
Xxxxx

 

[kedi376]

I'm in the same boat, I just get the 6 weeks at 90% and then SMP for the rest. I do get my car allowance as this is a benefit, but then I still have to pay for the car, which is £500 per month and I don't get £500 worth of car allowance a month. So some of my smp will have to pay for the car too!

I've decided to do one kit day a month to boost my monthly income.

 

[Parker7]

I'm self employed, so I get Maternity allowance for the last 14 weeks of pregnancy. I think it equates to around £1800.
I will have someone working for me but I will still be working, running the business from home. So technically yeah I am back working straight away.... but I don't need to leave the house. And I don't plan on properly going back to work.

 

[mrswoody]

I get full pay for 24 weeks then it goes down to 80% of my wage for 12 weeks then I have a return to work date which is when I will start all my accrued holidays and will be back to full pay. I go on maternity leave the week before my due date then return in mid October which is good I have a pretty good maternity package which I am thankful for, but I'm in the armed forces so that may be why?! Not sure x

 

[EssJayPea]

My boss, Scrooge, is grudgingly giving me SMP! Xx

 

[kanga86]

I'm getting just smp for the whole 39weeks, should have gotten 90% of my wages for 6 weeks but the idiots at my work messed up my wages so much from being on sick pay. That my qualifying months pay, isn't enough to be entitled to my 90%. But there is nothing I can do about it!! Xx