Having a child is a very special time in your life, and as a new mother you will want to take time off from work so that you can stay at home with your newborn and focus on taking care of their needs. Luckily, if you work in the UK you have maternity rights according to employment law which will allow you the ability to take time off from work with your new baby.
It’s important to know your maternity rights and understand how maternity leave works in your situation, so that you will be able to ensure that you are getting the time off that you are entitled to. Here is a bit more information about what you are eligible for:
Statutory Maternity Leave
As an employee in the UK, you will be eligible for the statutory maternity leave scheme. Your particular employer might have an independent maternity leave scheme which could be different than the standard government scheme, but it should only be more generous as no employer can offer you less than the standard UK scheme.
Under the Statutory Maternity Leave, you are eligible for twenty-six weeks of what is called “Ordinary Maternity Leave” as well as twenty-six weeks of what is known as “Additional Maternity Leave” which adds up to a total of fifty-two weeks (one year) in total.
What Your Employer Needs to Know
You are eligible for this no matter how long you have worked in job, how many hours you worked per week, or how much you were paid. You need to let your employer know that you intend to take your maternity leave at least 15 weeks before the week that your baby is due. Tell them that you are pregnant, inform them of the date when the baby is due, and let them know the date you want to start the maternity leave. Make sure that you submit this notice in writing, and keep a copy for yourself. You might also need to submit a copy of the certificate you received from your doctor which tells you when the baby is due.
When to Start Your Maternity Leave
You are allowed to start your maternity leave any time from 11 weeks before your baby is due. Some mothers like to work as far into the pregnancy as possible so that they will spend most of their maternity leave after their little one is born. However, if you miss work for reasons related to pregnancy within four weeks of the expected due date, your employer can make you start the maternity leave from that point.
Do you have to take all of your maternity leave?
No, if you don’t want to take your entire maternity leave, you don’t have to. The minimum amount of time off you are required to take is two weeks, or four weeks if you work in a factory.
Before having your baby, make sure that you understand your rights regarding maternity leave so that you can take the time off that you need to take care of your baby.
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