SMP help - LO Born Sept & pregnant again!

So my LG was born Dec 2023, I fell pregnant last July with baby #2 but took a year with the 3 months unpaid for my LG. My qualifying period was Oct/Nov. Unfortunately, October, i got no pay, and I returned Nov, but I didn't earn enough in that month, so I'm now not entitled to anything. So I now have baby #2 on the way with no SMP. I can claim maternity allowance, but as it's deducted £ for £ from UC, there is no point in me applying for it as I'll be better off with just my partners wage and UC. Hope that helps. It's all about what you earn in your qualifying period. X

6 weeks at 90% is included in SMP, so as long as you are earning in your "qualifying period" enough (holiday or working), you should be fine. X

So to qualify for SMP again you’d have to be back working basically full time or as much as you were the first time to get the same pay. So they base it on the 3 payslips leading up to your 25th week, or qualifying week. You’d need to go back to work for those 3 months before you hit week 25 to be entitled to any SMP next year. I know this because I’m about to start my second mat leave within the same 14 months. I went off October 2023, was due to go back obv October 2024 but I had holidays so I would have still been off now. I had to be back earning from end of August and September and October wages basically because that would have been my £0 payslips months. I ended up going back end of August for 3 days, used my holidays to take me down to 3 days per week and then I ended up getting signed off sick in October due to pregnancy related complications (my baby has lung problems and I’m being scanned weekly). Anyway, so yeah I now qualify because I worked those 3 months leading up

When are you 25 weeks? I’ve calculated it back to 14 May? So you’d have to be earning again from some time end of Feb/ March to be able to qualify again. Speak to your HR they’ll tell you the exact date you need to be earning from again but it’s most likely to be within the next kinda 8/10 weeks I think x

Also as above mentioned you’d be able to put through holidays to cover some of the qualifying period but I’m not sure your holiday entitlement, I would doubt. It would be enough to cover 3 payslips worth of work weeks! https://www.gov.uk/maternity-pay-leave/eligibility

I should mention as well I get enhanced pay so that’s why I was keen to go back the 3 days, 2 days annual leave etc because I’d be working part time and get paid full time, as that’s my maternity pay for the first 6 months, then I drop to SMP. Online it says need to be earning minimum £123 a week so you could request part time as long as you make that per week leading up to your qualifying week (including the entire qualifying week so full of week 25) then you will qualify again next mat leave :) sorry for war and peace I had to go through all this very very recently haha

@Megan thank you so much. This has helped massively! Honestly stressing so much and so now I know I need to speak to work sooner rather than later! I think after what I’ve read and what you’ve told me, I will need to go back to work end of Feb/march. I have 23 days plus bank holiday and also get 10 kit days. I’m actually doing a kit day tomorrow so I will defo speak to HR to clarify everything! Thank you everyone else for you comment too x

Not a problem! It’s a minefield but they will know exactly what to do, you won’t be the first or the last haha. I actually requested a call from them instead of on email (I was less than 12 weeks when I told them, because I had to🤣!!) and as soon as she came on teams I just went “so I’m pregnant again” she started laughing so hard she’s like I knew what this was going to be before you said it haha. You’ll be totally fine - and if they hired someone mat leave cover it gives them time to extend their contract and all that too! Congratulations ❤️