You only get 9 months paid maternity leave so although I could still be on maternity for the full 12 I wouldn't gain anything

smp is still 90% for 6 weeks isn't it???
You might be asked to pay the difference back - SMP of £123 whatever it is minus tax and NI

Hiya
I was just the same getting smp so i got 9 months paid and took 3 months unpaid leave and handed my notice in just before that was up (2 weeks before).I know it's not much but I got an extra 5 days holiday which meant 5 days extra money:0) and you shouldn't have to pay anything back if you got 6 weeks 90% and 33 weeks smp.

weird i got paid every month for 12 months, though it went down to not a lot near the end. Bah it was too long ago I cant remember properly what happened sorry heh!

I didn't think you had to pay anything back either?! I don't want to mess them around by saying I am taking the additional leave (even though they weren't the greatest of employers!) so I am just going to hand in my notice a month before the nine months are up I think

It's whatever works best for you and you feel comfortable with but you shouldn't have to pay anything back:0)

Do I have to repay my maternity pay if I don't go back to work?
Some employers offer contractual maternity pay that can be better than Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and is something that trade unions can negotiate with employers. If you receive contractual maternity pay and you decide not to return to that job, you only have to repay it if it was agreed in advance or specifically stated in your maternity policy or your contract. In these cases, you only have to pay back the extra contractual pay, not the SMP part of your maternity pay.

Some employers offer enhanced packages to women, for example a lump sum of money once they return to work after maternity leave for a period of time. This is obviously not something a new mother would qualify for if she did not return to work after maternity leave. This is not an ideal situation for mothers, as they often need the money when they are on the leave, not once they have returned to work, but it is legal.


check your contract everyone before handing in your notice!!!!!