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- During your pregnancy
- Maternity leave
- Maternity pay
- Salary sacrifice
- Annual leave
- Contact and KIT days
- Returning to work
- Glossary of University maternity terms
- Adoption leave
- Paternity/maternity support leave
- Requesting a change to your working pattern
- Parental leave
- Emergency leave
- Childcare vouchers
- Childcare facilities
- Forms
Maternity pay
Maternity leave and pay are separate entitlements. Entitlement to maternity pay will depend on length of service and on whether or not you return to work following your maternity leave. These entitlements are detailed below, but you can also use the Maternity Entitlements Calculator for a personalised version.
| If you have been working at the University for 52 weeks ending with the Expected Week of Childbirth1 and you earn above the lower earnings level, you will be eligible for the University Maternity Pay at: | |
|---|---|
| 8 weeks | full pay inclusive of Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP)2, then |
| 16 weeks | at half pay plus SMP, then |
| 15 weeks | at either SMP or a rate equal to 90% of your average weekly earnings (whichever is lower), then |
| 13 weeks | unpaid leave |
| If you have been working at the University for 52 weeks ending with the Expected Week of Childbirth and you earn below the lower earnings level you will be eligible for the University Maternity Pay at: | |
|---|---|
| 8 weeks | full pay (less deductions for benefits paid by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Please note you are required to notify your HR Business Partner of any payments you receive from DWP), then |
| 16 weeks | at half pay (subject to a maximum of full pay when combined with payments from DWP), then |
| 15 weeks | of benefits from DWP (if eligible) |
| If you have been working at the University for more than 26 weeks ending with the Qualifying Week3 but less than 52 weeks ending with the Expected Week of Childbirth and earn over the lower earnings level you will be entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay only at: | |
|---|---|
| 6 weeks | at 90% of average weekly earnings, then |
| 33 weeks | at either SMP or a rate equal to 90% of the average weekly earnings (whichever is lower) |
| If you have been working at the University for more than 26 weeks ending with the Qualifying Week but less than 52 weeks ending with the Expected Week of Childbirth and earn below the lower earnings level: |
|---|
| you should contact the Department for Work and Pensions as soon as possible to discover if you are eligible for Maternity Allowance. |
| If you have been working at the University for less than 26 weeks ending with the Qualifying Week: |
|---|
| you should contact the Department for Work and Pensions as soon as possible to discover if you are eligible for Maternity Allowance. |
Employees on fixed term contracts
If you are employed on a fixed term contract, your employment and payment of University Maternity Pay (UMP) will end on the expiry date of the fixed term contract, although Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) will continue to be paid if eligible.
Changes in hours of work
If your hours of work changed in the 52 weeks prior to the start of your maternity leave, UMP will be calculated on your average weekly hours during the 52 weeks. Please contact your HR Business Partner for more information.
University Pension Schemes
If you are a member of one of the University's Pension Schemes you will pay pension contributions on actual earnings during any period of paid maternity leave. During any period of unpaid maternity leave, membership is suspended and no pension contributions are paid; there will still be life insurance cover but you will not accrue pensionable service during this period. When you return to work after your maternity leave, you can choose to pay your contributions for all or part of this period, in which case the University would pay its contributions.
International staff
If you have a visa that allows you to live and work in the United Kingdom you may be eligible for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP). If your visa includes the condition that you have “no recourse to public funds” you may still get SMP provided you satisfy the qualifying conditions. Since the qualifying conditions for SMP depend on your recent employment and earnings history, SMP is not deemed to be “public funds”.
Returning to work
If you receive University Maternity Pay, the University may reclaim from you all or part of the non-statutory element of this maternity pay if you fail to return to work for at least 3 months following your maternity leave (or an equivalent period of time if you reduce your hours). This excludes any non-working periods (eg KIT days, parental leave, vacation time for term time only workers). Please see the University Policy on Overpayments for details on how the money would be repaid by you to the University.
If you are eligible for University Maternity Pay but are undecided about whether you wish to return to work you may request that the UMP element of your maternity pay be deferred. If you decide to return to work then payment can be made as a lump sum.
1Expected Week of Childbirth (EWC) - the week (starting the Sunday) in which your baby is due
2unless in any week half pay + SMP exceeds full pay, in which case you will continue to receive UMP at full pay including SMP
5Qualifying Week - for statutory maternity pay purposes, this week is the 15th week before EWC
