When should I start wearing maternity clothes? You should start wearing maternity clothes when your waistline starts expanding. Usually, women can begin wearing their normal pants, but cannot button or zip them before this point.
You may need to go up a pant size and purchase some new shorts for the summertime months ahead. Once you reach the second trimester (weeks 14-26), it is time to shop specifically for maternity clothing!
Most of these items are designed with extra room in mind which will come in handy later on during late pregnancy (week 36+) when you gain another ten pounds overnight! Oh yeah… that happens.
How long do you get government maternity pay?
For the first six weeks of maternity leave, you can get 90% of your average weekly earnings before tax. This is paid by your employer but it will come out of your annual allowance for statutory maternity pay or SMP.
The government pays this during this period too because they don’t want parents to fall into debt when taking time off work to care for their children.
When do I start getting SMP?
You are entitled to two weeks’ worth of Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) if you have worked for 30 hours a week on average in the eight-week run-up to any due date and earn £116 per week at least for that same eight-week period.
After that point, you’re also entitled to SMP for up to a further 39 weeks, which is paid at £140.98 per week in 2012-13.
Can I get more than the average weekly earnings?
Yes! You can receive 90% of your full pay for this whole period too although it’s capped at a maximum of £106 in 2012-13. This would be an additional 26 weeks if you earn less than that amount and 29 when you do – with no upper limit beyond that point either so long as there are still qualifying days left on your maternity record (which begins from day one).
In other words, any excess above what you’d usually expect to make will remain payable until the end of the 52nd week after birth or adoption even if you’re not at work by then.
Sick pay is available to women who are unable to go back to work due to medically certified sickness – although it’s only paid at Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) rates which currently stands at £79.15 per week for 2012/13, or 90% of normal earnings if this figure is lower.
But don’t worry about missing out on a salary as your maternity allowance will continue regardless and there may be other benefits such as statutory sick pay too depending upon the nature of your job contract so make sure you speak with someone from HR first before taking any action!
Can my employer ask when I will return from maternity leave?
One of the most common questions expecting moms ask when they are pregnant is whether or not it’s okay to tell their employer that they’re having a baby.
You may be surprised to know that in many cases, such as if you work for an at-will company and your maternity leave has been approved by management, then there isn’t much stopping you from disclosing this information.
However, things can get complicated if your employment contract says specific rules about confidentiality and disclosure apply regardless of what type of personal information is being shared.
You should also take into account any informal agreements you have made with colleagues who might share secrets about upcoming parental leaves before revealing anything to anyone at work. Even though getting time after giving birth may be one of the most important personal milestones in your life, you do not want to risk losing the trust of co-workers or jeopardize future job opportunities by accidentally disclosing secrets.
Consider all the possible risks before talking about an upcoming parental leave with others at work and use common sense when deciding who to tell in advance that Mom will be gone for a few months soon.
Can I take maternity leave and then quit?
During the time you are on maternity leave, your employer cannot hold any of your job openings for you. This means that if a position becomes available while you’re out, they don’t have to give it back to you when you return from leave.
However, if a coworker who was doing similar work as yours leaves or gets laid off before their maternity leave is over and there is now an opening for someone to fill in those shoes, then chances are good that they will offer the opportunity to whoever has been filling in during your absence.
In addition, under federal law employers must grant employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid family medical leave per year which includes birth mothers recovering from and childbirth as well as parents who are caring for a baby.
What happens if you don’t come back after maternity leave?
An employee who fails to return after maternity leave is not automatically considered terminated. However, an employer may terminate employment for just cause if the absence exceeds what can be reasonably expected in light of all relevant circumstances including the nature of the employment and whether any contractual terms are dealing with unavailability or notification upon commencement of leave.