Can I postpone maternity leave?

No, you have to legally go on maternity leave as soon as baby is born unfortunately x

No you can't. You have to do it the other way around. Maternity leave starts before the baby is born or latest, the day the baby is born. X

When I arranged my mat leave I took annual leave first however my employer told me that if baby was to come before the due date then it would automatically kick in but I would be able to add my unused annual leave into the end of my maternity leave! I was only entitled to SMP though so I’m not sure if would differ if your company has there own scheme

I think it automatically starts the day you give birth unless you ask for sooner. X

@Bex thanks so much - I’ve been totally hoarding my annual leave to have 6 weeks full pay at the start of mat leave and someone mentioned that I might not be able to do so 😭😭😭

I tried to do the same 🤣 you can add it to the end though or carry it over which doesn't help with the shocking maternity pay at the start in my situation but at least I know I don't have to take it before baby comes so still get to use it for time with baby 🤗 I'm tagging my 6 weeks onto the end of my maternity and by then I'll have another 6 weeks for 2025 allowance to take aswell. Apparently as soon as baby is born your maternity leave needs to start, terrible rule lol 😅❤️ xx

@Sarah You should be able to carry over your AL instead x

@Sarah I mean dependent on your job and how far along you are now, you might need that A/L before you go on mat leave or save it for the end so you get some pay if you’re intending on having longer than 9 months? I finished 4 work 4 weeks before baby was due and although I got bored I was really struggling getting up and being a functioning adult when I was barely sleeping and felt like I was huge!

I did this? My baby was due 7th August. A went on annual leave on the 21st July. Baby arrived on the 24th July. I still got paid for my two weeks annual leave before maternity started. I'm not due back to work until 5th August. All your annual leave and missed bank holidays are rolled over xx

You can usually either carry over or get paid for your AL. I had my baby in December so I’d accrued a lot through the year that I saved up. Then I got paid at the end of the year with an extra three weeks pay for all the time that I hadn’t been able to use :)

I’m using all my AL at the end when I loose statutory maternity pay. It’s legally protected to carry over

Your mat leave can start from the due date at the latest

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!! This is all super helpful - I had no idea I couldn’t postpone it a little but hopefully I can carry it over to next year and use it when statutory runs out! Do Bank holidays get accrued as well? That’s news! I also get something called ‘keep in touch days’ do we know if I can use them at any time? And if you still get statutory when work pays you for those days? Baby is due in October and I work in events so have accrued lots of time in lieu from weekends and evenings! Want to make sure I’m maximising and they don’t get wasted! Thanks xx

As others said, the latest you can start mat leave is when baby is born. You can use holiday at the other end though! I've come back to over 50 days holiday as I accrued bank hols as well which I think is normal. For keep in touch days I got paid my normal salary for a day. It's most tax efficient to use them once you hit the unpaid part of maternity leave.

I would use your holiday up to go off sooner! Then have your mat leave start on your due date . KIT days can be used anytime whilst on maternity leave and will top up your smp xx

You can keep your annual leave for the end of your maternity pay instead if that helps you?

@Sarah work pay you for the hours you do for KIT days but you don't have to do them. I didn't.

You can add it on to the end of your maternity leave x

No, has to start before or soon as baby is born. But you can use it after your maternity leave. So I asked my manager and at her discretion she let me carry over more days.

I can with my employer. We just have to take it within a year following birth.

@Gillian have I understood this? Your bank holidays if in addition to your holiday so for example 25 days holiday plus all bank holidays - the bank hols roll over and can be taken as additional days holiday?

If you want you can take all your annual leave for example if you have 3 weeks worth then use that in the 3 weeks before the due date then it will be mat leave from then bear in mind you will also accrue holiday when you are on mat leave to potentially use when you come back :)

Yes if you decide to do a KIT day you get paid your mat leave pay, plus your employer pays you for working that day. I thought "double pay" sounded like a great idea but in actuality I really couldn't be bothered and didn't want to work while on mat leave. It's a lot of effort!

You have to use your 6-week disability right when the baby is born. The bonding time you can take any time up until the baby turns one.

@Adriana she's in the UK so we get a year of maternity leave, nine months with some pay.

Omgggg sooooo nice!!!!

Cali sucks

Im pretty sure once baby is born your maternity leave will start straight away and once on maternity you can’t have holiday

@Emma 🌱 kit days are paid on top of mat pay if kit days are taken during the time you’re getting paid mat pay?

@Lizzie it depends on your employer, some pay you the full Mat pat for the week and then your kit day on top for ease, but they can choose to pay you just the extra to top up that days Mat pay to your kit day pay depending on their policy (mine does this unfortunately), they also do not actually have to pay you your usual day wage for your salary, although again most do, they just have to make sure they pay you at least min wage for that day.

@Lizzie Yes I have, thanks for checking. I am very lucky, I get 28 days annual leave PLUS 8 Bank Holiday days.

I am due the 25th so starting maternity leave that day. But I have 8 weeks off beforehand as holiday 😬

@Lizzie yes that's what they told me

Usually no - it starts the day the baby is born if not taken before. It does offer you protection too. You can usually tack annual leave onto the end

Hi - my LO was born at the end of December, prior to that I had 14 days leave to take and I wanted to carry holiday over but HR said no unless circumstances dictated that I couldn’t take the holidays before I go on Mat leave, e.g. working on a tight deadline project. So I ended up taking that leave and being off 2.5 weeks before the baby arrived, it was the best thing got to wind down from work before baby being born.

I've used 3.5 weeks of holiday and my "mat leave" starts on my due date

U should be allowed to add on ur leave to the end of your mat leave tho and extend it that way. Or add it on before ur ‘due date’ I personally used two weeks before I went on Mat leave so I could have a month off before baby came. Then whatever I had left and accrued over the year of Mat leave I added to the end and got an extra month off. Don’t forget to add on any bank holidays you miss while on Mat leave .

I put 2 weeks of AL on before my mat leave started to get a few extra weeks off on full pay, then carried some over too. Ended my mat leave at 35 weeks and took an extra 5 weeks off of AL 😊

In the US we have up to a year to use our time. BUT we only get 12 weeks mandated per FMLA.

Ive taken 3 weeks leave and then my mat leave starts on my due date xxx

I took all my annual leave left starting a week before her due date, and then started my maternity leave 10 days after she was born x

@Caroline we need those laws here in Ms

You have to use your mat leave once the baby is born, but you can use some of your annual leave to take a week or two before the birth. Depending on your work policies, they might let you carry annual leave into next year and tack it on at the end too, but you’ll need to check with your boss.

not to be mean but why would you do this? after you give birth you’re gonna need the time off to heal and sleep it’s gonna be wild

@Stephany She wants to use holiday for 6 weeks so she’s paid in full instead of being on reduced maternity pay, not not have any time off.

@Stephany we get a year off in the U.K., so can use holiday pay leading up to due date/baby’s birth date which is then when maternity leave has to start x

@Lewanda In the UK your maternity leave kicks in the minute baby is born? If baby comes before the end of any annual leave your employer swaps it over to mat leave.

@Natalie that’s not what my sheet says with my payment dates on x

@Lewanda I'd double check cos they may have created it based on the due date etc then changed it after. I know the government website says it kicks in day after baby is born if they come early. By law you have to have 2 weeks leave when baby is born (4 if you work in a factory)

@Natalie I think you can change the date you want it to start if you communicate it with your employer, I’ve checked and what I said is the way my employer has done it for me x