If you make a request for flexible work your employer has a duty to seriously consider your request and must give you a decision within three months. I would like to be placed on furlough under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme which has been extended from 1st November as I am not able to work safely as a result of the Covid-19 crisis. If you are requesting furlough because you are unable to work during your pregnancy. You may also be eligible for other means-tested benefits if you have no other income during this period. In order to qualify for Maternity Allowance you must be employed for at least 26 weeks in the 66 weeks before your baby is due. For more information on rights for agency workers see our information sheet. This includes staff who have children at home and those who are advised to shield as they are extremely vulnerable. There is an online calculator to help you work it out here: https://www.gov.uk/maternity-paternity-calculator  If your agency does not pay your SMP you can contact HMRC Statutory Payments Disputes Team on 0300 0560 630 or 0300 322 9422 to make a claim. When your maternity leave ends you should be treated as back at work and you have the right to return to the same job or a suitable alternative job. Once your maternity leave/pay has ended you are back at work and entitled to take sick leave if advised by your GP or you can ask to take any annual leave that has accrued during your maternity leave. If you have been employed up to the 15th week before your baby is due and meet the other qualifying conditions, you are still entitled to be paid your full SMP. If there is not enough work for you to do because of Covid-19, your employer can provide you with furlough under the furlough extension from 1st November. If any part of this model letter is not relevant to your situation you can delete it. You can find a Universal Credit calculator here: https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/what-youll-get, You can apply for Universal Credit online here: https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/how-to-claim. Your employer can claim reimbursement for the SMP from HMRC: https://www.gov.uk/recover-statutory-payments. If these records are not available, employers may use the pay rate to work back from gross pay. If your employer has gone into liquidation, you can claim your SMP directly from HMRC. Yes, you can change the start date of your maternity leave and pay providing you give at least 28 days before both the original date and the new date. Can I claim Child Benefit if I’m unable to register my baby’s birth? They have to do this within 28 days of the date in which they received your notification to go on maternity leave or within 28 days of when your maternity leave started. If agreed, this would usually be a permanent change to your contract so you will need to ask your employer to agree to a temporary change during the coronavirus pandemic. Maternity Action has compiled helpful FAQs about coronavirus and rights during pregnancy. Or, As it is not possible for me to do my job safely in the workplace and there is no suitable alternative work that I can do from home I am entitled to be suspended on full pay for as long as the risk remains up to 4 weeks before my expected week of childbirth. The decision to offer furlough is up to your employer and even if you are put on furlough, your employer can ask you to return to work at any time. ], [This section was last updated on 03 December 2020. The second grant will be worth 70% of your average monthly trading profits (calculated in the same way as above). Is there any other help I can get if I’m eligible for Universal Credit? Will this affect my Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP)? If you have been employed for less than a year, your employer can claim for an average of your monthly earnings since you started work. The scheme covers 80% of your normal pay (up to £2,500 per month) of employees who cannot work due to the COVID- 19 pandemic. If your employer is asking for a MATB1 maternity certificate before making health and safety adjustments. guidance for employers on the Health and Safety Executive’s website here. For more information see our information sheet. For more information on how to resolve disputes at work, see this. As COVID-19 continues to spread, expecting mothers are trying to protect themselves and their unborn child from the disease. You can also ask your employer if you can do KIT days from home but you cannot insist on KIT days. 2. Employers should consult with their employees to determine who can come into the workplace safely taking account of a person’s journey, caring responsibilities, protected characteristics, and other individual circumstances. You are counted as being in work that week even if you only work for one day or part of a day that week or you are off sick or on holiday. Office telephone: 020 7253 2288 https://www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/working-safely/protect-people.htm?utm_source=govdelivery&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=coronavirus&utm_term=more-2&utm_content=digest-10-jul-20, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19. If you need to send in payslips covering the period when you were on furlough you should let the MA Claims Dept. Your employer should continue to pay ShPP as if you were still at work. 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