Redundancy and Maternity......any advice?

RetailChick

Hello,

Unfortunately I am being made redundant as my job role is no longer required. (All business cost saving )

The tricky thing is I am currently on maternity leave. With the 26 weeks, plus holidays I am due from the business and the extra 16 weeks unpaid maternity leave you can take, I will not receive my redundancy payment (which is a pittance) until April next year.

I am in receipt of maternity pay from the government until January, the full amount. I do not receive any maternity benefit from the company.

When my government maternity benefit ends in January, would I be intitled to apply from any assistance from SW? I have never made a claim before and have always worked since I was 13. I have been in full time employment in a very good job since 2001 (not with the same business but in the same field) and have been paying tax at the higher bracket for the past 8 years.

I already have one dependant. My partner owns his own business which currently is not bringing in a wage, even so he cannot claim any assistance so we have been surving on my salary up to now. We are also renting privately.

Thanks in advance for any advice xx

mp22

When your maternity leave is finished will your employers be supplying you with a P45 or have you got it now?

edellc

As above, if you have your P45 then you can apply for JSB as soon as your maternity leave is up but you do need your P45 so maybe get your employer to get that sorted for you if they havent already

RetailChick

Thanks for the reply.

I wont be receiving my redundancy pay until the end of April as that is when the extra 16 weeks maternity leave ends. Would an employer issue a P45 before this date?

MariMel

I dont know if this has any bearing on your issue or not, its just a thought I had while reading it.
If you are on unpaid maternity leave until april, are you not technically still employed up until then?
And if so......can you go onto a jobseekers benefit payment while you still have a job, albeit one you are on leave from, from january to april?

edellc

Your employer can not issue a P45 until you are actually made redundant and as that is not until the end of April then you are still an employee and therefore not entitled to apply for jobseekers benefit or allowance.

Also you are choosing to take the 16wks extra unpaid so maybe if you are both that hard up financially then you can go back to work for those 16wks to finance you both and then once your redundancy comes through you can apply for JSB

Or maybe have a word with your partner and let him know that you can not shoulder the financial burden so either start paying himself a wage or give up and sign on the welfare as you and your child need food on the table

If that isnt an option for him then maybe you could borrow from a relative and pay them back when your redundancy comes through.

RetailChick

The redundancy should be effective from October but because I am on Maternity legally they cannot pay it until my mat leave is up in April.

My partner is a very good provider. Just unfortunately like a lot of people these day's his business has fallen on difficult times. He is exempt from receiving SW because he is self empolyed (or so we have been informed).

Luckily we have some savings to get us by but obviously they wont last forever.

MariMel

can you decide not to take the unpaid maternity leave and finish up with work after the paid maternity leave finishes in january and receive your redundancy then as you mentioned you should be redundant from this coming october but its being put off til you finish all your maternity leave.

MariMel

*

wmpdd3

As above, get the date of your last payment on you maternity award letter and write to your employer 1 month before this date and tell them you wish to return to work. Its up to them to give you your hols and stat paid notice from that date. Once you have your p45, sign on and claim for your baby and partner.