Annual leave / Maternity

leecurlywurly

Hi

Researched online but still not clear on this..

- Do I use up my annual leave before I go on maternity leave or can I keep it to extend maternity?

- While on maternity, I get public holidays added to my annual leave allocation? So like Christmas, St Patrick's on top of my annual leave?

Thanks

Loveinapril

While you are on maternity leave you still accrue holidays as if you were working. You don't have to take them before you would have accrued them. For example , I am going on maternity leave in July. I will have only built up 2 weeks of annual leave before that so will take that before I go. The other two weeks won't have been built up yet (or the 5 bank holidays) so I will have them to use on my return in 2020. Your boss doesn't have to let you take them at the end of your maternity leave, it is at their discretion when you can take them. I am hoping to do the same and am waiting for my boss to get back to me about it. I get all my info all the Workplace Relations Commission (059) 917 8990

shesty

On all of mine I have done the following:

Taken 24 weeks annual leave,
Taken 16 weeks unpaid leave
Taken a further 20 or so days of annual leave built up while I was on mat leave, + public holidays that occurred while I was on leave.

So I have a 24 day leave allowance, I had used three of them before I went on mat leave with my third child, so I had 21 days to add to the end of my leave, or to add to the next year's leave when I came back.Once you tell your empliyer before the 24 weeks ends, you are usually ok.

lazygal

For all three I opted to have my annual leave and public holiday days added to the end of my unpaid leave, so I ended up with nearly a year off each time.

leecurlywurly

Thank you ladies, I have a clearer idea now

shesty

Just to note you must take the unpaid leave (if you are going to take it) before you take the annual leave.So you know for budgeting reasons.I have no clue why, but it's just the way it is.

leecurlywurly

shesty wrote: »

Just to note you must take the unpaid leave (if you are going to take it) before you take the annual leave.So you know for budgeting reasons.I have no clue why, but it's just the way it is.

Ah right, I’ll speak to my HR more on this now I have a better idea how it works.

Thanks for the heads up

jlm29

leecurlywurly wrote: »

Ah right, I’ll speak to my HR more on this now I have a better idea how it works.

Thanks for the heads up

A friend of mine had her salary recalculated and averaged while she was on mat leave so she took all the unpaid leave, but just had a reduced salary for the 10 months, if that makes sense. It probably doesn’t, I’m explaining it very badly! I thought it was great though. My work doesn’t offer it, but you should ask!

shesty

That doesn't seem right!!You do have to do a P21 balancing statement the next year though, because your tax gets a bit funny once you go back, but it rights itself.

Gatica

jlm29 wrote: »

A friend of mine had her salary recalculated and averaged while she was on mat leave so she took all the unpaid leave, but just had a reduced salary for the 10 months, if that makes sense. It probably doesn’t, I’m explaining it very badly! I thought it was great though. My work doesn’t offer it, but you should ask!

That's a brilliant idea! I don't think my work does it because our payroll is not in Ireland and I know they automate a lot of it I totally get what you mean though, if she gets paid for 26 weeks and not the last 16 weeks, they took her 26 week salary and spread it over 42 (i.e. 26+16) weeks together, as I understand.

Gatica

leecurlywurly wrote: »

Hi

Researched online but still not clear on this..

- Do I use up my annual leave before I go on maternity leave or can I keep it to extend maternity?

- While on maternity, I get public holidays added to my annual leave allocation? So like Christmas, St Patrick's on top of my annual leave?

Thanks

Oh, and as far as I know it's up to your employer and you to agree how to take your annual leave. Once the start of your maternity leave is between 16 and 2 weeks before your due date, the annual leave can be taken before or after your maternity leave. Usually though they'd allow you to take your leave at the end of all your mat leave (paid and unpaid taken successively) and accrued bank holidays. The good thing is that at least you'd be getting paid for the bank holidays and annual leave, while you're still out!

citizensinformation.ie are very good at clearing up corner cases, e.g. if you were starting maternity 1st of Jan and had all your annual leave allocation given then too.

oopsies

I'm going on maternity leave at the end of July and have to take my 20 days before that as they wont let me carry them over to the next year.

My wages arent getting topped up either, but not sure how that works out with Bank Holidays etc.

I just cant wait to skip out of here in 9 weeks time!!

Loveinapril

oopsies wrote: »

I'm going on maternity leave at the end of July and have to take my 20 days before that as they wont let me carry them over to the next year.

Does your annual leave year run from Jan- Jan? When I spoke to the Employment Rights people they said they your employer cannot make you take leave you have not yet built up. You would have built up 10 days from July- Dec so they HAVE to allow you carry it over because you an't take it off during Maternity Leave. My employer doesn't top up maternity benefit either but it doesn't make a difference to bank holidays, you will still accrue them during your leave. I am going on leave at the start of July and think I will have 5 built up by the time I am due back in January. I posted a phone number earlier in the thread for the Employment Commission. They will clarify any questions you have, I found them great.

kastasia

I didn't know any rules about having to take unpaid maternity before holidays. I was getting pay topped up for the 6 months so just asked for my holidays directly after that before I took 2 months unpaid. Not sure if any unintended consequences of this?

shesty

Strange I was always told the unpaid had to come before the annual leave.Don't know why, but it was across three different workplaces, so I assumed it was a thing.

jlm29

shesty wrote: »

Strange I was always told the unpaid had to come before the annual leave.Don't know why, but it was across three different workplaces, so I assumed it was a thing.

I’ve always been told the same thing too!

Cakerbaker

According to the legislation the unpaid leave should start straight after the statutory leave.

Gatica

kastasia wrote: »

I didn't know any rules about having to take unpaid maternity before holidays. I was getting pay topped up for the 6 months so just asked for my holidays directly after that before I took 2 months unpaid. Not sure if any unintended consequences of this?

They may have put it through on their system with revenue as holidays first then your maternity and you may not have seen the difference in terms of pay.
But yeah, agree with others, pretty sure rules require unpaid leave to be successive to paid leave. There's PRSI credits to cover the period you're unpaid, so it is important they do it right.

splinter65

kastasia wrote: »

I didn't know any rules about having to take unpaid maternity before holidays. I was getting pay topped up for the 6 months so just asked for my holidays directly after that before I took 2 months unpaid. Not sure if any unintended consequences of this?

You have to take all your maternity leave paid and unpaid in an unbroken sequence. You cannot take maternity leave then go to annual leave and then return to unpaid maternity.

shesty

That's must be the reason alright.Makes sense.

kastasia

I guess I should consider that I was paid in advance for my annual leave. Like I said, I didn't know anything about this rule until later and nobody said anything to me. I think I have to apply for the prsi credits for the unpaid leave, right?

Gatica

I think it's a tickbox on the form when you're applying, didn't see it on most recent application, so not sure how they process it. If you're worried I'd call revenue to check.

Cakerbaker

kastasia wrote: »

I guess I should consider that I was paid in advance for my annual leave. Like I said, I didn't know anything about this rule until later and nobody said anything to me. I think I have to apply for the prsi credits for the unpaid leave, right?

http://www.welfare.ie/en/pdf/matl_credits.pdf

This is the form you need

splinter65

Gatica wrote: »

I think it's a tickbox on the form when you're applying, didn't see it on most recent application, so not sure how they process it. If you're worried I'd call revenue to check.

Revenue won’t be able to sort out PRSI. PRSI is to do with SW.