Maternity Benefit help please

masterboy123

Hello everyone,

I hope you're all keeping well with your little ones

I am working full time and hoping to go on maternity leave next month. I am in the process of checking up the rules and duration of maternity leave.

I found the MB-2 form that my employer needs to complete. There is a section on it which says until which date I would like be off. Do I just add up 26 weeks from the start date?
Also, I would like to take another 16 weeks of unpaid maternity leave. Do I need to add up 26 weeks + 16 weeks = 42 weeks, and write 42 weeks on MB-2 form?

Your help is highly appreciated.

I am using online application form on welfare.ie and it's linked with MyGovId account.

Thanks everyone!

Cakerbaker

masterboy123 wrote: »

Hello everyone,

I hope you're all keeping well with your little ones

I am working full time and hoping to go on maternity leave next month. I am in the process of checking up the rules and duration of maternity leave.

I found the MB-2 form that my employer needs to complete. There is a section on it which says until which date I would like be off. Do I just add up 26 weeks from the start date?
Also, I would like to take another 16 weeks of unpaid maternity leave. Do I need to add up 26 weeks + 16 weeks = 42 weeks, and write 42 weeks on MB-2 form?

Your help is highly appreciated.

I am using online application form on welfare.ie and it's linked with MyGovId account.

Thanks everyone!

Hi. Yes you just put 26 weeks from the start date.

You don’t add the 16 weeks unpaid, they’re not paying you for them and you don’t have to decide if you want to take some / all of them until 4 or 6 (I can’t remember exactly) weeks before you’re due back. It’s your employer you need to inform about the unpaid part.

If you do take the unpaid leave there’s a form you get your employer to fill out when you do return to work that you send to social protection. It gives you your prsi credits for the unpaid portion.

Loveinapril

Maternity leave must start the Monday two weeks before your due date. The benefit only covers you for 26 weeks so your 'return date' is 26 weeks after the date you finish up. The unpaid leave is a separate thing between you and your employer. There is often a backlog so apply as soon as possible. Most people I know apply when they are about 30 weeks although you can apply from 24 weeks pregnant.

masterboy123

Thanks Cakerbaker. It's all clear for me now.

Regarding PRSI credit for the unpaid leave, can I or my husband get extra take home pay? We are jointly taxed and he will continue to work.

Cakerbaker wrote: »

Hi. Yes you just put 26 weeks from the start date.

You don’t add the 16 weeks unpaid, they’re not paying you for them and you don’t have to decide if you want to take some / all of them until 4 or 6 (I can’t remember exactly) weeks before you’re due back. It’s your employer you need to inform about the unpaid part.

If you do take the unpaid leave there’s a form you get your employer to fill out when you do return to work that you send to social protection. It gives you your prsi credits for the unpaid portion.

Cakerbaker

masterboy123 wrote: »

Thanks Cakerbaker. It's all clear for me now.

Regarding PRSI credit for the unpaid leave, can I or my husband get extra take home pay? We are jointly taxed and he will continue to work.

The prsi form just gives you your credits for social welfare / pension purposes down the line.

For paye purposes I was fully paid for my maternity leaves so only have experience with tax adjustments after the unpaid leave. I got a refund one year and got higher take home pay another year as my maternity leaves were at different times of the year. I’m taxed separately to my husband though.

It Might be worth a call to citizens information or revenue as things like your pay / husbands pay / whether you’re employer is topping up your salary could all have an impact.

masterboy123

Thank you once again Cakerbaker.

I will get the ball rolling now.

jlm29

As far as I know you can transfer your tax credits to your husband for the duration of your unpaid leave, so he should have some more take home pay.
If you don’t do this, you’ll probably just end up paying less tax when you return to work, so it will balance out eventually.

masterboy123

Thank you.

Actually to be honest I may not return to work given how high the creche prices are. And I am on the minimum salary. That's why exploring all the options at this stage.

jlm29 wrote: »

As far as I know you can transfer your tax credits to your husband for the duration of your unpaid leave, so he should have some more take home pay.
If you don’t do this, you’ll probably just end up paying less tax when you return to work, so it will balance out eventually.

Cakerbaker

masterboy123 wrote: »

Thank you.

Actually to be honest I may not return to work given how high the creche prices are. And I am on the minimum salary. That's why exploring all the options at this stage.

If you don’t return to work there’s a homecarers tax credit (I’m not sure if that’s the exact name) that your husband could claim if you become a stay at home parent.

masterboy123

We are going to keep this mind and search for this Tax credit (home carers) next year.

Only 2 months are left for the delivery of our little one

Cakerbaker wrote: »

If you don’t return to work there’s a homecarers tax credit (I’m not sure if that’s the exact name) that your husband could claim if you become a stay at home parent.

Shelli2

Don't forget to add in extra days for any bank holidays that fall within your 26wks of maternity

Millem

OP I will be on maternity leave at the end of August. I was never allowed move around tax credits etc after my paid maternity leave as revenue would put me on a “week 1”.
It was always a disaster and I ended up owing them money.

They changed the system this year so I am going to try and move around some things from the 1st January 2021. They might still do that stupid week 1 lark I am not sure.

Cakerbaker

Shelli2 wrote: »

Don't forget to add in extra days for any bank holidays that fall within your 26wks of maternity

It’s your employer pays you for the bank holidays, not social protection so they don’t need to be included on the maternity benefit application form.

masterboy123

Thank you.
That's most helpful.

Cakerbaker wrote: »

It’s your employer pays you for the bank holidays, not social protection so they don’t need to be included on the maternity benefit application form.

masterboy123

We are completing the Maternity application on mywelfare.ie and it keeps rejecting Employers Registration Number.
Anyone had experience with online application?

68 lost souls

On the topic of maternity leave can I urge you all to sign this petition going around to temporarily increase the leave to take into the account the impact that lock down has had on the services available to new mothers at the moment

https://my.uplift.ie/petitions/extend-maternity-leave-and-maternity-benefit?just_launched=true&fbclid=IwAR25bvwJpjf5O6-I7lbf-V5AVJryhiPV3GsabnJfDbXma-w45y1Vm3Lo3T4

masterboy123

Done.

Thank you!

68 lost souls wrote: »

On the topic of maternity leave can I urge you all to sign this petition going around to temporarily increase the leave to take into the account the impact that lock down has had on the services available to new mothers at the moment

https://my.uplift.ie/petitions/extend-maternity-leave-and-maternity-benefit?just_launched=true&fbclid=IwAR25bvwJpjf5O6-I7lbf-V5AVJryhiPV3GsabnJfDbXma-w45y1Vm3Lo3T4