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Approve Maternity Leave

Maternity leave is a period of time that a mother takes off from work to have a baby. In the UK, employees are entitled to maternity leave and pay if they meet certain criteria. This guide will show you how to approve maternity leave in Workmax.

How maternity leave works?​

The UK government mandates that Maternity leave is paid in the UK for up to 52 weeks. The first 26 weeks are known as 'Ordinary Maternity Leave', the last 26 weeks as 'Additional Maternity Leave'. You do not have to take 52 weeks, but you must take 2 weeks' leave after your baby is born (or 4 weeks if you work in 1 a factory).

You are required by law to pay your employee 90% of their average weekly earnings (before tax) for the first 6 weeks, then £151.97 or 90% of their average weekly earnings (whichever is lower) for the next 33 weeks. The remaining 13 weeks are unpaid. This is called Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP).

You can choose to pay more than SMP if you want to. You can also offer more leave.

Important clarifications:

  • Eligibility: Not all employees are eligible for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP). To qualify, an employee must: Have been continuously employed by their employer for at least 26 weeks up to the 'qualifying week' (the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth).
  • Earn at least £123 per week on average in the 'relevant period' (usually the 8 weeks before the qualifying week). Average weekly earnings: The calculation of "average weekly earnings" has specific rules and isn't always a simple average of the past few weeks. It takes into account things like variable pay and any salary sacrifice schemes.
  • Notice periods: Employees need to inform their employer of their pregnancy and their intention to take maternity leave by specific deadlines.
  • Keeping in touch days: During maternity leave, employees can work up to 10 days (called 'Keeping in Touch' days) without it affecting their pay or leave entitlement. For the most accurate and up-to-date information:

GOV.UK: Always refer to the official source on the UK government's website: https://www.gov.uk/maternity-pay-leave This revised version combines your initial summary with the essential details to ensure accuracy and completeness.

How to approve maternity leave​

  1. Sign in to your "Workmax" account with a manager or admin account.
  2. Go to the "Time off requests & policies" section.
  3. Select a Maternity Leave Request from the list of pending requests.
  4. Review the maternity leave details
    • Expected date of birth
    • Weeks of maternity leave
    • Proof of pregnancy
    • Start date of maternity leave
  5. Click the "Approve" button to approve the request.
  6. Review the maternity leave pay details
    • Average weekly hours
    • Average weekly earnings
  7. Click the "Approve" button to confirm the approval.

Workmax will payroll the employee according to the maternity leave policy and the number of weeks the employee is off work. The employee will receive their maternity leave pay according to your company's policy. If you have any questions or need help, please contact Workmax Support.