Parents Recommend

All employees are entitled to a minimum of two weeks' maternity leave (four weeks for those who work in factories) immediately following the birth.

Before taking maternity leave
To take maternity leave you should inform your employer no later than the end of the 15th week before the week the baby is due (or as soon as is reasonably practicable) that: you are pregnant; when the expected week of childbirth is; and when you want your maternity leave to start. Your employer must then let you know within 28 days, what date your maternity leave will end.

You can choose when to start your maternity leave. This can usually be any date from the beginning of the 11th week before the week the baby is due. You can change this date as long as you give your employer 28 days' notice.

During maternity leave
Your employer may make contact with you (and vice versa) while you're on maternity leave, as long as the amount and type of contact is not unreasonable, to discuss a range of issues – for example, to discuss your plans for returning to work, or to keep you informed of important developments at your workplace. You should also be kept informed of any relevant promotion opportunities or job vacancies that arise during your maternity leave.

You can work for up to 10 days during your maternity leave, under your contract of employment, as long as both you and your employer agree on what work is to be done and how much you will be paid for it.

Returning to work
You can change the date of your return to work as long as you inform your employer eight weeks in advance. If you decide not to return to work at the end of your maternity leave, you are entitled to continue to receive your full amount of statutory maternity leave and pay. You must give your employer at least the notice required by your contract or, where there is none, the statutory notice.

All women have a right to return to work after maternity leave, regardless of the size of their employer's company.