Can you top up Maternity Pay?

[yummymum30]

If a mother wanted to go back to work before her 9 month paid maternity leave has finished i.e. after 6 months, can she still get the statutory maternity pay of �500 per month PLUS any additional salary she has worked (part time maybe). Or is it illegal to top up your stat maternity leave?

[bednobs]

surely you can't get paid for being off, AND get paid for being there! that's just taking the mickey in my opinion - perhaps people without chilren coul get some non-maternity leave, and non-maternity pay!!!

[yummymum30]

I agree. My friend is going back to work after having only 6 months off mat leave and said she is going to get paid on top of the government's mat pay - as she is only going back part time! Seems unlikely, or surely more new mums would do the same.

[pink-kittens]

You may work for the employer paying you SMP for up to 10 days without losing SMP. Once you have used your 10 days and you do further work for that employer, you will lose SMP for each week in your Maternity Pay Period in which you do that work. If, after the baby is born, you work for any employer who did not employ you in the 15th week before the week your baby was due, you must tell the employer paying SMP to you about this work and your SMP will stop.
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/advisers/ni17a/