Hi,
I'm female and thinking about what the consequences of getting pregnant would be on my finances (amongst other things!).
I get paid through an umbrella company so I am classed as an employee of the umbrella company and therefore I'm eligible for statutory maternity pay through them. I've asked the umbrella company about this and they said that I must have "earnings for 26 weeks consecutively" to get SMP. My question is - what does this mean in reality? If my current contract with one client ended, I had a week or so not earning and looking for a new contract, then got a new contract does this reset the counter of consecutive weeks so I'm no longer eligible? This does not seem fair somehow because as a contract workers we are likely to swap clients frequently, possibly with gaps in earnings, so I wondered if my umbrella company had got this right? Has anyone had any experience in getting SMP through an umbrella and what happens if you have a gap in earnings?
Thanks
I'm female and thinking about what the consequences of getting pregnant would be on my finances (amongst other things!).
I get paid through an umbrella company so I am classed as an employee of the umbrella company and therefore I'm eligible for statutory maternity pay through them. I've asked the umbrella company about this and they said that I must have "earnings for 26 weeks consecutively" to get SMP. My question is - what does this mean in reality? If my current contract with one client ended, I had a week or so not earning and looking for a new contract, then got a new contract does this reset the counter of consecutive weeks so I'm no longer eligible? This does not seem fair somehow because as a contract workers we are likely to swap clients frequently, possibly with gaps in earnings, so I wondered if my umbrella company had got this right? Has anyone had any experience in getting SMP through an umbrella and what happens if you have a gap in earnings?
Thanks
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