 Voluntary Redundancy during Maternity Leave - How does this affect my right to Maternity Allowance next time?
My maternity leave started in January 2008, but I intended to return to work in October 2008. I have now accepted voluntary redundancy (as I fully intend to have more children as soon as I can), with termination of contracts in October at the end of my SMP. I am aware of the rules relating to Maternity Allowance (employed for 26 weeks of the 66 weeks leading up to baby’s due date, with 13 of these weeks paid over £30 etc.) I understand that if I fall pregnant before the end of October, I will qualify for MA next year, but what if it takes me longer? If I had still been officially employed until January (when the AML would have properly expired) I would still have qualified, with 13 weeks of SMP still under my 66 week belt, and the other 13 weeks employed, but on unpaid AML. Basically my question is this, does the early voluntary severance of my employment contract officially end my entitlement to the unpaid part of AML? Would I be better off insisting my employer terminates my contract at the end of the AML? I’ve read somewhere that once you’ve qualified, that’s it – you get it all, but my query relates to the nitty gritty of employment rights and Maternity Allowance for a baby I’ve not conceived yet! When is my last chance to conceive and still qualify for MA? (Not that I’m having babies for the money, it would just be a shame to miss out on it by a week or two, when I could just get another job for a short while!
Apologies for the length of this post, but it’s a complicated matter! Any help or advice would be gratefully received. | 
