Only after finding out about Maternity benefit!!

Well who would have thought you get paid benefit as well as your normal wages when your on mat benefit. Im 12 weeks and was having panic attacks about when im on mat leave as i would be losing money but turns out we get such thing called 'maternity benefit' - well i never..... ha ha. Best news all day, i'll be loaded ( for once in my life).

do you still get paid your wages as well as the mat benefit!? Sweet! I though you'd just get the mat benefit!

Hi girls sorry to burst your bubbles but you dont get both payments. you either get 1. mat benefit if your employer does not pay you while on mat leave or 2. you get paid by your employer and you claim mat benefit which must be given to your employer to help towards the cost of your wages. hope that helps..

i forgot to add that not everyone is entitled to mat benefit... there are qualifying conditions for it. it goes on your prsi contributions and you have to be working up to a certain point etc... all the details on www.welfare.ie

Lux & happyfamily, you both need to check with your HR dept if u have not already. Many private sector companies don't pay so you collect the state payment which is down eight quid in the budget. In the public sector, you get full pay for 26 weeks but to get that u fill out a form where u sign over the state payment to your employer so u dint benefit twice. I'd say there are very few employers out there that allow you to benefit twice over

Oh right, might have to look into this deeper! Im being told that i will be better off by other women but whatever it is, every little helps.

You will work out marginally better off, as maternity benefit is not taxable. Effectively your salary is reduced by the amount of the maternity benefit, so you pay less tax on your salary and then get the maternity benefit on top. HTH!

Like others have said, my employers are paying my salary minus the state benefit. I've worked it out and yes I'll be a bit better off as I'll pay less tax. Having said that my business mileage will be down so BIK goes up so overall I'm no better off. Being the glass half-full girl that I am, means I'm also no worse off either

yes like the others said u wnt get both, it is at the discretion of the company u work for if they pay maternity pay. I will get full pay from my job minus the maternity benefit from de state which it is way it works in my company. if ur cimpany doenst pay u a wage u will be entitled to maternity benefit, max around 250 a week i think. hth, look up the citizens advice website for more info.