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Maternity leave
What maternity leave and pay you're entitled to and how to plan your leave and return to work.
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You can take up to 52 weeks' maternity leave and must take at least 2 weeks’ maternity leave as soon as your baby is born.
The earliest you can start maternity leave is 11 weeks before the week your baby is due.
Maternity leave starts automatically if:
- your baby comes early (leave starts the day after the birth)
- you are off work for a pregnancy-related illness in the 4 weeks before the week the baby is due
Managers will work with employees before, during and after maternity leave to make sure the process is supportive, planned, and fairly and consistently handled.
Full guidance can be found in the maternity policy (PDF, 544KB).
You can find out more about your entitlement in our family friendly leave and pay guide.
Annual leave during maternity leave
While on maternity leave, you’ll build up annual leave as normal. You can choose to take it at the end of your maternity leave to extend your time off or use it at another time.