Wanda asks "Am I entitled to my full pay during my maternity leave?"
Hi Wanda, Familiarise yourself with your company's maternity leave policy and your contract of employment. Legally, your employer is not obliged to pay you while you are on maternity leave.
You may qualify for Maternity Benefit of €245 (weekly) if you have enough PRSI contributions. If you qualify for Maternity Benefit, you must take at least 2 and no more than 16 weeks before the end of the week the baby is due.
- All female employees (including casual workers), regardless of how long you have been working for the organisation or the number of hours worked per week, are eligible.
- You are entitled to 26 weeks’ maternity leave together with 16 weeks' additional unpaid maternity leave, which begins immediately after the end of maternity leave. An extension is available in the event of a premature birth.
- You must take at least 2 weeks before the end of the week of your baby's expected birth and at least 4 weeks after.
- You can decide how you would like to take the remaining weeks.
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