Will I be entitled to claim maternity pay?

Answer: The simple answer is that it depends on what your employment contract says. Your employer may have different requirements and pay scales for maternity pay and leave.However, with regard to maternity leave, the statutory leave is 52 weeks, which is split between “ordinary maternity leave” of 26 weeks and “additional maternity leave” of 26 weeks.

You do not have to take all of this leave, however you have to take at last two weeks (four weeks if you work in a factory). You are entitled to 39 weeks Statutory Maternity Pay as long as you have worked for your employer continuously for 26 weeks before your 25th week of pregnancy and have earned on average £118 per week.