FAQ on maternity rights

Additional Maternity Leave (AML)

If, at the beginning of your 29th week of pregnancy, you have worked for your employer for one year then you are entitled to additional leave. The additional leave must end 29 weeks after the beginning of the week when your child was born. Additional Maternity Leave starts when Ordinary Maternity Leave ends. This means, if you want to, you can take up to 40 weeks maternity leave, beginning 11 weeks before the week when you expect your baby to be born and ending 29 weeks later – if your baby arrives on the due date.

Do I have to do anything to claim AML?
No. The notice required for OML is enough – you should write to your employer 21 days before you expect to start your maternity leave.

Is there anything I should know about returning from AML?
You must reply in writing within 21 days if your employer writes to ask when the baby was born and if you plan to return to work. Your employer has a right to write to you after you have been on maternity leave for 15 weeks.

If you want to go back to work before the end of the AML period, you must give your employer 21 days notice in writing of the date you want to return.