A
annjan
Guest
I'll try to keep this simple.
I have been told I am being made redundant from a copany where I have worked for 4 years. I was due to start maternity leave (paid minus govt contribution) a few weeks after redundancy takes effect. I have now given my employer the required 4 weeks' notice that I wish to start maternity leave prior to the redundnacy starting, which would have the effect of delaying the redundancy for a further 26 weeks and allowing me to be paid my salary minus €280 per week from govt. I think I would also be entitled to the other benefits of my job such as paid mobile phone for this period.
They would like me to finish work in this financial year so they have offered me the equivalent payment as an ex-gratia amount if I don't take the maternity leave option.
I have a couple of questions:
1. Is there any organisation that can give me (preferably free) independent advice on this? I am finding it hard to do all the maths required to comapre the two options side by side.
I have tried NERA but they didn't even realise I could still take my maternity leave, I had to tell them and I don't think they believed me.
I have also spoken to the Equality authority who confirmed I could take my maternity leave but couldn't offer any other advice and I have tried my local citizens advice bureau who although very nice could offer me no help except to give me leaflets containing info that is already available online. The lady there didn't seem to have any actual knowledge of employment rights, etc herself, she just looked up the info on welfare.ie and read it out to me.
2. Assuming the two options have exactly the same financial outcome for me, is there any benefit to me in choosing the lump sum over the maternity leave? Would maternity leave mean I was paying prsi for an extra 26 weeks which might be useful at some point in the future, for example if I were to have another baby next year?
3. If they decide to incentivise me to take a lump sum by making that option more financially attractive is there anything else I need to consider? I have tried to take everything such as extra annual leave,public holidays, extra statutory redundnacy payments into account in my calculations, but I'm no expert on this stuff and I'm afraid I've forgotton something.
4. We currently receive mortgage interest relief at source because we bought our house 4 years ago. Will I lose my half of this if I am not working?
As you can imagine this news has come at a terrible time. It's my first baby so I don't know how soon I'll be able to start looking for a new job after it's born. My partner is working at the moment but this time last year his work dried up and the same could happen again. We're not married so he can't claim my tax credits, but we live together so I think that disqualifies us from any help with the mortgage interest in the future if I can't find a job and he is working over 29 hrs a week. His salary is not enough for us both to live on, I was the primary earner.
I have been told I am being made redundant from a copany where I have worked for 4 years. I was due to start maternity leave (paid minus govt contribution) a few weeks after redundancy takes effect. I have now given my employer the required 4 weeks' notice that I wish to start maternity leave prior to the redundnacy starting, which would have the effect of delaying the redundancy for a further 26 weeks and allowing me to be paid my salary minus €280 per week from govt. I think I would also be entitled to the other benefits of my job such as paid mobile phone for this period.
They would like me to finish work in this financial year so they have offered me the equivalent payment as an ex-gratia amount if I don't take the maternity leave option.
I have a couple of questions:
1. Is there any organisation that can give me (preferably free) independent advice on this? I am finding it hard to do all the maths required to comapre the two options side by side.
I have tried NERA but they didn't even realise I could still take my maternity leave, I had to tell them and I don't think they believed me.
I have also spoken to the Equality authority who confirmed I could take my maternity leave but couldn't offer any other advice and I have tried my local citizens advice bureau who although very nice could offer me no help except to give me leaflets containing info that is already available online. The lady there didn't seem to have any actual knowledge of employment rights, etc herself, she just looked up the info on welfare.ie and read it out to me.
2. Assuming the two options have exactly the same financial outcome for me, is there any benefit to me in choosing the lump sum over the maternity leave? Would maternity leave mean I was paying prsi for an extra 26 weeks which might be useful at some point in the future, for example if I were to have another baby next year?
3. If they decide to incentivise me to take a lump sum by making that option more financially attractive is there anything else I need to consider? I have tried to take everything such as extra annual leave,public holidays, extra statutory redundnacy payments into account in my calculations, but I'm no expert on this stuff and I'm afraid I've forgotton something.
4. We currently receive mortgage interest relief at source because we bought our house 4 years ago. Will I lose my half of this if I am not working?
As you can imagine this news has come at a terrible time. It's my first baby so I don't know how soon I'll be able to start looking for a new job after it's born. My partner is working at the moment but this time last year his work dried up and the same could happen again. We're not married so he can't claim my tax credits, but we live together so I think that disqualifies us from any help with the mortgage interest in the future if I can't find a job and he is working over 29 hrs a week. His salary is not enough for us both to live on, I was the primary earner.
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