How early can I take maternity leave?

**tru** · 09-03-2006 12:45

Hi everyone,

Im only six weeks pregnant and haven't told my employer yet, so I can't really ask them how early I can take maternity leave as that would kind of let it out of the bag.

I work for the Qld Govt and would like to start leave (unpaid) as soon and for as long as possible.

Any ideas of when I can?

Thanks

**Goosie22** · 09-03-2006 14:38

Ring your HR depatment or look in the IR manual they will have an IR specificly for Maternity/adoption/Parental leave.

http://www.health.qld.gov.au/industr.../Irm11_7_4.pdf

**stellaj** · 15-03-2006 17:05

i started mat leave at 6 months, used some of my holidays for 5 weeks then went on to mat leave. I think approach your employer at about 12 weeks when you announce your pregnancy.

**Mischief** · 18-03-2006 12:04

My company lets me start maternity leave from 20 weeks onwards....however the paid part only starts from the birth of the baby.

I'm sure there must be some policies about it somewhere at work....do you have a workplace agreement or Intranet?

If you got to your HR officer s/he is bound by confidentialty to yourself to not tell anyone else you are preggers....

**pumpkin** · 19-03-2006 16:06

legally you only have to tell your employer 10 weeks before the birth. and you can take maternity leave as soon as you want/need to. as long as you give the right amount of notice.

**Imamum2b** · 20-03-2006 14:21

I read somewhere on the net that the earliest you can take mat leave is 30 weeks (ie, 10 weeks before you are due).

My employers HR advice confirmed this.

And think that you have to give your employer 10 weeks notice too, ie, at 20 weeks if you want to leave at 30 weeks (like me!).

**ETsMum** · 24-03-2006 15:03

I also work for Qld govt. My understanding is:

You can take up to 1 year maternity leave from 20 weeks preg with a medical cert.
You also get the equivalent of 5 work days (or a weeks worth of whatever your normal hours are) ante-natal leave with medical cert, but you can't take it all in one block. If you have been with the dept for more than 12 months you can get 12 weeks paid leave with an option of 24 weeks at half pay. Then the rest of the time is no pay.

You don't have to tell the dept until 10 weeks before you plan on finishing. But I'm sure there are special circumstances allowed if you cannot do this.

Any more time after that is special leave - no pay.