Maternity Leave Letter Templates

Use these templates to manage maternity leave professionally and legally.

Response to Maternity Notification

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[Company Name] [Company Address]

[Date]

[Employee Name] [Address]

Dear [Employee Name],

Confirmation of Maternity Leave

Thank you for your letter dated [date] notifying us of your pregnancy and intention to take maternity leave. Congratulations on your news.

I am writing to confirm your maternity leave arrangements.

Leave Dates

Detail	Date
Expected week of childbirth	Week beginning [date]
Maternity leave start date	[Date - as notified by employee]
Expected return date	[Date - 52 weeks from start]

Your expected return date is based on you taking your full entitlement of 52 weeks' maternity leave. If you wish to return earlier, you must give at least 8 weeks' notice of your intended return date.

Statutory Maternity Pay

Based on the information provided, you are [entitled/not entitled] to Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP).

[If entitled:]

Period	Payment
Weeks 1-6	90% of average weekly earnings
Weeks 7-39	£[current rate] per week or 90% of AWE (whichever is lower)
Weeks 40-52	Unpaid

SMP will be paid through the normal payroll on your usual pay date.

[If not entitled, explain why and provide form SMP1]

Enhanced Maternity Pay

[If applicable:] In addition to SMP, you are entitled to enhanced maternity pay under the Company scheme as follows: [details of enhanced pay].

Annual Leave

You will continue to accrue annual leave during your maternity leave. We will discuss arrangements for taking accrued leave before your return. You may wish to add accrued leave to the end of your maternity leave.

Pension

During paid maternity leave, pension contributions will continue based on the pay you actually receive. During unpaid maternity leave, employer contributions will continue but your contributions will cease (unless you choose to make them up).

Keeping in Touch

We encourage you to stay in contact during your leave. You may work up to 10 Keeping in Touch (KIT) days during your maternity leave without affecting your SMP. These are optional and must be agreed by both of us. We will discuss KIT days nearer the time if you are interested.

Before You Leave

Before your maternity leave starts, please arrange a handover with your manager. We will also meet to discuss arrangements for staying in touch and any concerns you may have.

Contact

If you have any questions about your maternity leave or pay, please contact [HR contact/Manager] on [contact details].

We wish you well for the remainder of your pregnancy.

Yours sincerely,

[Name] [Job Title]

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KIT Days Agreement

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Keeping in Touch Days Agreement

Detail	Information
Employee	[Name]
Manager	[Name]
Date agreed	[Date]

Agreed KIT Days

Date	Purpose	Hours	Payment
[Date]	[e.g., Team meeting]	[X]	[Rate]
[Date]	[e.g., Training]	[X]	[Rate]

Terms

• KIT days are voluntary for both parties
• Up to 10 days can be worked without affecting SMP
• Payment will be at your normal rate, with SMP offset
• If you decide not to work a planned KIT day, please let us know as soon as possible

Agreement

Employee signature: _________________ Date: _________

Manager signature: _________________ Date: _________

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Return to Work Confirmation

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[Company Name] [Company Address]

[Date]

[Employee Name]

Dear [Employee Name],

Return from Maternity Leave

Thank you for your notification that you intend to return to work on [date].

I am pleased to confirm your return arrangements.

Return Date

Your return to work date is confirmed as [date].

Role

You will return to your role as [Job Title] in the [Department] team, reporting to [Manager name].

[If role has changed:] During your absence, there have been some changes to the team structure. [Explain any changes and confirm the role is the same or suitable alternative.]

Working Arrangements

[If returning to same hours:] Your working hours remain [X] hours per week, [days/times].

[If agreed flexible working:] Following our discussion, you will return on the following basis:

• Working hours: [X] hours per week
• Working pattern: [Days/times]
• Location: [Office/hybrid arrangement]

This represents a variation to your contract as discussed.

Salary

Your salary on return will be £[amount] per annum. [Note any increases that occurred during leave.]

Annual Leave

You have [X] days of accrued annual leave. We have agreed that you will [take X days before returning / carry these forward / add them to the end of your leave - as agreed].

Before Your Return

Please contact [Manager name] on [date] to arrange a meeting before your return to discuss:

• Handover of work
• Any updates or changes during your absence
• Any support you need

If you have any questions before your return, please contact me.

We look forward to welcoming you back.

Yours sincerely,

[Name] [Job Title]

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Extending Maternity Leave

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Dear [Employee Name],

Change to Return Date

Thank you for your letter dated [date] informing us that you wish to [extend/bring forward] your return from maternity leave.

I confirm that your new expected return date is [date].

[If extending:] As you have given 8 weeks' notice of this change, this is confirmed.

[If insufficient notice:] As you have given less than 8 weeks' notice, we reserve the right to postpone your return until [date - 8 weeks from notification]. However, we have agreed on this occasion to accept your request, and your new return date is confirmed as [date].

All other arrangements remain as previously confirmed.

If you have any questions, please contact me.

Yours sincerely,

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Checklist

On Receiving Notification

Task	Deadline
Acknowledge receipt	Promptly
Confirm dates and pay	Within 28 days
Conduct risk assessment	Before leave or ASAP
Plan handover	Before leave starts
Set up KIT contact	Agreed approach

Before Return

Task	When
Confirm return date	8 weeks before
Discuss any flexible working	As needed
Plan reintegration	2-4 weeks before
Update on changes	At return