An employee who becomes pregnant must give their employer formal notification of their pregnancy by the end of the 15th week before their expected week of childbirth. This must include the fact that they are pregnant, their expected week of childbirth and the date when they intend their maternity leave to start (within the permissible parameters).
The employer must respond within a set time frame informing the employee of the date when their additional maternity leave will end.
The employee may change their mind about their maternity leave start date, so long as they give the required notice.
This triggers a duty on the employer to write to them with their new maternity leave end date. A failure to do so could have significant consequences.
