This article details how to adjust an employee's first or last day of their maternity leave. If the baby's due date is incorrect, this might result in a change in the overall maternity pay, so we recommend that you contact us to confirm your next steps.
Amending the maternity leave start date
If you need to amend a maternity leave start date that hasn't happened yet, this is simple to change. If it should have been amended in an earlier payroll, it becomes slightly more complex. Choose the relevant option below and we'll explain the process.
The wrong date was entered this month
To change the date:
From the employee's record, click the Leaves tab.
Under the Parental leave section, from the Parental leave type drop-down, select Maternity Leave.
Next to the period of leave, click the Actions (three dots) button, then click Edit.
Click Next, then change the First day off.
If necessary, you can also change the Last day off, by selecting Other.
Click Save.
Tip: If you need to backdate the maternity leave, please refer to our Help Centre article which details how to backdate statutory maternity pay.
The wrong date was entered in a past month
You'll first need to change the start date, then you include the adjustment with this month's SMP, and if necessary, OMP.
To change the start date:
From the employee's record, click the Leaves tab.
Under the Parental leave section, from the Parental leave type drop-down, select Maternity Leave.
Next to the period of leave, click the Actions (three dots) button, then click Edit.
Click Next, then change the First day off.
If necessary, you can also change the Last day off, by selecting Other.
Click Save.
For information about how to calculate the correct value of SMP, please refer to our Help Centre article. Once you have the adjustment to make:
From the Payslip breakdown tab, click Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP).
Add together the adjustment calculated earlier, and the Total SMP this month.
Click the Leaves tab.
Under the Parental leave section, from the Parental leave type drop-down, select Maternity Leave.
Click Customise maternity pay settings.
Next to Overwrite <employee name's> SMP, enter the value calculated in Step 2.
If necessary, next to Ovewrite <employee name's> OMP, enter an adjusted OMP value too.
Click Save.
The Payslip breakdown tab should now show the new value you entered, correcting the employee's statutory maternity pay.
As the value has been correctly entered as SMP, the additional amount that you're able to reclaim from HMRC will show on your Employer payment record report from the Company reports section.
No date was entered last month
If the employee should have started maternity leave in an earlier month, please refer to our Help Centre article which details how to backdate statutory maternity pay.
Amending the return to work date
It's quite common for an employee to adjust the date they'll return from maternity leave. Decide which of the options below is most relevant for instructions on how to correct this.
The employee returned last month
In this case, it's likely that the employee might have been overpaid SMP, or may have been on unpaid maternity leave but is owed some base pay. First, you can correct the return to work date. To do this:
From the employee's record, click the Leaves tab.
Under the Parental leave section, from the Parental leave type drop-down, select Maternity Leave.
Next to the period of leave, click the Actions (three dots) button, then click Edit.
Click Next.
To enter a specific date, next to Length of leave, choose Other, then enter the Last day off.
Click Save.
If you need to account for an overpayment of SMP, please get in touch and we can action this. If you need to make an extra salary payment:
From the left, choose Run my payroll, then Salaries & variations.
Locate the employee, then click on their Base pay.
Enter the adjusted Base pay, add a Reason for overwriting, then click Save.
The employee planned to return last month, but didn't
In this case, it's likely that the employee might be owed more SMP, and might require a base pay deduction. You'll first need to correct the Last day off. To do this:
From the employee's record, click the Leaves tab.
Under the Parental leave section, from the Parental leave type drop-down, select Maternity Leave.
Next to the period of leave, click the Actions (three dots) button, then click Edit.
Click Next.
To enter a specific date, next to Length of leave, choose Other, then enter the Last day off.
Click Save.
For information about how to calculate the correct value of SMP, please refer to our Help Centre article. Once you have the adjustment to make:
From the Payslip breakdown tab, click Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP).
Add together the adjustment calculated earlier, and the Total SMP this month.
Click the Leaves tab.
Under the Parental leave section, from the Parental leave type drop-down, select Maternity Leave.
Click Customise maternity pay settings.
Next to Override <employee name's> SMP, enter the value calculated in Step 2.
If necessary, next to Override <employee name's> OMP, enter an adjusted OMP value too.
Click Save.
The Payslip breakdown tab should now show the new value you entered, correcting the employee's statutory maternity pay.
As the value has been correctly entered as SMP, the additional amount that you're able to reclaim from HMRC will show on your Employer payment record report from the Company reports section.
If you need to adjust the employee's base pay:
From the left, choose Run my payroll, then Salaries & variations.
Locate the employee, then click on their Base pay.
Enter the adjusted Base pay, add a Reason for overwriting, then click Save.
The employee will return this month, or in a later month
In this case, you can simply adjust the Last day off, and the correct SMP, OMP and base salary will be calculated. To do this:
From the employee's record, click the Leaves tab.
Under the Parental leave section, from the Parental leave type drop-down, select Maternity Leave.
Next to the period of leave, click the Actions (three dots) button, then click Edit.
Click Next.
To enter a specific date, next to Length of leave, choose Other, then enter the Last day off.
Click Save.