How to write a maternity leave letter (tips for employers and employees) + free maternity leave letter templates
I know from experience how hard it can be to understand the difference between HR best practice and legal requirements, especially when it comes to maternity leave.
UK employment law allows eligible employees to take 52 weeks of maternity leave, and companies can design their own maternity schemes to better reflect their needs and those of their team members.
But without a dedicated HR team with knowledge and experience of maternity leave, small businesses are unlikely to know where to start. And something as simple as responding to a maternity leave letter may leave you scratching your head.
As a Charlie HR advisor, I help small business founders stay compliant and on top of the law while they create a workplace culture where all of their employees feel supported and valued.
As an employer, your approach to maternity leave can mark you out in a good or a bad way, so you might feel hamstrung at the thought of getting it wrong. To help with that, I’m going to share my experience and knowledge, and demystify the concept of the maternity leave letter.
And to make an important aspect of HR even easier to get a handle on, I’ll also provide a free maternity leave letter template for you to download, adapt and give to your employees.
Let’s get started…
What is a maternity leave letter? (And why is it important?)
Maternity leave is a central HR process, and it’s a legal requirement for an employee to inform you that they’re going on leave to look after a newborn or newly adopted child with a maternity leave letter.
It’s also a requirement by law that employers must acknowledge and respond with a confirmation of maternity leave letter.
These two types of maternity leave letters are recognised formal documentation in the UK of an employee's leave request and your approval as their employer:
- Maternity leave letter (employee): a letter sent by an employee to their employer to formally request maternity leave. It includes details like the expected week of delivery/adoption and the intended start date of their maternity leave
- Confirmation of maternity leave letter (employer): this letter acknowledges your employee’s request, outlines the terms of the leave (including duration and maternity pay), and describes the process for returning to work.
A maternity letter facilitates understanding and transparency between you and your team member, sets clear expectations for the maternity leave, and helps you to stay compliant. Documenting the request in a maternity leave letter also secures an employee's right to maternity pay.
How to write a maternity leave letter (from employee to employer)
Once an employee decides to go on maternity leave, it’s important that they put in their request to you as soon as possible.
This enables you to plan for their absence, and ensure that projects are finished and deadlines are met before they go on leave. It also protects your employee’s rights and entitlements.
An employee maternity letter should include:
- A statement of intention to go on maternity leave
- The expected week of birth or adoption, as determined by a professional
- The dates the employee plans to start maternity leave, and when they plan to return to work.
Your employee should send you this letter about 15 weeks before the expected date of birth or adoption, or as soon as reasonably possible. The sooner you’re informed about their maternity leave, the better you can plan around their absence.
Maternity leave letter sample
Here’s an example of how your employee might word their request for maternity leave notice letter:
Subject: Maternity Leave Request - [Your Name]
Dear [Employer’s Name],
I am writing to formally notify you of my pregnancy and my intention to take maternity leave following the statutory requirements. My expected due date is [Expected Due Date], and I plan to start my maternity leave on [Start Date of Maternity Leave].
As per the statutory guidelines, I understand that I am entitled to 52 weeks of maternity leave. However, I intend to take [Number of Weeks You Plan to Take] weeks of leave and, barring any unforeseen circumstances, plan to return to work on [Expected Return Date].
I have attached my MAT B1 maternity certificate, confirming my pregnancy and expected due date. I understand that this will be used to arrange my Statutory Maternity Pay.
I am committed to making this transition as smooth as possible and will do my utmost to ensure all my responsibilities are up to date before my leave. I am also happy to assist in any way possible in finding a temporary replacement during my maternity leave if necessary.
Please let me know of any information or forms I need to complete before my leave begins. I appreciate your understanding and support during this important time.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
[Your Position]
[Your Contact Information]
A maternity leave letter provides all the details you need and shows that your employee is willing to cooperate.
Our maternity leave letter template is free to download as a Google Doc so you can easily share it with your team members.
Download our maternity leave letter templates
How to respond to a maternity leave letter (from employer to employee)
When you receive a maternity leave letter, it’s your responsibility as the employer to respond in a timely and professional way.
Your response is officially referred to as a “confirmation of maternity leave letter” and this acknowledges your employee’s request and tells them what they need to know about their maternity leave.
Your response to a maternity leave letter should include:
- Confirmation of the maternity leave start and end dates – you can check this out by using our maternity leave calculator
- Details about maternity pay
- Information about what will happen at the end of maternity leave, including a return to work date
You are required by law to respond to a maternity leave request within 28 days, and confirm the dates and details of your employee’s return to work.
To help you, we’ve created a free confirmation of maternity leave letter template.
You can customise this template according to your company policies, or just fill out the placeholder text and you’re good to go!
Streamlining your maternity leave process with HR software
A maternity leave letter ensures smooth and clear communication between an employer and their employee. And HR software like Charlie makes that communication even easier.
With Charlie, time off management is a piece of cake, and that includes requesting and approving maternity leave.
Charlie’s fully customisable, so you create as many custom leave types as you want or need — and your team members can request maternity leave directly from the system.
Charlie lets you delegate approval (reducing your admin!), so the maternity leave request goes straight to the right person and the calendar automatically updates as soon as it's been approved.
And best of all, any leave requested, approved and recorded in Charlie is fully compliant with UK employment law, so you don’t need to worry about getting anything wrong when it comes to maternity leave.
It really couldn't be easier! But you don’t have to take my word for it…
Charlie is free to trial for 7 days, so you can try it now and see for yourself. If you’re pushed for time, or worried about your lack of maternity leave experience, Charlie’s got you covered.
