If you're entitled to paid maternity leave, you must tell your employer you're pregnant no later than the 15th week before your baby is due.
You must tell them:
- you're pregnant
- the date of the week your baby is due
- when you intend to start maternity leave – this can be a specific date or a time related to the birth, such as the day after you give birth
It's a good idea to put this in an email or letter, as your employer might want it in writing.
Your employer might ask to see a medical certificate or 'MAT B1' form. You can get this from your doctor or midwife once you're 20 weeks' pregnant.
Use our template letter to tell your employer you're pregnant
How your employer must respond
After you've told your employer, they should reply in writing. They must:
- reply within 28 days
- confirm the date your maternity leave will run to
If you're worried about telling your employer
It's against the law for your employer to dismiss you or treat you unfairly just because you tell them you're pregnant.
If you're pregnant when applying for a job
You do not have to tell the employer you're pregnant when applying for a job. If you do, by law they cannot treat you unfairly because of it.
For example, they cannot use your pregnancy as a reason for rejecting you for the job.