What is family leave?

Family leave includes maternity leave, paternity leave, adoption leave and parental leave.

In this section we’ll explain why you’d need to tell us that a member is on family leave and how you can do this.

If a member earns less than the usual amount due to family leave you’ll need to let us know using a contribution schedule.

You’ll need to let us know that the member is on family leave in each contribution schedule until they return to or leave your organisation. This means you’ll need to choose the option or reason Member is on family leave each time you complete and submit a schedule to us. If you don’t include this, you could receive a late payment notice from us.

In some cases, you may be required by law to continue paying employer contributions for a member on family leave. For example, a member might be receiving statutory maternity pay. Where this is the case, your share of the member’s total contribution should be based on notional pay.

Notional pay is the pay the member was receiving before they went on leave. If the member’s earnings fluctuate and you’re not sure what the member’s notional pay is, you may need to get some advice. Unfortunately, we can’t give you advice on this.

The contribution that the member makes should be based on the actual pay they receive while on leave.

We’ll need to know about any members with a change in contributions by the contribution schedule due date. Please see How do I let you know a member is on family leave? You can also upload a file, please see How do I let NEST know a member is on family leave by file upload or file transfer? for more information.