Diagnosis
If a female employee is receiving neither Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP)nor Maternity Allowance (MA), she is disqualified from receivingStatutory Sick Pay (SSP) for only 18 weeks on or after the start of hermaternity absence, rather than 26 weeks if she had received SMP or MApayments.
The employee herself has to volunteer this information, because if shehas been excluded from SMP, the employer is not notified if she is inreceipt of MA. Where she is not, you can verify this by referring to theJobCentre Plus or Social Security office, and then apply the shortdisqualifying period.
The start of the 18 weeks short disqualifying period is defined in twoways:

• From the Sunday at the start of the week, on or after the start of the
fourth week before the EWC, that she is absent from work wholly ormainly for a pregnancy-related reason

• From the Sunday at the start of the week in which the baby is born.