Dentists can claim maternity leave payments if they meet the qualifying conditions. Dentists can claim for a period of 26 weeks starting:-
- no earlier than the 11th week before the week they are due to give birth
- no later than the week they are due to give birth
An NHS provider can claim maternity leave payments for a performer it employs if the performer has:
- been named on an NHS dental performer list for two years with 26 weeks continuous employment before the week they are due to give birth, this period must precede the 15th week before they are due to give birth
- become pregnant and reached the 11th week before the week they are due to give birth
- stopped performing dental services on the contract and
- not registered as a Limited Company
Providers are paid a weekly amount based on the performer’s Net Pensionable Earnings (NPE) or Net Pensionable Earnings Equivalent (NPEE) on Compass when the payment is due.
Weekly payments cannot exceed £1,660 for dental performers and £3,630 for orthodontic performers. An orthodontic performer is a performer who earns 50% or more of their weekly NPE or NPEE from orthodontic services.
If the performer can claim Maternity Allowance (MA), an amount equal to this is deducted from their payment. If the performer cannot claim MA or claims a reduced amount, evidence of this from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) must be sent.
