I will be going on maternity leave later this year and receiving only statutory maternity pay, so things will be a bit tight.
I'm 35 with no pension - I had a pension when I worked in the UK which is still over there, only worth about 30k GBP and I have just been slow to set one up since we moved back. However I'm very aware that if I wait till I return to work from maternity leave, that will be another year gone, and my employer matches contributions to 3% so its all lost money.
I work for a small company with no HR so there's nobody to check these things with, but I am wondering:
(1) If I start a pension in the next month or so, can I start contributions from my salary then pause it till I return from maternity leave
(2) If I start a pension, are my employers obliged to continue paying into it while I'm on leave if I match the contributions myself
(3) Is there a way to retrospectively put a lump sum in at the end of maternity leave and what is the tax implication - I will only be earning statutory maternity benefit, and taking some unpaid leave, so I assume the usual tax benefits don't apply?
(4) Does another year at this stage make enough of a difference I should do this now, or is it much of a muchness if I wait till I'm back after maternity?
We have spent the last few years saving hard for a mortgage deposit and we have a v good LTV on our house, but the pension issue makes me feel as if I've been quite financially irresponsible and should really act sooner rather than later.