Starting maternity leave while on probation

Hi all, I work in a local authority in Ireland and started in my role in July 2026. I’ve been getting on really well, my performance has been good and my line manager is very happy with me.

I’m due to go on maternity leave at the end of December, with my six-month probation due to finish around 20 January, so I’ll be only about 3 weeks short of completing it when I go on maternity leave.

For anyone who has experience working in a local authority/public sector and has either been on probation or signed off someone else’s probation: when is the final probation report/sign-off usually completed? Does it have to wait until the actual six-month date, or can it be completed early if the manager is satisfied with the employee’s performance?

I’m particularly conscious that I’m due an incremental increase in March 2027, so I’m wondering whether being on maternity leave with my probation technically paused could affect that.

Any experience or advice would be really appreciated!