I worked for this mat leave and getting nothing if a overdraft...

[frenchisbest]

Child benefit is now due on the 26th... 2 weeks late too! After being informed by my work they are stopping paying my maternity stat pay 2 days before it was due due to an error with HR in march when they took my earning 15 weeks before the birth into account (basically got my basic wage wrong that month and corrected it a month later...) and now having to claim with job centre for mat allowance.. Still chasing tax credit too with them knowing about new baby for 3 weeks... never had overdraft, just very close to it before.. wonder would will pay the bank fees for it...

[FabbyChic]

Why do you have to claim with the Job Centre? Your employers get it back via their monthly contributions. You don't get child tax credits for an under one year old do you? I thought they stopped that?

[frenchisbest]

basically, when i phoned my work, they said they take into account how much you earn 15 weeks before the baby is due.. which was the month they got it wrong so it made it like was earning under the min requirement. when i pointed that my basic wage every other month is a lot higher, they said that there is absolutly nothing they could do, that they send me a form to claim through the gov and that is that!!
as for the tax credit they do increase with each child, but yes the under one year of age benefit is gone..
just wish they had let me know earlier since all the paperwork went to them in may.. not 2 days before payday... but at laest it means i can look for a new job with more opportunity since i dont own them anything or go back and leave asa i find one!

[cornflakegirl]

There's an HMRC helpline for disputes about SMP calculation 0845 30 21 479.

[Bramshott]

Maternity Allowance is for if you are self-employed, have recently started a new job, or earn under the allowance. It sounds like you should still be entitled to SMP as your earnings were paid incorrectly in your qualifying month. What a nightmare for you! I'd give Cornflake's number a call to try and straighten it out.

[HowToLookGoodGlaikit]

You do get tax credits for an under one

[kelly2000]

It sounds like your company are messing you about if they counted you wage based on the incorrect wage. Do you have a union to speak to to get advice. Even if you are not a member if there is one at your workplace they will normally be happy to give advice. Also Try phoning the phonline cornflake gave you.

[LIZS]

SMP should be based on an average calculated over at least 8 weeks so if they made a mistake one month it should be redressed by the overpayment the next. Also you have to earn on average above the lower earnings limit currently at £102 pw. See here

[nickelbabe]

it sounds a little suspicous to me - your employer would know when your baby was due,which means they'd also know when 15 weeks before your due date was.
If I were an employer, I'd make sure that was the one week/month I got it exactly right.
It makes it sound like they got it wrong (and ooh, corrected it before anyone could complain) on purpose so that you wouldn't be able to claim SMP through them.
Definitely ring the SMP office that you were given a minute ago (0845 30 21 479) and have all your payslips from your whole pregnancy ready, so that they can go through them with you.

[hairylights]

They are in the wrong, if they paid you wrong in the 15th week before EDD, that should have been adjusted and corrected, so they should be using the adjusted and corrected figure.
you.

[frenchisbest]

thank you everyone.. will give number a call and let you know!! it is one of the biggest retail company in the uk... you would think they would know better.. no union though.. hope to get it sorted soon and enjoy my time off with my little ones.

[TheGhostNotMe]

Ask your bank as well - mine for instance has an arranged overdraft facility of £100 which is free to use.

[frenchisbest]

Hello, well more devellopment... MA been agreed, will be paid from the moment i went on mat leave, so had to call them back to let them know that i got paid from work for 2 months as stat mat till it stopped, so i own them 2 months, which will be taken out of the next payments... but now my work's HR just let me know that they made a mistake paying me those 2 months so they want to take the money back through my salary when i come back to work... so now trying to call MA again to see if they will pay the all of the money back.. as for HRMC it is a nightmare to get through to them, but they are helpful, i have to call them again as they wanted more info like payslips.. which i sent to MA but now i have back... cant wait to have it all sorted...

[squeakytoy]

I think I am understanding this as, your employer cocked up your wages the month that your Mat Pay was used for its calculation. This in effect mucked up your mat pay. Even though they rectified the mistake after, it has still completely buggered your mat pay amounts and they havent recalculated and corrected those?

Is that right?

[frenchisbest]

you are right... still trying to sort it out...