quick Q about SMP/Maternity Allowance

[SophieBarringtonWard]

I've completed the gov.uk SMP calculator thing, which says I am entitled to leave but not entitled to SMP (I started work for my employer about the same time I became pregnant). I am assuming this means I qualify for Maternity Allowance? Is this paid at a flat rate or at a sliding scale?

Thanks. Don't want to ask my employers yet but want to work out what I might get!

[LIZS]

To an extent it depends how much you earn and whether you meet the criteria of having worked for 26 weeks out of the last 66. If you are a low earner it may be 90% of your average salary or £138 per week whichever is lower for up to 39 weeks www.gov.uk/maternity-allowance/eligibility

[SophieBarringtonWard]

I should I have said - I have 19 weeks at 24k annual salary & but remaining weeks will be made up of around £75 a week...

[LIZS]

Is that a company scheme as doesn't sound like either Smp or ma? Where does that and £75 come from if you haven't spoken to HR to find out your entitlement?

[SophieBarringtonWard]

No - I mean for qualifying for Maternity Allowance. I will have worked more than 26 weeks in total as I already have 26 weeks under my belt, the first 19 of them I was earning whatever £24k is monthly (will have to dig out my old payslips) but the subsequent weeks that I have been working - and will be working up to due date - will only be earning £70 a week. Sorry for the confusion!

[LIZS]

There is a calculator on the site I linked below which should give you an estimate. If you haven't earned 24k for a while it may only be based on the lower earnings (Smp is based on an average of specific weeks actual earnings).

[TeaandHobnobs]

Here you go Sophie (from page 9 of the claim form)

If you are employed
We use the earnings rule to work out your Maternity Allowance.
The earnings rule means that you must earn at least £30 a week on average. We average your gross earnings over any 13 weeks in your Test Period. The 13 weeks do not have to be in a row.
By gross earnings, we mean the amount of money your employer pays you before anything is taken off. For example, income tax or National Insurance contributions.
To work out your average gross weekly earnings, we will add together your gross earnings from each of the 13 weeks in which you earned the most. We then divide the total by 13.
We need to see original payslips for the 13 weeks you choose. Send in your weekly payslips or, if you are not paid weekly, send us payslips covering at least the 13 weeks in which you earned the most in your Test Period. For example, if you are paid monthly, send us at least
4 months’ payslips and we will work out how much you earn each week.
If you had more than one job in any of the weeks you have chosen, send us the payslips from all the jobs. We will return them to you.
If you do not have your original payslips you can ask your employer to give you copies of them, or you can ask for a statement from your employer to cover your chosen weeks.
The amount of Maternity Allowance you get will be either the standard rate of MA or 90% of your average gross weekly earnings. You will get the amount which is the lower of the two.

So it looks like your MA entitlement ought to be based on the period when you were earning £24k/annum, so you should get the full £138 for 39 weeks.

I need to apply for mine! Must get on with that...

[SophieBarringtonWard]

That's brilliant, thanks very much both, much clearer now!