Advice about maternity allowance and resigning- can anyone help?

[GlitteryFluff]

I’m currently 16 weeks pregnant. I work part time across two days- though currently furloughed for childcare reasons, but work want me back ASAP obviously. One of the shifts I can’t work as they aren’t open at the time I work because of Covid (but I have childcare if they opened), the other shift I have no childcare for right now but this may change in the coming weeks.

I’ve been employed by the company since 2006.
Because I don’t earn enough to qualify for statutory maternity pay, I will need to claim maternity allowance for this baby.

I want to leave work, I wasn’t going to go back after maternity leave with this baby. It’s dc3 and it’s so much effort sorting childcare for such few hours and little money. But I think it’s just easier to resign now.

I’ve had a look online and I believe if I resign now, I will still be entitled to maternity allowance.. have I read it right? It says I need to have worked 26 weeks in the last 66 weeks before your due date. I’m due in December. I think I’ve worked enough week without including furlough weeks but if not furlough counts as employed doesn’t it? So I would qualify? Will the fact I've chosen resign affect it, because I've voluntarily left rather than say being made redundant or whatever?

Will I need to go back to my employer to get them to sign anything or apply for anything after I leave - or do I just send off payslips?

Can anyone see any issues with resigning now, instead of waiting til after mat leave? I don’t get any enhanced pay, all I would be missing out on is accrued holiday pay whilst on maternity leave I think. Which I’m happy to lose but would rather not lose 39 weeks of maternity allowance on top.

Any advice?
Thanks

MA comes direct from the government, so your employer has nothing to do with it. It doesn't matter if you resign. Does it say anything on your furloughed payslips to say you have been furloughed? I really don't think it will make any difference but as this is a new situation no-one really knows for certain.

The benefit of resigning after Mat leave is that you accrue holiday on maternity, but as you work so few hours anyway it may not be worth the hassle.

Thanks for your reply.
Yes that's the only positive I could see for staying, the holiday leave that I'll accrue on ML.
My payslips say furlough on them. But I feel like I read somewhere it would be included for maternity allowance, but not statutory maternity pay. Off to have another google....

I don't know if furlough will impact it.

It doesn't effect your eligibility if you resign.

Your employer may have to administer it though even if you resign. If I remember correctly it depends on how close you are to your due date when you stop working.

I resigned and claimed MA with Ds2 and it was paid through my employer. I resigned/finished work 5 weeks before my due date.

So looking at the government calculator it says I qualify for MA.. and i worked out that I worked 28 weeks (in the period of time they're asking me about - the 66 weeks before due date) before furlough happened. I needed to work 26. Furlough takes me up to 40 something. So even if furlough didn't count I've worked enough. But I'm sure it must be included as it says I can use furlough weeks for my earnings proof, and if my pay went down to 80% I can use the 100% figures.

Can anyone think of any reason why I shouldn't resign now and should wait? Don't want to make the wrong decision...

Cross post with you @User0ne.
Thanks for your reply.
Glad to read that you still qualified.
Going to see if I can find out about how I actually apply. I think last time I had to ask work for a form. But I can't quite remember...