Asking for more hours to be eligible for maternity leave?

[LAURAMINIMAQ88]

Hi ,
Soo
Long story short, I lost my job due to covid last year in March and took a cleaning position in April 2020.
I only work part time which gives me around £500 a month.
We would like to have another baby, we are already trying however it didn't happen yet and I have just been making some calculations to see if I would be eligible for maternity leave pay.
It works out that I am not eligible atm because I am not earning enough.
My contract is 0 hours 😪 but it is never 0 hours, I do multiple houses.
I keep looking for jobs in my career area but been very unlucky.
I would actually keep this job if it allowed me to have the maternity pay but I am not sure if going to my boss and asking her for more hours and being completely open with her would be an appropriate thing to do ?
If I do not get maternity pay from this job then I will seriously have to leave and other opportunities with more hours but I quite like this job now and she is a good boss.
Feel like leaving would be a big mistake yet I don't want to sound rude if you know what I mean..
I would love to be open and just tell her that we are trying for another baby and if I could have more hours because I would like to have maternity leave pay but this may sound a bit...
I dont know.
What are your thoughts guys ?
Shall I just leave, find better pay job ? Things are very uncertain at the moment and as I mentioned before, I would love to keep this job.

Everyone is eligible for Maternity Leave. There isn't a minimum amount to earn for the Leave.

Maternity Pay eligibility is separate from maternity leave eligibility. However you will probably qualify for that on £500/m - see www.gov.uk/maternity-pay-leave/eligibility and if you don't you will definitely qualify for Maternity Allowance which is almost the same amount of money (just administered as a benefit rather than it being paid via your employers payroll)

@KihoBebiluPute I used this website to work it out and it came back saying I am not eligible, I would have to earn at least 600 a month to get 130 a week.
The only money I would be eligible is 27 pounds a week..

Why not just ask for more hours and not mention the maternity bit? Perfectly reasonable to say you would like to increase your income and if she can she will. Asking her to rely more on you by giving you more hours when she knows you will likely to want mat leave at some point doesn't sound like the best way to convince her.

I was going to say just ask her for more hours and not mention maternity. Because you want to earn more money is the reason anyone would assume!

But also I don’t think Mat Allowance has any means testing. I got it when I had my two as I was self employed (wasn’t a good plan really but I didn’t have my head screwed on when I was younger!). I didn’t have to show earnings but only that I’d been paying my national insurance. Could this be part of the issue?

For SMP you need to earn on average £120 per week.

For MA you need to have been employed for 26 weeks of the 66 weeks before birth and earned at least £30 per week in 13 of those 26 weeks. You would get £151.20 a week or 90% of your average weekly earnings (whichever is less) for 39 weeks

£27 per week relates to MA for self employed people who haven't paid sufficient Class 2 NI contributions so doesn't apply to you

Don’t you have to work there for a certain period before you become eligible?

Shes worked there since April 2020 so she qualifies.

@LAURAMINIMAQ88 you used the website wrong you would be entitled to
MA £151 a week.

I think every company is different my place gives me 28 weeks full then half pay then 11 weeks SMP but isn’t SMP a set amount from the government?? Also as someone said sometimes you have to work there a certain amount of time to get company MP

[quote AldiAisleofCrap]@LAURAMINIMAQ88 you used the website wrong you would be entitled to
MA £151 a week.[/quote]
It will be £151ish or 90% of average wages whichever is less

I think you’ve misunderstood the eligibility for Maternity Allowance.

Guys, i am confused.
There are never any deductions on my payslip does that mean I don't pay for national insurance? As I said, I only earn about 6k a year

Maternity Allowance eligibility:

In the 66 weeks before your baby’s due, you must also have been:

• employed or self-employed for at least 26 weeks
• earning (or classed as earning) £30 a week or more in at least 13 weeks - the weeks do not have to be together

What you'll get :

£151.20 a week or 90% of your average weekly earnings (whichever is less) for 39 weeks

@dementedpixie ok it looks that I am indeed eligible

For SMP its £120 per week you need to earn

www.gov.uk/maternity-allowance/eligibility