Need advice

[Shithashitthefan]

Hey,

Really need some advice on what I can do.

I'm currently 30 weeks pregnant with 3rd child, I have recently lost my job. Dh works full time and is earning just over minimum wage.

Can we still claim benefits with there being a 2 child limit?
Can I claim any sort of maternity pay?
If I get a job and require to put baby into nursery, can we still claim back upto 85% of childcare costs?

Someone told me I don't need a job till baby is three and could claim benefits but that doesn't sit right with me.

My head is all over the place atm and really need someone to tell me it will be OK.

TIA x

You can contact Turn2us, their website also has a benefits calculator.

Hi OP. You can’t claim UC for your 3rd child no, have you checked to see if you are eligible for UC? Have a look on the website previous poster has suggested and it will tell you if / how much you can claim.

How recently did you lose your job? As that will impact what maternity pay you can claim?

I lost it 2 weeks ago.

Does that mean I wouldn't be able to claim back any childcare payments also? When ds was in nursery I was able to this. What about things like scottish child payment? Could I claim for 3 or would is that also capped at 2?

I have tried this and I'm still unsure. It tells.me how much I could get weekly but doesn't answer my questions above. Thanks though x

You'd be better off phoning them. Another organisation that can answer all your questions is the Citizen's Advice

If you are eligible for childcare payments then you are still eligible for those for a 3rd child, unless you have more than 2 children in childcare at the same time. So if you have 3 kids all in childcare then you can’t claim for the 3rd one, but if you only have 1 child plus new baby still in childcare or only new baby is childcare then you can.

There is no limit on Scottish Child Payment so that is still payable for 3rd child.

If you only lost the job 2 weeks ago then provided you meet all the other criteria you should still be able to claim SMP x

Thank you so much for this information, this has definitely calmed my nerves about it all. Losing my job was the last thing I thought would happen.

How long had you been employed for?

7 years

Then you should still get smp as part of your severance pay.