Yet another reason why twins are more expensive

[nametaken]

Minimum Statutory Maternity Pay is £117 X 39 weeks = £4,363.

Mothers of 2 singletons get a total of £9,126 maternity benefit.

Mothers of twins get a total of £4,363 maternity benefit.

I think I might explode if one more person says 2 singletons are the same expense as twins.

Don't know how tax credits work, they didn't exist when my twins were born. Maybe someone else will know.

That doesn't make sense I don't think. Surely two times off work looses more money than one?

You only get one lot of maternity pay because you are only off work whilst you are pregnant once though.

In fact thinking about it, the fact that mothers of twins can go out to work for longer whilst the other poor schmucks have to to be off work for a second time to have their second child might just bring home enough extra cash to pay for the two highchairs etc........

That argument might work for the UK.

In Australia the government gives you $5000 when you have a baby. It is not means tested. (big hoohah when a tennis player and actress worth millions got it on the birth of their baby).

Mums of twins get $10000, triplets $15000 and so on.

We also get paid family benefits to stay home and look after our children. It is paid per child. Two single babies get the same as twins.

Yet another reason to move to oz!

Tax credits - you only get one baby payment.

You can only be in receipt of one baby payment at any one time.

Tamba have been campaigning for this to be changed for years.

Although I never considered the maternity pay when I was expecting my twins as I was only losing one lot of salary. To give double I think would be unfair. It's not there to pay for baby things but to replace wages surely.

I think the sure start maternity grant you DO get a double payment. This is for very low income families.

seeing as you are only off work once why should you be entitled two payments?

Yip, sorry nametaken your argument doesn't make sense to me either ...? Quite possibly twins are more expensive than two singletons but not on the maternity pay example.

So twins costs more than singleton children. So what?

What do you want - a medal?

MY life is harder than yourS - YADA, YADA, YADA. YABU - VVVVV.[HMM]

Actually you loose more money being off more than once so your arguement is flawed. Plus I can't understand why you are posting this if TC were not around when you had DTs - they must be over 6?

I still can't see how twins can be more expensive than 2 singles(especially if close together).

I just want to know the point of all these threads. So, ok, congratulations, you are correct, having twins costs more than having singletons, so what? You have won the argument, what does this achieve?

Sorry, I'm like a dog with a bone - I'll shut up now

I can see how they might be more expensive than singletons on the lack of ability to pass down stuff but that doesn't always work with singletons either (different sex/seasons etc).

(Georgimama, on one of the other threads I think someone was suggesting that additional benefits/reductions in school fees be given ... )

just live with it (since you don't have much choice). Twins means you miss out on benefits and can't use hand me downs as much.

Not much point in getting worked up about it - having twins is hard enough work without stressing about things you can't do anything about.

Don't get that nametaken. My three pregnancies each cost me an absolutely fortune in lost wages. My company paid me 90% of my salary for 6 weeks and then SMP. I had to keep paying our Nanny's £30k salary (as I needed her for my return to work) whilst earning £100 a week for 6 months. If I had had 2 pregnancies rather than 3 (i.e. one set of twins and a singleton), the amount saved would easily have covered the extra cot and clothing required.

I was a SAHM so got no maternity pay at all for DS2.

TBH I think over 18 years the costs kind of balance out no matter what.

Sometimes you can hand down clothes twin to twin.

My best friend had boy/girl twins. He was always bigger. At 15 months he is now a size above her so his unisex clothes/vests are handed "over" to his twin sister.

"Minimum Statutory Maternity Pay is £117 X 39 weeks = £4,363.

Mothers of 2 singletons get a total of £9,126 maternity benefit.

Mothers of twins get a total of £4,363 maternity benefit."

Dont get this at all, its totally flawed.

Lets say normal salary is £250 a week -

39 x £250 x two separate mat periods = £19,500

39 x £250 = £9750 (only one leave for twins)

That means the mum's who have two separate maternity leaves lose far more in wages than those who have multiple births.

As for being paid double maternity pay because its twins, thats just silly. Mat pay is meant to be in lieu of wages - not a benefit for the actual child.

If you have twins do you lose brain cells at double the rate or something? Because the OP seems to have a very odd idea of what maternity pay is for.