Please help me with Maternity Allowance!!!

[ldeeanna]

Hello,

Basically in September 08 my partner and I started a new business and registered self-employed. Now I am pregnant due Nov 09 and have recently visited lots of sites about MA. My problem is that we do not pay ourselves through a payslip and we just pay for our rent, shopping etc on our business card as a joint thing!! Im now really worried as in their eyes-I haven't had any earnings as such! We have been paying National Insurance though.. oh help its so confusing!!! What happens if I am not entitled-I will be well and truly stuffed as we need to be finacially able to employ another member of staff to fill my shoes and money to help with the baby!! Im very stressed so any help will be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!!

Hello Ideanna,

I am paye, you may have already tried but if not you could ring job centre plus and the acas helpline and maybe even visit a CAB and see if their are any tax lawyers that you can be put in touch with who do any free clinics,... or try the direct gov site. Also it might be a case of making sure you and your partner get you the average weekly earnings that are noted below in time.

I am sure there must be some self employed mumsnetters who will be able to help you.

I took this from the thompsons website:

Who can claim maternity allowance?

Maternity allowance is a benefit payable to women who do not qualify for SMP. To claim the allowance they need to:

? Have been employed (or self-employed) for at least 26 weeks in the 66 weeks before the baby is due
? Have average weekly earnings over any 13 weeks in the 66 week period of more than £30 per week

It is paid for a maximum of 39 weeks at a flat rate of £123.06 per week or at 90% of average weekly earnings, whichever is less. It cannot start before the 11th week before the baby is due. (The rate increases annually each April; the above rate is correct as of 5 April 2009).

Thank you!! I might ring the job centre-but I think you do have to pay yourself a wage which I'm terrified about!! Oh what a silly girl!!

I'm you've been registered as self-employed for at least 26 of the 66 weeks leading up to your pregnancy, and have been paying you Class 2 National Insurance contributions, then that's all you need to qualify for full Maternity Allowance as a self-employed person. The "earnings of over £30 a week" bit only applies to those who are employed, but do not qualify for SMP.

This becomes clear when you actually get the form to complete - you'll see that if you tick the 'self employed' bit at the beginning, you then skip all the sections that relate to the level of income. You do not have to pay yourself a wage to qualify.

You must:

• be registered as self-employed
• have paid Class 2 National Insurance

contributions

• not hold a Small Earnings Exception

certificate to be treated as having enough weekly earnings to result in the standard rate of MA (currently £123.06).

(the bottom bit is my copying and pasting from a PDF of the claim form).

...which was a long and unclear way of me saying: no, you don't have to have paid yourself a wage to qualify! But you must have paid your Class 2 NIs.

Thank you very much-just need to find out for definate about the NI-Im sure I have!! DP deals with this stuff!!! But weight is off my shoulders, I can relax a bit now!! thanks for your very helpful advice!!!