Pregnant childminder been told can't get maternity pay!

[Ladymai]

Is this true? I phoned the childcare information service yesterday to enquire about maternity pay to be told that as self employed I wouldn't be entitled to SMP, which I find grossly unfair!

I gave up work to raise my son and became a childminder to earn some money to do this, have had a crap year with hardly any children until recently, earned a pittence, done my tax credits only to find that payments are being reduced dramatically (despite our income being half what it was before I left work), have not claimed a single benefit as not entitled, and to top it all find out I won't get a bean when I have baby no2! Sorry to rant but wtf is going on with this country?

I hope someone can put me straight because its times like this that make me want to stick 2 fingers up at this country and live somewhere where its fair! Where those that want to be stay at home mums can be without being penalised and can get the help they bloody deserve!

www.direct.gov.uk/Parents/Employment/EmploymentArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=10029290&chk=UrcIQZ

sorry to lazy to link properly, I think you should be able to claim Maternity Allowance instead of SMP

What happens if you don?t qualify for SMP?
Maternity Allowance

If you can?t get SMP from your employer, you might get Maternity Allowance (MA) if you:

• are employed
• are self-employed and pay Class 2 National Insurance contributions or
• have a Small Earnings Exception certificate

The conditions are that you:

• worked (either on an employed or self employed basis) for at least 26 of the 66 weeks before the week your baby was due (a part week counts as a full week).
• earned an average of £30 in any 13 of those 66 weeks

The standard rate of MA is £108.85 or 90 per cent of your average weekly earnings, whichever is less. It is paid for up to 26 weeks. MA is not liable to income tax or NI contributions.

Thank you for that info, I shall try to look into it today and clear my mind!

Hi, Don't worry, you can get maternity allowance as a pregnant childminder, I did! you need to inform your benefits office. I got 26 weeks @ £102? don't quote me as it was a year ago now. You say when you want to start it and it gets paid into your account every 4 wks. In the next tax year it is not taxed as income as its a benefit. Hope this helps, all the best Nikki

I too am in the same boat and can tell you it is such a pain in the butt!!! Don't get me started on childs tax credits?!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyhow you should be entitled to MA (maternity allowance) check out jobcentre plus website to download the forms. Everyone is right here, the amount varies I think to how leinant they are about your earnings and i'm still waiting as IU have a small earnings cert so may only get £30 a week (which for all the hastle I tend to think- IS IT WORTH IT?!)

Goodluck!

heres the form you need for maternity allowance you do need to ensure you have paid a certain amount of national insurance though so i would contact NI and offer about £60 in back dated voluntary payments (£2.10 a week for 30 weeks) if oyu havent made any payments since becoming a childminder. I hadnt paid any NI and was told i couldnt get ANY MA so paid £60 NI and recieved the full £100 odd pounds.

Thanks everyone, great to know I'm not the only one in this predicament out there. Haven't had chance to look into it yet but will definately do so in next few days.