Universal credit UK

[WintersB]

What additional benefits would I be entitled to?

I am due my little boy in july,
I don’t have any other children and I live at home with my mum and I am not named on the tenancy.
I will be receiving £184.03 a week from my maternity pay I receive from my employer and I am aware I am entitled to the £25.60 a week child benefit.
Is there any other additional help I can get? Would I be entitled to any universal credit now and/or when baby is here? I’ve always worked so I don’t really know my way round all of this and to be honest I’m worrying slightly about the cost of everything. I have savings but only a few hundred. I’ve heard about the £500 maternity grant but I know you have to be in receipt of benefits to be entitled and I’m unsure if I can apply for universal credit now to be entitled to it.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Are you able to get child support from the child's father?

Whether you get support for the child's father or not, you can check what you could get on entitled to.com.

Run the figures through the calculator

I would start saving as much as you can before maternity leave .

Do you have lots outgoings ?

Are you receiving as maternity pay from your employer eg SMO. Not Maternity allowance.

if so yes you’ll prob qualify for some UC. The attached gives some examples of how they calculate it (you’ll need to replace with the current disregards though).

you can then claim the maternity grant once UC in payment.
https://maternityaction.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/MA-briefing-on-MA-UC-May-2020.pdf

Start your UC claim now and add your child when they're born.

SMP is treated like wages, once the baby is born you'll be entitled to a work allowance, which means £404 of you SMP will be disregarded.

As a single Mum with one child and on SMP you should, assuming you're over 25 get around £600/month UC plus Child Benefit.

Any Child Maintenance from the Father is disregarded.

Sure Start details are here:

https://www.gov.uk/sure-start-maternity-grant

Apply for UC today and see what you are eligible for, if nothing then wait for baby to arrive and do it again. As a single parent with one child if you had no income you would be eligible for ~£867 a month then a sliding scale for any money you receive from your employer.

If you are not with the father set up CMS when baby arrives.

I don't think @WintersB will get IC until after baby is born as (a) that triggers the Work Allowance and (b) adds a Child Element to the award.

I'd suggest she claims a fortnight or so before her EDD. The Child Element and Work Allowance will apply for the whole of the monthly Assessment Period in which it arrives.

Op will get the higher work allowance of £673 once the baby is born as she will not be claiming for housing costs.

Op won't get this much. The single element assuming she is over 25 ( which she may not be ) is £393.45 and child element for a child born now is £287.92 so that is £681 maximum before deductions.

My checking tool, QBC, says £612.92 after allowing for SMP.