Do you get SMP if a student & working?

[threefeethighandrising]

Does anyone know - am I right in thinking I won't get SMP if I take time out of a degree to have a baby?

But how about if I'm working and studying, do you get SMP then?

(I am 36 so biological clock ticking very loudly!)

TIA

Oh! Hold on then there's Maternity allowance too. I didn't realise they were different things.

Perhaps I'll be eligible for that?

I got SMP last time as I was working. It only recently dawned on my that I might not this time!

Are you talking about an undergraduate degree?

Yes, I'm doing an undergraduate degree as a mature student. So is DP.

Been talking with DP about the possibilities of having another child. We're on the old fees (£3k) as we started before they went up. If I take more than a year away then if I want to come back it'll be £9k.

This is making our planning really difficult, as one of the possibilities that might work is me taking 2 years off (working freelance while pregnant and once our LO is 1ish.) but the £9k fees makes a real difference. Can't believe I'm planning my family around Tory policy. Bastards!

And if I had no income I don't know how we'd afford to live with DP studying. Getting Maternity Allowance or SMP could actually make it possible, just!

I'm doing so well in my degree too, I was top of the class in the first year :)

I was hoping I could defer for a year and the finish my degree. But now it looks like I am may well have to decide between another baby and finishing my degree any time soon. For financial reasons, basically.

There must be a way round this!

It's a tough one, but from my understanding of it;

If you take a year "out" and are getting no student finance, you will be classed as employed/unemployed (depending on circs). As to what you would get, it will depend what benefits you would e entitled to.

If you have children already are you getting a high level of child tax credits for them already? Any housing benefit/local housing allowance? The best people to go and talk to will be either Citizens Advice and/or your local council an job centre.

The other alternative is to have a child whilst still studying. Not ideal but can be (and is) done.

Thanks for the reply :)

Unfortunately I'm pretty sure you can't get any unemployment benefits if you have a university place open to you.

At least, this was certainly true 17 years ago! I left half way through the 1st year of a degree when I was 19. The uni said they'd keep the place open for me. I tried to sign on. They wouldn't accept me as they said in their eyes I was still a student. I had to go and get the university to cancel my place and write a letter. Then the dole accepted me as eligible for the dole. Given that was nearly 20 years ago! But I'd be surprised if they'd changed that rule as the trend is towards being less generous not more.

I do get child tax credit, but no housing benefit. (Hmm, maybe I'd be entitled to that?).

I found the job centre less than useless last time I asked about benefits (2 years ago). If you know which benefit you want to apply for then they can help you but IME they can't / won't advise on what you're entitled to, especially if you want to talk to them about stuff like tax credits (and they'd have no idea about student stuff).

My last experience with CAB was awful too. I won't bore you with the details but I want's impressed with the futile 40 minute wait in the snow from 8:00am with a 7 week old! But I know they should be able to help, I'll try them thanks :)

oops - where did want's come from? (apostrophe, aargh!). that should have said "wasn't"

I think it's worth double checking.

As a lone parent I receive income support over the summer vacation despite the fact that I'm returning every October (iyswim?)

The last time you were at Uni the funding system was entirely different (and grant based I assume - lucky you!) Now that it's loans etc it's more opt in than opt out. If you are taking a year out you will not have applied for any student finance, ergo you will have no income from them. The only other factor to consider is whether or not you will be working, and what they will class as "household income" from your dp (if anything) - it is this that you need to check really. Maybe call the generic Job Centre number and ask about maternity pay/allowance/smp allowance if you are not working, have a student dp and another child/ren in the house.

CAB usually have a phone number so that you can either talk to an advisor or book an appointment, so that may be worth a punt?

Although I did get a loan even back then - for living costs - you're right: I'm pretty sure it was a grant not a loan towards fees.

I will ask again, thanks for the advice - except not the dole! Can I ask have you had any dealings with the them? I have zero faith in them! My last local job centre (inner city London) was so appallingly bad when I asked them for advice they told me to sign off and then called 3 months later to say it was a mistake, but that to get the money I was entitled to I had to go and sign on within 24 hours at the nearest job centre, even though I was 500 miles from home in Scotland, it was snowing with severe weather warnings. Not impressed! And then they didn't accept it (I forget why) and made me do the whole process not once but twice when I got back to London.

I ask as perhaps it's just my old local job centre that's so appallingly bad, maybe you've had a better experience? Come to think of it the job centre in Scotland was pretty good, perhaps it really is just that place?!

I'll give CAB a go.