Return to work or not

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I'm finding it a hard decision to return to work or not now that I've had my 9 months maternity allowance (self employed).

Does anyone know if I DID go back to work and found it too difficult etc, can I just go back onto income support?

I would have to rely on family for childcare as wouldn't want baby to go to nursery etc until much older.

Should of said, it works out £50 more I'd get if I done 16 hours compared to living on benefits alone.

I've worked f/t for almost 30 years and never claimed benefits so I wouldn't feel bad living on benefits for a while until I was happy putting dc in nursery.

I would go back to work for 16 hours a week, if you are going to be £50 better off a week. I know you say about not wanting to use a nursery, but I would also look into childcare costs and tax credit assistance and see how much you could get.

I think it is always better to work if you can, rather than choose to exist on benefits and 16 hours isn't a lot. (sorry, don't mean to sound judgemental).

I am not sure about claiming ESA, I think you can claim it, but you would then have to be looking for work, so I would rather actually work as self employed. I think you can work less than 16 hours a week and claim it but I would not want to be job seeking and having to attend interviews if I had a job that I could actually do.

I had to claim full WTC when XH left as I only worked part time and I didn't feel bad as I had worked full time until I was 36. Over the past few years I have gradually built up my business to support me and DC, but appreciate that you have a very small baby at the moment.

If the difference in terms of finances is relatively small, the choice comes down to which is better for you and your baby.

I found I was lonely, bored and depressed on maternity leave so I went back to work. But I have no non-working family, all my friends work and I have always loved my job. And I went back at a year, so slightly later than you. I took the view that a happy mum would be better for the baby. You may feel differently.

The other issue is consistency of career. I work in a sector where change is fast & relentless, so taking more than a year out would have left me not being able to return at all. That may be different for your sector.

The one thing you shouldn't worry about is the ethics of living off benefits for a year. Benefits are available because the govt recognises that babies & mums are sometimes healthier & better off spending more time together. I'm guessing you are an older mum if you have worked f/t for nearly 30 years. I had my ds in my 40s as well, and it can be hard work so It has your decision. What anyone else thinks is completely irrelevant

Yes I'm older and I have worked 7 days a week for years being self employed, I've supported myself and for a few years my exh due to his laziness, so I'm well overdue a break with my baby! I have no issues re. Loneliness etc, I love my job but love being with my baby more, it's literally just that I don't want to go back to self employment, regret it, and then find I'm unable to claim the benefits I could of had I of stayed off work completely if that makes sense. For £50 I could just downsize vehicle/get rid of a few luxuries such as my phone tariff allowance etc. to save that £50.