Maternity Allowance Help!!!

[KatieMumOf2]

Hi,
This is my first time on mums net and I was wondering if any of you mummies out there could shed any light on maternity allowance? I got a letter today saying I'm not entitled to maternity allowance. They have put because 'you have not paid at least 13 class 2 national contributions contributions, nor have you held a small earning cert for at least 13weeks in your test period.' But I'm confused as i am self employed and have been since aug 2010 and have paid my class 2 national insurance yearly as that is how the bill comes after the tax year. I have paid my national insurance bill that came in april 2012 and all my contributions are up to date. I don't understand how I'm not entitled to maternity allowance just because i don't pay it weekly and it comes as a yearly bill which is paid anyway! I don't think that back when i registered as self employed i was offered to pay weekly or told that if i don't i would end up penniless and pregnant! Annoyingly the letter dropped through my door today (saturday) and everyone has gone home for the weekend so i can't speak to anyone and am left feeling highly stressed about not having any money! Not much fun when you are 30weeks pregnant and now my weekend it ruined :-(
If anyone have had this happen to them or can help me i would be super grateful!! Why does everything have to be hard work!
Thanks A lot in advance!

It's a bit strange as I used to get a quarterly bill for my Class 2 NICs and now they have changed to twice yearly. I've not requested this, it was done automatically.

I've got no advice sorry, but it does sound like you should be able to recieve the MA, if you've been SE for 2 years. Perhaps they've made a mistake. I know I was able to claim in in NOV 2008 after becoming SE in Feb 2007, so not even 2 years.

Nobody pays Class 2 NI weekly, it is now paid either monthly or six monthly.

Check exactly what you paid in April, it was probably for 26 weeks (the six monthly bills are sent out in April and October). If this is the case, check your MA application form against your NI bill: make sure the NI numbers are the same. If they are, call DWP tomorrow and they should sort it out as you have clearly paid the 26 weeks contributions required, but their records may be incorrect.

Or was it Class 4 NI that was calculated along with Income Tax after submitting your tax return? If this is the case and you have never actually paid Class 2 you are going to need to backdate at least six months worth of contributions, although it might be best to pay back to August 2010. It is only £2.65pw (less than that before April 2012, HMRC will calculate the total) so you will get that back in the first two weeks MA.

You are mistaken.

You pay CLASS 4s with your annual income tax.

CLASS 2s you need to pay monthly I think it is. I pay mine by direct debit. It sounds as if you havent been paying this.

You need to phone them and ask them to send you a bill of what you owe Iit won't be much, I think I pay about £10 per month). Pay it and then resubmit the claim.

Little update! Upon checking my bank statements a hundred times and speaking to the bank and hmrc it would seem there was some bank error in the money going out! Payee was all set up and the payment was confirmed but it never left the account so who knows what happened! I am going to ring job centre tomorrow and plead for my entitlement to maternity allowance as it was a genuine mistake (which wasn't actually mine!) and I'm not a national insurance dodger!! Anyone experienced this and think they can re do my claim or have a blown it? The payment was late and technically it is paid within my test period. Also it is class 2 contributions as it says it on the letter.
Thanks for all your comments though, nice of you to take the time! :-)

katie - the EXACT same thing happened to me. Had direct debit set up to HMRC but they never took it. Well they did for a bit but then inexplicably stopped. You need to ring HMRC, ask for a bill for everything THEY failed to take from your account and then pay it. Ask them to re-set up the direct debit from henceforth reiterating that you hope they wont make the mistake again as it has affected your right to MA.

Then reapply to MA enclosing the letters!