Benefits advice?

[sisterelephant]

I'm currently on maternity leave and my flexible working request has been rejected, it means I can only return full time. My job is very long hours, stressful and demanding and I'm unable to commit to it with my ds who will be 10 months at the time of return.

I will have to seek part time but it's very difficult in my field so I imagine it will take time. My dp and I have decided I will not return and will look into seeing what support will be available to us while I look for work.

I'm due to return in March and not sure whether it's best to wait untill 4 weeks before to resign or to do it now? How will that affect a claim I can make?

My dp works full time earning £22,000 but it's not enough to cover our rent, bills and food etc.

I guess I'm asking if anyone has experienced this and can give me some advice?

Thank you

Tax credits and child benefit.

And if you're actively looking for work perhaps JSA too?

Bear in mind you may have to pay back your mat. pay if you don't go back.

Thanks for replies. Would it make a difference when I resign?

Now or wait?

Yes, it makes a difference if you resign. And do check your contract to make sure you don't have to pay back the ML if you don't go back to work for a while.

The main benefits you will get as a stay at home mum are Child Benefit, Child Tax Credit and possibly Housing Benefit - use the entitled to website linked to above to see how much these might be.

If you claim JSA you will only be entitled to contributions based JSA as your OH earns too much for you to get income based. Contributions based JSA only lasts for 26 weeks before it ends. You are VERY likely to be 'sanctioned' at the start for resigning voluntarily from your job for 13 weeks. This 13 week period councts as part of your total allowed 26 weeks, so in practice you will only get JSA (contributions based) between weeks 13 and 26.

It is also likely that if you are getting JSA you will be required to turn up to courses etc which means that you will have to arrange childcare at very short notice. This can be very difficult with such a young baby unless you have family near-by who can help out?

Basically, you cannot rely on getting JSA :(

re paying back maternity pay - you can't be asked to repay statutory maternity pay - that is illegal. But if your employer was paying more generous pay than statutory minimum, you may be asked to repay some or all of the addional pay - check your contract if you think this might apply to you. You are supposed to give your employer 8 weeks notice if you want to change the date you return from maternity leave and this includes deciding you will not return.

Thanks again.

I only received smp so nothing to pay back luckily. I've been on the website and it as it used my earnings last year when I worked full time, I'm bot entitled to anything other than child benefit?

Would it make a difference then if I claimed next financial year?

The cut off for tax credits with one child is around £26k, so if you jointly earnt more that that in the tax year 2013-14, you are unlikely to get anything ( you can discount smp from the total). However when the new tax year starts in April you can estimate an income based on just your partners wage of £22k so you may get a little in tax credits but be careful to inform them straight away if you get a job as you don't want an overpayment.

Thank you babyroobs.

If I were you I would make a bigger fuss of staying into your current job with reduced hours and seek employment advice if they don't gmail any significant concessions.
You can't really afford not to work and you won't get very much in tax credits if anything at all. Being out of work will make it harder to go back especially as a part timer if not common in your field.
Your household salary is a difficult one - not enough to love comfortably but too much for means tested benefits
Try to keep your job and get them to agree to reduced hours
Good luck

Don't forget as well when putting your 2013-14 income into a calculator to work out tax credits to.take off £100 from your earnings for each week you recieved smp - it made a big difference to me!