Zero hour contract?

[Hadagutsful]

Can anyone tell me if you can claim Maternity Allowance if you're on a zero hour contract? I think Statutory Maternity Pay is off the table, but what about Maternity Allowance?

Thanks if you can help!

Maternity Allowance is what you get when you don't qualify for Statutory Mat Pay. So you should get one or the other...

https://www.gov.uk/maternity-allowance

Trying again with the link!

www.gov.uk/maternity-allowance

Thanks, I looked at this but wasn't sure if it covered zero hours contracts. I mean, how would they work out my "average" weekly earnings as it can vary wildly... Unless they literally mean adding it all up and dividing by the total number of weeks I've worked!

I guess it's worth applying: the worst they can say is no, right?

Thanks again.

Your income needs to average £30 a week over any 13 week period, I think in the 26 weeks before you got pregnant. So yes, they choose the 13 consecutive weeks you earned the most then add it up and divide it by 13...! There is a calculator which might help www.gov.uk/calculate-your-maternity-pay.

Can you talk to your employer? You might not qualify for Stat Mat but a decent hr department will help you work it out.

You may still qualify for stat mat pay, its based on your income from weeks 17-25 of your pregnancy so if you earn enough those weeks then it'll be SMP that you claim, doesn't matter how many hours your contract states :)