dont know how im going to cope on maternity leave...

[Sandra48]

i was just wondering if youre able to claim any benefits whilst on maternity leave? my partner earns around 23,000 a year and i wont be going back to work full time. we already pay for 2 of his kids from a previous relationship so money is going to be tight when i go down to £136 a week.
i know i can claim child benefits but is there anything else we would be entitled to? im not trying to be a benefit grabber - just want to get what im entitled to?

Was the baby planned ..? you should be able to also claim child tax credits and working tax credits . go onto the website entitledto or hmrc tax credits . Both have an online calculator

Will you be using childcare? The cut-off for tax credits for 1 child is £26k so if you will be earning less than £3k this year then you will get a small amount of help. Once you return to work you may get some help towards childcare costs depending on what you earn as the threshold is higher for this.

Also, try and start making some savings now, and work out what other areas you can save on once on maternity leave eg travel costs, making sandwiches rather than buying lunch at work etc.

You must be feeling very anxious - sad to be feeling so stressed while pregnant. Try talking to Turn To Me www.turn2me.org

You can arrange for them to give you a call back at a time that suits and will talk it all through with you. They also talk you through the benefits system and look at any other ways they can find to help you, such as work-related grants etc

Good luck and try to relax and look after yourself!

When is the baby due ? I fear you will earn too much this tax year between you to claim tax credits. You may have no choice but to go back to work full time if things are that tight.

Hi, you may be able to claim child tax credits. You do not have to be in work to claim. If you call hmrc they will be able to provide you with an estimate. Are you renting your home? If so you may be able to get housing benefit. You will need to speak to the city/district council about this. Tax Credits and HB both take into account the amount of savings you have. If you have more than (I think) 16k you will not be eligable. Best of luck!!

How long before your leave? Start cutting back now and saving the extra in a separate account to top you up while on leave or for emergencies. You'll have 3 DC in the family to support, you may have to rethink going back full time.

You have three children to pay for , but one one to pay childcare for. Personally I would go back to work, you can't afford not to

I am in a similar situation, just started maternity leave and so living on a reduced budget. It may not work for everyone but I have paid most of my utility bills etc upfront for the next year and cancelled the direct debits, so I can budget my money more easily. It doesn't increase the amount of money coming in unfortunately!

You had nine months to get used to the idea of the new baby, could you not save a little each month, my DF was earning less than your DP got pregnant and and managed to save the child benefit for her first kid for 9 months that gave her just over £700 when she went on mat leave, which equalled 3 months worth of bill payments. If you cannot afford to live on state maternity leave you have to make some tough choices, cancel non essential direct debits, buy cheaper food, sell items on ebay/gumtree, rent a room if you can or move to cheaper accommodation, get a full time job, cleaning etc or offer to do ironing, baby sitting or work nights when your partner can look after the kids. You could retrain as a child minder you have to be proactive. Benefits will not be the solution to a long term with all the cuts.