Advice needed please

[Teadrinkerandatinker]

I think i may be pregnant as i am a TTC'er but i have been given a job out of the blue by a friend so i'm wondering can i work through the pregnancy and get maternity leave ? also what would childcare costs be like when i went back to work ? id be earning about £800-900 per month and OH earns £800-950 a month we live up north too so it is cheaper to live obviously but its still might be a struggle in terms of childcare can anyone help me ?

anyone ?? i thought there would be some MN'ers with a nanny or childcare

As long as you are not pregnant before starting the job then you are likely to qualify for maternity leave. Think it does depend on salary level. Look on Gov.uk for the eligibility criteria.

There is a Childminders, Nannies board, may get a better idea of childcare costs of reading things on there.

Your local council can send you a list of childminders, that may give you some local info about fees. Also look at online listings, and nurseries and some childminders will have websites showing fees.

www.adviceguide.org.uk is usually really helpful for this sort of question. Its the Citizens Advice Bureau public website. I have a feeling it might be Maternity Allowance in this situation rather than Statutory Maternity Pay but the CAB will know or ACAS on 0300 123 1100

Hi,
We don't pay childcare now but when we did, we qualified for tax credits which could be claimed specifically for the nursery fees. If you are not both on high imcomes, it is worth checking on childcare credits.
Hth

My up north childcare was £700/month for full time (7.30am-6pm Mon-fri was possible, we collect way before the end)

Yes, you need to be working before you fall pregnant to get SMP. If you have worked recently, and don't qualify for SMP, you may qualify for maternity allowance.

You will be eligible for Maternity leave of up to 52 weeks, but maternity pay is slightly different. If you are already pregnant when you start work for a new employer, you won't qualify for statutory maternity pay but you may well qualify for maternity allowance instead. This will be the case as long as you have worked for at least 26 of the 66 weeks before your due date week and earn more than £30 a week. Maternity Allowance is currently £138.18 per week for 39 weeks. If you have a look at the Direct Gov website you can input your dates and details to check exactly what all your entitlements are. www.gov.uk/calculate-your-maternity-pay
I should mention that I'm an HR manager so this is my field of expertise.