Someone please help! Mat allowance for self employed

[mogulfield]

I don't seem to be able to find the right person to answer this and have had conflicting answers from Job centre plus and my business mentor...I need help with maternity allowance.

I was in full time employment from Jul 2008- Jun 2017, and paid NI contributions accordingly. I left this job in June to start my own business.

I am a business start up, and work approx 30 hours a week on it, and won't break even until April 2018.

I am due a baby in February 2018 and want to claim maternity allowance.

I have read that in my first 2 years of business I don't have to make a profit to get the allowance, and that I need to make NI contributions. However, my NI contributions aren't due until April 2018 (with my business tax return).

Can I make interim NI contributions so I am eligible for Mat allowance? (I think I need to make 13 weeks worth of contributions), or do I not need to?

Someone help! I have been given conflicting advice by 'experts', and don't know where else to turn.

I was in a similar situation. Paid my NI contributions to that date and then claimed mat allowance. Was pretty simple to do. Have you got the form to fill in? Was paper based when I did it about 4 years ago.

I was in a similar position too. I phoned the maternity allowance helpline and they were helpful and gave me info about how to pay the necessary NI contributions, how much etc.,
I was very pleasantly surprised that I could receive more in maternity allowance than I had been earning bring self employed!

Thanks chancer and frouby Il go ahead and try and make interim NI contributions. I have the form printed off, but it's so long I wanted to make sure I was entitled before I wasted my time