Ttc what might I be entitled to?

[Holly0095]

Hi all, so while I'm waiting to get down to a healthier weight to start ttc next year, I was looking through what I am entitled to money wise....now first of I'm not wanting to sound like a money grabber but everyone knows how costly raising a child is so if I can get any help I will do so, and secondly yes while I'm not current pregnant I am a ocd planner so want to no what is what before hand so I'm prepared.
I'm self employed....I work funny hours depending on orders really some weeks I can work constantly all week up to 80 hours and other weeks it's more like 40-60hours.....
I don't make millions unfortunately so I don't have a huge income, however due to issues form my past I'm not confident enough to work for somebody else....
Can anyone give me any info on if I'd be eligible for a maternity grant or event maternity pay? I no there is lots of help out there now y off coupons, free supplies nappies, wet wipes, creams, mother and baby stuff etc etc I'm just after some help in advance thanks :)
And sorry if I've rambled

You only qualify for a maternity grant if you receive Income Support. You will be able to claim Maternity Allowance which is about £140 a week. And that's it! I would suggest saving as much as possible before you get pregnant.

Free supplies of nappies? never heard of that!

You can get the odd nappy sample from Emma's Diary and Bounty (If you sign up) plus a few money off coupons, but I certainly got nothing else free. Child benefit is just over £80 a month. Anything else is linked to income support I think.

You'll also need to factor in childcare for those hours as well. Quite honestly it depends on your income to be able to see what you're entitled too. There's little free stuff out there.

Sure start grants have an eligibility criteria so I would look into that. Other than that it will be maternity allowance and child benefit as PP have said.

Presumably your partner is employed? Or is he self-employed too?

“entitled”?

If you continued working from home after the baby arrives, might you be eligible for tax credits, or the UC version of that. It was dependent on income and hours.

@chateaurouge makes a good point to ask about your partner's employment situation. If they they have a shared parental leave policy that is more favourable than maternity allowance then that might be a better option.

How much does your partner bring in? As this may impact on some of the benefits you may get.

Also could you use this time to get help and improve your self confidence issues so you could get a paid employment, as this would entitle you to other benefits including maternity pay. You may find it difficult working for yourself while caring for a baby

Also, not to found harsh but the government are known to move the goal posts alot as the welfare state is a safety net, not a lifestyle choice so try to be as self sufficient as you can.

I'm afraid it is v hard being self-employed and pregnant (or indeed ill) as you just don't get the same benefits that many employed people get.

Hi all, thank you to those with helpful info!
I'm not saying free nappies I'm just aware that they offer assorted free samples etc Emma's diary, pampers, bounty packs etc
Im not expecting masses of free stuff I'm not saying that however if it is free people are obviously not going to turn it down, and all I was meaning by entitled was as a self employed person am I able to get any help
Of maternity grants, I'm just forward planning no game in that, I'm no money grabber reaping all the benefits, just asking advice

Any entitlement to benefits will depend on you and your partners household income. You won't get a grant unless you are on a qualifying benefit such as income support of job seekers which you wont be if you are working.

Look into maternity allowance. It's for working women (including the self employed) who are not eligible for maternity pay from an employer. It is sensible of you to look into maternity pay before TTC. I'm sure most people do.

Thank you!!! I think your the only one whose seen it from the point of view I meant it to be from, I just wanted to no as I am self employed what I'd be entitled to, the same as anyone would be who is employed by anyone else :) thank you, I'll have a little look again and see what I find xx

Providing you meet the criteria, you can get maternity allowance which is £140.98 a week for 39 weeks payable either every 2 or 4 weeks. Assuming your partner is working, I don’t think there’s anything extra you’d be entitled to, apart from maybe tax credits, but I don’t know much about that.

Your best bet might be to see how to reduce the costs of preparing for a child, and also how much you can shave off of your monthly outgoings, and save the difference so you’ve got a nest egg to dip in to.

Good luck on ttc!

"Entitled"
TBH if you are planning your child around what the government will provide you are entirely back to front in your outlook.

You can claim maternity allowance as a self employed person only if you’ve paid enough class 2 national insurance contributions.

Info here www.gov.uk/maternity-allowance/eligibility

Ta1kinpeace where is she suggesting that’s what she’s basing her decision on? Entitled to is perfectly reasonable language in this context, we pay into the system and then it supports us when we need it.

Have you tried citizens advice?
They told us what we might qualify to apply for.
My partner is self employed for 35 hours a week. I got made redundant the same time I went onto maternity leave (this was planned by myself and employer) and I got my Smp, we qualified for universal credit once the baby was born, and because we got that we were also able to apply for a sure start maternity grant of £500 which really helped with the big baby buys x

Yes entitled!!! I'm sorry but as I have explained before all I meant by that was as a self employed persons what might I be able to get help with, for people who are employed by somebody else the info is there and usually quite easy to track down, when your self employed it gets harder to track down the information your after.
I am not relying on the government not one bit, I work my butt off more so as a self employed person because i don't get to leave my job at all I work from home and it's a constant 24-7 job weather that be answering questions emails messages etc or completing an order, hence why if I was on maternity leave I'd miss out on quite a big wage, for employed people you would have maternity pay all sorted, I was simply after some info as to what i might be able to get. So yes entitled!! Thank you to everyone else who has said useful information and helped!!! 😘