Pregnant and unemployed.

[flounderingandannoyed]

I have just left a job and was going to do some temping but have found out I'm pregnant. I've been working since October of last year and finished last week. The baby is due in December. Will I be entitled to Maternity allowance? I've read the government website and it seems to say that as long as I worked in the 66 weeks before the baby is born I will get MA. Is this right?

I think you need to work for 26 weeks in those 66 weeks before you're due, so count your payslips and do some agency work to make up the difference if you can

@KatieGlo if I worked October to March that's 24 weeks so I need to get two more weeks from somewhere? Thanks for replying

I did some work for a month in the July 2019 as well. Would that count?

I don't think July 19 will count, by my maths that's over the 66 weeks...

But yea, get another 2 payslips and you should have it, well worth making sure you get the boxes ticked as maternity allowance is about 5/6k!

@KatieGlo thanks for your help

I'm in a similar situation however I need to make up 13 weeks, does anyone know if there's a minimum amount of hours or earnings you need a week for the week to qualify?

OP depending on why you left your job (resigned or dismissed) you might be able to claim new-style Jobseekers Allowance (JSA). You can claim online and should do so ASAP as it can't be backdated. As KatieGlo said, you'll just need to do a few more weeks' work between now and December to qualify for Maternity Allowance.

Clemmie, the earnings minimum is £30/week but you would only get a small amount of MA - to get the full amount (currently £148.68/week) you would have to earn an average of £165.20/week during the qualifying period. Off the top of my head I think that's 13 weeks and you can choose which ones.

@anotheremma Thanks so much for your reply, of the 13 weeks I've worked so far the weeks were much higher than the threshold. Am I right in then thinking that my income for the remaining weeks would be irrelevant as long as I work? Could the remaining 13 weeks be self employed so you know?