Money struggles after a baby

[Newbee123]

Hi Ladies , wanted to advice please. I work on a 0 hour contract so I don't get maternity pay from my workplace. I get statutory pay from the government. Was wondering how it works? And has anyone ever been on it ? And one last questions what benefits would I be entitled too after maternity stops? My husband is on a 30k salary would I be entitled to anything? To help with rent or bills.

Nope you won't get anything other than child benefit if your husband is earning £30k. I know this because I looked in to it when my job was facing redundancy (I'm the main earner) and DH only earns £20k and we'd get nothing

Statutory maternity pay does last 39 weeks though.......it does raise the question about how you thought you were going to manage before you had the baby?

You apply online. They tell you what you qualify for. You can get paid weekly or monthly. £150 roughly a week.

No idea what, if anything, that you'll be able to claim after.

Thank you for getting back to me ladies. @ivfbeenbusy I've just been saving hoping that will get me by until I go back to work again I guess I know a bit silly I just got pregnant so randomly it was all a rush

@Newbee123

You'll need to check your pay slips during the qualifying period but if you are on a zero hours you may not reach the threshold for SMP in which case it would only be Maternity Allowance you could get

Also if you were earning less than £150 a week before then you won't get the full SMP - you'd get 90% of whatever your weekly wage was

You need to use a universal credit calculator - me and DH have a combined income of around £35k and we get some help, there is no specific cut off point as it varies due to things like rent and childcare costs.

@Rockchick1984

I really don't understand how UC is calculated - I've been on ALL the calculators and with two people working earning £35k using your example with 1 child and in a mortgaged house doesn't get any UC they only get child benefit

But I suppose it might make a difference if you are in rented (not sure why it would though?)

Or if you both only work part time?

Ivfbeenbusy
Help with rent is far more generous than help with mortgage payments. You can only get help with the interest part of a mortgage payment and only after a 9 month waiting period. With rent, the full rental payments are included in the calculations from day one and it isn’t a loan so doesn’t have to be paid back if you qualify for rent help.
I don’t agree with the way it’s done. People will argue that we can’t expect benefits to pay for people’s mortgages but that is exactly what is happening, indirectly, if somebody gets help with rent costs on a property where the landlord has a BTL mortgage

@Totallycluelessoverhere

Thanks I was wondering if I was missing something! Although it's incredibly harsh/unfair that if I got made redundant we'd have to lose our home before getting the same help as someone renting. Even though to rent our home is way more expensive than the mortgage. Maybe it's because most people have equity in their homes so by selling it due to redundancy then you would some money to live off until you could get back in work?

Although UC seems very much a long term benefit not necessarily connected to being out of work and needing help and more for those on perpetually low incomes?

Have you had your MATB1 yet. You give this to your employer and then they write back confirming if you are or are not entitled to SMP. If you are not entitled to SMP they give you a form which you can then use to apply for maternity allowance

@Littlemissdaredevil sorry I don't mean to sound silly but what is that ? And where do I get it ?

Google will help you with MATB1

www.gov.uk/government/publications/maternity-certificate-mat-b1-guidance-for-health-professionals/maternity-certificate-form-mat-b1-guidance-on-completion

You get it no more than 20 weeks before the week you are due, from midwife or GP. It’s official proof that you are pregnant.

I’m laughing at getting pregnant being random. Like, “I went to the shops this morning, and randomly - I came back pregnant!”

How many weeks are you? You midwife will explain the MATB1, but it sounds like maybe you haven’t seen one yet?

@Cocomarine haha! It was exactly that ! 😂😂
Thank you for your help ladies. I called up my local clinic they said just to come in and they will give me one. I just had my 20 week scan yesterday 😊

Other benefits: you and your husband may be able to claim tax free childcare after your maternity leaves. If under £40K household income, possibly better is UC childcare support.

It’s not true that you definitely won’t get any benefits if your partner earns £30k. My partner earns just over £70k and we qualify for universal credit with two children as we rent.

@TeddyTeddy really ? And If you don't mind me asking do you work ? Or is your partner the main provider ? I'm worrying it will all be on my poor husband ! How much is universal credit and how often ? Again if you don't mind me asking ! :)

Ummmm I think I'd be embarrassed claiming UC if my partner earnt £70k - that is absolutely not who the system is designed to help

Having put a partner income of £70k into the government calculators assuming you have 1 child, who hasn't for a registered disability you rent and you don't work it says you are entitled to £0 ......which I what I would expect

@ivfbeenbusy

Ummmm I think I'd be embarrassed claiming UC if my partner earnt £70k - that is absolutely not who the system is designed to help

What utter crap. Of course you shouldn't be embarrassed !! If you are entitled then claim.. this poster has a husband paying high rate tax.. so not exactly the 'benefit scrounged' that people love to castigate.. !

The reason that the government only pays towards mortgages after 9 months and then only the interest is simple. Because of the huge cost of housing and it's rapid investment value - the government will not contribute to what is essentially your investment' . Whereas those of us who have missed the housing ladder will be forever pay over 50% of our salary in rent. Which is money straight down the drain.. (for me - obviously, not my landlord!)
Therefore they will cover a PROPORTION depending on your local housing allowance, your age, and your income.

It is really wrong to tell people ' we earn x and have x kids and get nothing.. because you don't know if she's renting a council house with much lower rent.. paying a mortgage, etc.. in fact ALL these things will affect the amount you are entitled to ;

The area you live
Your rent
How many in your family
Their ages
Their sexes
How much the parent/s earn
Is anyone disabled
Is anyone a carer
Is anyone too sick to work
Anyone on Mat leave.

Please go to the turn2us web site and use the calculator. So many people will be amazed at what they are missing out on just because someone didn't check.

I

My partner earns just over £70k and we qualify for universal credit with two children as we rent haha!!! What absolute rubbish!!!!

@disorganisedsecretsquirrel

I have been on the calculator and that poster is bullshitting as there is no way with an income
Of £70k they are getting UC

Pretty sure the HMRC wouldnt define someone earning £70k as being on a "low income"

Try for UC. Might get assistance with childcare costs.

70k wouldn’t even be entitled to child benefit, no way in hell would they get UC

I live in central London in a two bed rented flat, two children under two so I don’t work at the moment. I’m not technically on mat leave as I let my old job go as I fell pregnant with second. We get about £400 a month. I only know this as my partner was facing redundancy due to COVID, so I applied thinking we were facing ruin etc. I would never have thought we were entitled otherwise. Incidentally he was fortunate to get a higher paying job so we won’t qualify going forward.

Feel free to pick any address in London and input the details into a benefits calculator if you don’t believe me! Entitledto seems to be accurate.