How to survive Maternity

[MissM94]

How on earth do you survive on maternity pay? I earn more than double the amount you get on SMP.. how do you cope with the significant wage drop?! Luckily I've got savings and my partner works but he has his own outgoings. My outgoings and household bills are more than the monthly amount of SMP how do you then buy baby bits/shopping etc? What else are you entitled to if your partner works aswell? So lost and frankly scared shitless

[quote Scottishskifun]@kirinm it's hardly snide comments by the OP many people have no idea benefits work or if they could claim and many people don't claim as a result especially when they are working. It's a minefield![/quote]
It's completely snide. It is also completely untrue.

[quote Scottishskifun]@kirinm it's hardly snide comments by the OP many people have no idea benefits work or if they could claim and many people don't claim as a result especially when they are working. It's a minefield![/quote]
So saying that if you work you get nothing but if you receive benefits you're entitled to everything isn't snide? Okay!

@kirinm most people are unaware that they could be entitled to benefits when both are working yes as its dependent on wages, hours and circumstances. The OP simply stated that if people are on benefits then they presume they already get the ones they are entitled to.
You clearly have a bee in your bonnet and going on the defensive. Many people are completely unaware of the complexities of the benefit system or even if they could apply for certain things.
For years my friend was completely unaware that she was entitled to receive benefits due to her sons autism and her providing care for him as her husband is a teacher and she has never claimed before.

As said the benefits system is a minefield so it's not surprising if people haven't claimed before that they are unaware of how it works!

[quote Scottishskifun]@kirinm most people are unaware that they could be entitled to benefits when both are working yes as its dependent on wages, hours and circumstances. The OP simply stated that if people are on benefits then they presume they already get the ones they are entitled to.
You clearly have a bee in your bonnet and going on the defensive. Many people are completely unaware of the complexities of the benefit system or even if they could apply for certain things.
For years my friend was completely unaware that she was entitled to receive benefits due to her sons autism and her providing care for him as her husband is a teacher and she has never claimed before.

As said the benefits system is a minefield so it's not surprising if people haven't claimed before that they are unaware of how it works![/quote]
She isn't saying that at all. She's saying for those who are already in receipt of benefits they're somehow more fortunate than her.

I'm not defensive given I am a high earner and don't receive any form of benefits. I find attitudes towards benefit claimants like the OP as offensive.

I think the OP's implication that it's all fine if you're "on benefits" is a) ridiculously ignorant in its false distinction between people who are working and those who claim benefits and b) a bit rich from someone who's about to claim benefits for 39 weeks.

But to answer the OP's question.
You save
You pool family income
You claim child benefit
If you're on a lower combined income you claim universal credit
If you have access to free family childcare or can split shifts with your DP you maybe return to work early
You also research childcare costs now because if you didn't know what SMP was then childcare costs may come as a shock

I never said they're more fortunate than me.. just that people who already claim benefits are entitled to more than someone who works so as a working family I'm not sure what we're entitled to. Haven't said anything about people on benefits or been snide, have a read of the government website and see where it says what you can have "if you claim benefits" next to it.. and get out of my arse, cheers ☺️

Thank you for all the helpful advice, i just started the thread to get some insight into it that's all.. wasn't meant as a debate or an excuse for people to be so defensive 🙄

I was worried but looked on 'Entitled to' and you can get top up universal credit.

For me the issue is more when I go back to work and childcare costs, but universal credit takes this into account.

Not sure if you're snide, but certainly ignorant.

If you become entitled to Universal Credit then that acts as a gateway to other help. 40% of people on UC are in work. People on UC do not receive more income than you do.

You've not given us any hint as to your household income, so impossible to know if you will be entitled to help.

@MissM94 how long are you wanting to take off? What's your company's enhanced pay?

A big tip we were given (that we're taking) is to check your partners allowance at their company. It's not in the paternity section, but in the shared parental leave section further down the policy. We found out he gets almost 5 months full pay, and so do a few of my friends husbands, and the men at my company

You save really hard for when it happens. I'm on ML at the moment and it's a 70% drop in wages. We saved throughout my pregnancy and tbh my day to day spends are relatively low - coffee and playgroups essentially. Your lifestyle changes massively once you have kids.

We also treat money as family money so money is pooled so I'm not reliant on SMP to live.

I was really lucky in my first pregnancy as during the "qualifying period" when they work out your SMP for the 90% at the start, I was paid my annual and performance bonuses all within the same timeframe. So I received way above my monthly salary for the first 6 weeks which really helped. If you're able to work out your qualifying period (look at SMP on the gov website and it tells you when it is) then do extra hours / work in that time it will help.

Save prior, cut back on discretionary expenses, keep baby spending to a minimum (they don't need anywhere near the amount people buy, and remember breastmilk is free) and finally pool your finances

We saved a few months wages to make up the massive shortfall in income, then only took 6 months Mat leave. Also remortgaged in advance to lower outgoings and tried to pay off debts in advance where we could to minimise outgoings. Made sure all credit cards were on 0% interest deals and paid minimum during Mat leave. I was also entitled to some company benefits (like a ‘car allowance’) continuing during Mat leave which boosted the amount per month. DH picked up any unforeseen expenses and things like holidays.

Pool your finances. It's much easier to manage and makes sense when you're raising a child together. That does mean there might need to be discussion over various "his"/"your" expenses and whether they fit the family budget.

I always get concerned when people post about worrying how they'll cope on SMP. Maternity leave is the easy bit, it's the long-term childcare costs after you go back to work that are crippling. Depending where you live it's about £1200 per month for a full-time nursery place. And it goes on for years. I have 2 primary aged kids at school and wrap around is still £500 a month for both. Luckily we are both high earners but I don't know how lower earners manage, unless you have family nearby who can help.

I always get concerned when people post about worrying how they'll cope on SMP. Maternity leave is the easy bit, it's the long-term childcare costs after you go back to work that are crippling correct!!!! and it doesnt get magically cheaper post nursery either, a gazillion weeks of school holiday and finishing school at 3pm to find childcare for- plus uniform plus activities.
I would make sure OP you and your partner are fully aligned on ALL child related costs from the offset, including any time off you take- because that is a cost he is liable for too.

You don’t just wait for maternity pay to kick in and survive on that….you plan ahead.

Many people save for this phase before becoming pregnant. More save whilst pregnant, so they can top-up their maternity pay, whatever it might be.

Those who haven’t pooled finances before, take a good look at their finances int he round and see what there will be coming in between the 2 adults and make adjustments to budgeting. So the man needs to contribute more to household costs as the woman might have less coming in. Both probably need to make some cutbacks which are discussed. Plans need to be made for funding household bills, shopping etc and also leisure spending. It’s vital all these costs are seen as something the couple fund together and it’s not just the woman as she is having the baby.

To be honest, really you should look into this stuff before becoming pregnant. Having a child is expensive like lots of things in life and usually people think ahead to work out how they will afford a big expense. I remain surprised that people don’t do this. This looking ahead also needs to include funding childcare costs once maternity leave ends.

So OP, when you have the chat with your partner, also look at this aspect. Find out some local costs if childminder and nursery and start planning for this too. The responsibility is on you both to work out how you Cana Ford what you need.

I have a fair few friends who are the main earners and are the mothers. Most did not take the full year off and the partner picked up the 2nd half of maternity.

@dudsville

I have a fair few friends who are the main earners and are the mothers. Most did not take the full year off and the partner picked up the 2nd half of maternity.

Yeah a fair few friends have done this also, and we're splitting ours also. Men's re getting more enhanced SPL packages also, so makes total sense

*men are

I'm on maternity leave at the moment and am fortunate to be getting my full wages for it. We'd really find it very difficult otherwise. I think all you can really do is work out a strict budget and stick to it. Also, you should strongly consider joint finances when you're having a child together, rather than talking about your outgoings and his outgoings you should have our outgoings. Tackle the situation as a team.

Also pay whatever you can up front.
I paid council rates, health insurance and any other insurance 12 months in advance in a lump sum to reduce bills while on leave.