Can I claim both SMP and MA?

[Clio197]

I am 21 weeks pregant and have been in my job for over a year. So I know I qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay.

But if I take on another job, in the evenings say... am I able to claim Maternity Alowance for that too?

Thus getting £224 per week?

Thanks

no

I don't think so. I'm pretty sure that MA is only payable to people who don't qualify for SMP

Ok, so if I took on another job, both of them will pay be £56 pounds a week.

Either/or

You will get SMP from first job
the second job won't give you anything

No you can't. If you qualify for SMP from two jobs that's fine, you can have two lots of SMP, but if you get SMP from one you can't claim MA for the other one, and if you don't get SMP from either you can only claim one lot of MA.

No, if you took on another job now you would not qualify for anything from it because you are already pregnant.

So the first job would pay you smp and the second would pay you nothing, but they would still have to allow you to take maternity leave and keep your job open for twelve months. Where are you going to find an employer who's prepared to take you on at 21 weeks?

Also, if you only start a new job at 21 weeks pregnant, you won't be in it long enough to qualify for SMP from that job anyway.

What else you need to know
The earliest SMP can start is from the 11th week before your baby's due and the latest from the day following the birth.

Even if you don't intend to return to work, you can still get Statutory Maternity Pay. You don't have to repay it if you decide to not return to work.

If you continue to work into the 11 weeks before the baby is due you can choose when you start getting your Statutory Maternity Pay. For babies due on or before 31 March 2007, SMP will usually start from the Sunday following the day you stopped work to have your baby. For babies due on or after 1 April 2007 SMP will start from any day you chose once you have stopped work to have your baby which means your SMP will start from the first day of your maternity leave.

If you have more than one job, you may be able to get Statutory Maternity Pay from each employer.

If your baby is due on or before 31 March 2007 your employer can't pay you Statutory Maternity Pay for any week you work for them after the start of your maternity leave.

If your baby is due on or after 1 April 2007 you may work for the employer paying you SMP for up to 10 days without losing SMP.

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all above copyed from direct.gov

Please note 4th paragraph

I think Clio is saying she gets SMP from her current job and she realises she wouldn't get SMP from a new job as she is already pg, so is wondering whether she can get MA instead...

Clio see here, directgov is referring to having 2 jobs where you qualify both times for SMP.

I see...

So unless you've been working and qualify for smp in two jobs you cant claim ma from a second employer.

Yes, but you have to have been employed for 26 weeks at the start of the fifteenth week before the baby is due to qualify for smp at all. They will simply exclude you on these grounds.

Yes you can get it from more than one employer but you have to work for each employer for a specified period of time, before you get pregnant, in order to qualify. Starting another job now would be no good, it's too late.

To qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay you must have been:

• employed by the same employer without a break for at least 26 weeks into the 15th week before the week your baby is due
• earning an average of at least £87 a week (before tax)

If you're entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay you won't be eligible for Maternity Allowance.

flowerytaleofnewyork understands the question.

thanks for all the replies guys.

we all understood the question