Planning on 14 months maternity leave with help from Universal Credit - am I missing something?

[Preggerzzzz]

First-time poster - and very soon to be first time mum - so please bear with…

I’m due to start maternity leave in May. My pregnancy wasn’t planned and I’ll be a single mum, although baby’s dad will be paying something each month as well.

Originally, I was concerned that I would have to resume work after 6 months as that’s when my occupational maternity pay will stop but, after countless calculations on benefit calculators, I’ve come to the conclusion that 14 months will be, dare I say, quite comfortably doable. I’m concerned that I must be missing something pretty crucial though as so many MN threads on this subject suggest that the loads of mums in similar situations have to rush back to work! I realise we all have very different circumstances but if anyone who has been in a similar situation could share their experience, I’d be extremely grateful.

Here’s a snapshot of what I’ve estimated my circumstances to be while on mat leave…

For context, my normal monthly bills (inc food) come to circa £1600pm. I rent my home.

First 6 months - UC £224.42, CB £91.65 = £316.07 + £1900 (full pay from work) = £2,216.07
6-9 months - UC £907.52, CB £91.65 = £999.17 + £658.53 (SMP only) = £1657.70
9-12 months - UC £1085.47, CB £91.65. CTS £76.18 = £1253.30 need £400pm to top up
Then 7 weeks full pay annual leave and accrued bank holidays

Thanks in advance!

@sittingonacornflake thanks so much for sharing your first hand experience of this! Like you, I’m banking on the last 3 months being the toughest and might just need to go back to work sooner, but it’s definitely reassuring to know that it’s a possibility. I really don’t want to come across as though I’m living in cloud cuckoo land when I mention how long I’m planning to be off for.

Also, on the savings note, I will only have around £2k when my leave actually starts so won’t have to worry about disclosing for UC purposes.

Go through the official channels to get the father’s contribution. It’s not a nice-to-have if he’s feeling flush. It’s his responsibility and, quite frankly, the least he can do.

Good luck!

I’d recommend this benefit calculator as easier to understand and less complicated than entitled to

policyinpractice.co.uk/software/

Also maintenance isn’t taken into account for UC

Use the CSM maintenance guidance calculator

@Preggerzzzz

Thanks again for the replies.

Tbh, it came as quite a shock to me to learn that I could claim anything during the first 6 months that I’ll be on full pay. I didn’t think that £1900pm would constitute a low income, but apparently once it’s me and baby I am entitled and, at my income level, the taper won’t deplete the UC award entirely. But, again, as per my original question, I may well be missing something!!

Thanks for all those that have, quite rightly, pointed out the cost of actually having a baby. I suppose for nappies etc I’d figured £400pm for food and groceries would cover this. How much do nappies cost per month?!

Also, I am very conscious of the energy price hike in April. In my workings out I’ve overestimated my monthly energy bills at £150pm (almost double what I currently pay) though I fully appreciate I may be dreaming thinking that these will be so low…

I will have to resume work after my maternity ends although my work have to allow me the opportunity to take any leave I have accrued during my absence prior to going back.

Oh, and I’m very much hopeful for a contribution from baby’s dad. He’s assured me there will be one but hasn’t committed to a figure so for now I’m erring on the side of caution and assuming I’ll be the one paying for absolutely everything.

Also, my outgoings sums are all very much based the essentials and not the nice-to-haves.

Don't pay for everything. He needs to pay maintenance.

I've no knowledge of UC etc to pass on but just wanted to observe- very few people get 6 months at full pay (and therefore 6 months extra to save, really) so when you're seeing people saying it's not possible on other posts it might be because they're on a more usual 6 weeks at 90% and then 50% or so until 6 months, so your context is quite different and I would say makes a longer break more feasible.

Just a couple of thoughts- I wanted things brand new for brand new baby but soon learned the joy of secondhand for stuff that gets so little use before it's outgrown, and have you left a little but in your budget for baby groups or similar? Stay and plays are about £2 a session but better once crawling or older aside from the benefits for you just getting out and about, baby classes are about £6 a session round here. If you don't end up wanting to go to any you've still got that money for a coffee and cake treat when you're out walking or whatever then 🙂

Go through the official channels to get the father’s contribution.

Agreed.

And tell him up front you are doing so.

With regards to baby stuff make sure as many people you know as possible know you are pregnant - so family, friends, colleagues, neighbours and random acquaintances.

Babies grow really fast during the first year and if you have anyone who can give you their used baby clothes grab them with both hands.

I had friends and neighbours giving my DD stuff. (They still do and she is 3.) In turn I passed as many of them on as possible including my pram.

IME budgets that are just about doable on paper are actually too tight when put into practice. A few weeks living on a low income and no clothes, haircuts, treats, socialising costs, is doable. But months in and it becomes draining and miserable.

What childcare arrangements are you planning on using when you return to work? You need to start putting feelers out sooner rather than later - my DD had to reserve her children’s nursery places before they were born! You may well be in a position whereby you realise when baby is 9 months old that you can’t afford to stay off work any longer, but not be able to get childcare sorted at short notice.
Have you set your budget for when you do return to work?
Finally, absolutely go through formal channels to sort out CM from the father.

I came back to this thread to put one thing you should budget for is shoes.

Unless you live in a place where you have to drive every where you will be doing a lot of walking with your baby simply to get out of the house.

@Preggerzzzz you're welcome. And it's well worth staying on UC even when you go back to work and if your pay increases because even if your award is tiny it means you're eligible to claim childcare costs which is an enormous help.

Def use that 7 weeks annual leave in one go to extend your maternity pay period. I did as like you my maternity leave fell in line with our annual leave.

As soon as I returned to work I had a full years entitlement again ready to be used on sickness from nursery.

@CornishTiger thank you for the benefit calculator link! Definitely more straight forward than some others I’ve used and, thankfully, my calculations are the same

@8dpwoah you make a really good point. I hadn’t accounted for quite how lucky I am to be getting 6 months full pay. Like you say, I’m being gifted an opportunity to continue to save unlike a lot of ladies out there. Definitely feeling grateful right now!

Also yes, as a few people have mentioned, this little bambino of mine will definitely be modelling hand me downs and charity shop finds for the first year or so! It’s a good thing we don’t give birth to label-loving teenagers!

@Soontobe60 I’ll be going back to work 3 days a week. I’m really fortunate that my mum will have baby one day a week, and then I’ll be paying for 2 full days at nursery. There’s a £300 deposit to pay and I have to pay a month in advance so the money I have in the bank before baby comes (around £2000) is very much to be left untouched until that time!

@RedWingBoots great shout!! Thank you. I expect I will be doing a LOT of walking!!

Oh and, regarding child maintenance. Thanks to those who have made suggestions. Me and baby’s dad are on fairly good terms. We met last weekend and he assured me he’d pay everything above board but would rather pay me directly than go through CMS as - apparently - they take a % cut when they do it that way? All brand new to me so I have no idea how true this is. Any thoughts or tips are both welcomed and appreciated!

www.gov.uk/making-child-maintenance-arrangement

They do deduct a % from gross earnings. If you do not go down this route get the agreement on writing in case it goes sour, he loses interest or has further children.

Have you agreed about registering the birth and surnames?

You can get CMS to do the calculation but have it paid direct to you and then there is no fee, other than £20 to open the case. It would be based on what he earned. Worth doing as if it turns sour you already have a case open and can request they get the money for you, at which point they would take a fee.

OP the CMS only deduct from earnings if you do collect and pay.

You can get the CMS to assess how much he should pay, and then he pays you directly through your bank account as he needs to keep proof he's paid you if you contest it.

If he doesn't pay then you can go to the CMS to go after him. (Though they are useless in most cases.)

If he is self-employed so not PAYE then it is better to have a private agreement, but if he's an employee so PAYE then you want to have a record in case you need to chase him. This is why you are advised to use the CMS.

Sounds like you have been doing some serious thinking and planning.

Have a look at universal credit essentials. It guides you through a manual calculation. It's far more accurate than entitled to or turn2us.

I wouldnt necessarily go straight to setting up a case for child maintenance. If you are on good terms with the father try and keep it that way and make an agreement together. Sit down and talk it through. You can use their online calculator to give you both a guide.

Enjoy your maternity leave!