I have been waiting for 6 weeks now for my maternity allowance to be sorted out, 6 weeks without pay! It has now been sorted out and I have been told I will receive my first payment within 10 working days. How long did it take for you to get maternity allowance sorted out and how long did it take you to receive your first payment after receiving that text? Luckily it will all be backdated to the date I started my maternity leave.