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Original poster

Why won’t I get UC on maternity leave?

84 replies

MiaRosexo · 31/03/2025 18:04

Hey ladies,

Just wondering if anyone could help me with understanding universal credit whilst on maternity leave please and how people qualify? I know that sounds silly but I don’t know if I’m missing something.

I am the highest earner in my household and we will be trying for a baby soon - we are already putting money into a pot as we want to be financially prepared as possible. My partner earns £31k a year and I will only receive SMP. It doesn’t even cover my half of the bills, we own our own house too.

I’ve done the online calculators and we will be entitled to nothing - I’m hoping we will be fine if we can save enough so this is more a question of curiosity really, how little do partners have to earn to be able to claim UC? I’m sure I’ve seen on here and other forums that some partners earn really good wages yet they’ve still qualified for SMP? To me my partner’s wage is quite average, am I missing something here? I think I wrongly presumed we would also be entitled!

thank you :)

OP posts:
IVFmumoftwo · 01/04/2025 18:07

KnickerFolder · 01/04/2025 17:31

Personally, as a taxpayer, I don’t want my taxes to pay anyone’s mortgage, especially not landlords. I would rather my taxes went on social housing.

There already is support for people with mortgages on UC, it’s just that it is a loan that has to be paid back when the property is sold at some indeterminate time in the future or transferred to someone else eg by inheritance.

Why should homeowners be treated preferentially over those who can never afford to buy a home? You really think one group should get part of the cost of buying their own home paid if their income reduces but poorer people should only get their rent paid?

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Even if said homeowners lose their jobs and have very low incomes after they buy their house? This happened to my husband. We are as low income as renters. Why should we not get help? In fact many seem richer than we are.

KnickerFolder · 01/04/2025 18:54

Summedupnicely · 01/04/2025 17:46

@KnickerFolder You're making a big assumption there that poor people rent and well-off people have a mortgage. People rent for lots of reasons, one being they get it paid for by UC. Where's the incentive to buy particularly if they are in social housing which provides stability, unlike private sector.

People choose to rent so they can get UC? Really? If someone has an income low enough to qualify for UC they are unlikely to be able to save up for a deposit or get a mortgage. If they did save a deposit, they would no longer be eligible for UC.

KnickerFolder · 01/04/2025 19:03

IVFmumoftwo · 01/04/2025 18:07

Even if said homeowners lose their jobs and have very low incomes after they buy their house? This happened to my husband. We are as low income as renters. Why should we not get help? In fact many seem richer than we are.

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I’m sorry you are in that position, @IVFmumoftwo. Did you not have income protection to pay your mortgage when your DH lost his job or has it run out? There are options to help you keep your home while your DH looks for work, such as taking a mortgage holiday or moving to interest only. You might be eligible for the mortgage interest scheme I posted. It’s not really unfair that if you are eligible for the scheme that at some point in the future, possibly not even in your lifetime, that the loan gets paid back when the house is sold, or inherited is it?

SoftPillow · 01/04/2025 19:07

Because it isn’t the government’s job to prop you up. The ‘government’s’ money is actually our money, we pay for it. It should go only to those most in need, and even then it should help those who can work to eventually support themselves.

We should be proud to support ourselves and our families without relying on the state.

Save and adjust your outgoings as most people do.

8dayweek · 01/04/2025 20:58

UC rates as they’d be after April 2025 is a max. of £920.91 (Standard Allowance - Joint & Child Element). Work Allowance is £684…

So combined take-home Wage of roughly £2358 per month would result in no UC Award.

Your Partner’s Wage is about £2150 pcm, so SMP on top of about £811 pcm, takes you above the point where UC is nil.

You’d likely get a small amount of UC (£114ish) if you take full Mat Leave and those last 3 months are unpaid.

TheSmallAssassin · 01/04/2025 21:25

MiaRosexo · 01/04/2025 15:32

Has anyone taken shared parental leave and resented their partner for it? I don't know if that's mean of me and of course I will consider it if we absolutely have to, for financial reasons, but I can't help but feel like I'd be jealous of those who get the full maternity leave off because their partners earn enough for them to do so

I didn't do shared parental leave (don't think it was available at the time) but we both went part time to share the childcare when I went back to work. Having a partner who could confidently and competently look after our children on his own was so good, and I definitely wasn't jealous of other mums who were worried about going out early and leaving dads to do bathtime and bedtime on their own, let alone going away for the weekend or on a work trip.

Original poster
MiaRosexo · 01/04/2025 21:33

TheSmallAssassin · 01/04/2025 21:25

I didn't do shared parental leave (don't think it was available at the time) but we both went part time to share the childcare when I went back to work. Having a partner who could confidently and competently look after our children on his own was so good, and I definitely wasn't jealous of other mums who were worried about going out early and leaving dads to do bathtime and bedtime on their own, let alone going away for the weekend or on a work trip.

Edited
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Great perspective, love this!

OP posts:
AnotherEmma · 01/04/2025 22:00

MissScarletInTheBallroom · 01/04/2025 16:31

Perhaps try to let go of the idea that a "full maternity leave" is a year long. This is entirely cultural. The UK is somewhat unique in having both a cultural expectation that maternity leave should be a year long, and very poor maternity pay. Usually countries where long maternity leaves are normal have more government support for maternity and paternity leave, and countries where it is poorly paid don't have the expectation of a year off. This results in British women feeling they have to save up for a year off they can't actually afford because if you go back earlier it means you don't love your baby.

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THIS.
Actually, in employment law, "ordinary maternity leave" is up to 6 months, and anything between 6 and 12 months is "additional maternity leave".
Arguably, since SMP and Maternity Allowance are only paid for 9 months, I think that's the length we should "expect". Any unpaid leave beyond that is a bonus and a luxury not everyone can afford.

Unexpectedlysinglemum · 01/04/2025 22:56

Hi op you'll need to save up and also you can apply for 'the mortgage charter' to increase the length of your mortgage or change it to interest only for 6 months.. I did both of these to get me through maternity leave and paying the full on expensive nursery fees before childcare choices kicked in.

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