Just found out in pregnant!!

[Sm21]

Hello I went to doctors today and found out im 6 and a half weeks pregnant. Is there help for living I can get? I'm self employed so when I don't work I don't earn and when I'm on maternity leave I won't be paid. If any one can help will be great :)

Yes there is other criteria. Have a look at the directgov link I posted for full details.

of course, it does rather depend on what you do for a living.

I run a shop, and I had 4 weeks off (paying a member of staff to work those weeks), and went back with DD.
She's been in the shop with me ever since.
She spends most of the day in her little chair now (for the first 2 or 3 weeks she just slept all the time except when I needed to feed her and change her), and i entertain her gently (she's only 12½ weeks, so doesn't take much!) and she loves the customers. I feed her here at the desk (one reason why BFing is so good - I can just put her on the breast when she needs feeding without having to move! ), and i cna serve with one hand.
if you work like that, rather than with a client, then it's easy to take the baby with you.

i have reduced my shop opening hours though, and DH comes in every day at about 3 (he's a posite so when he finished work) to feed me and make me drinks etc. and do DD's nappies and burping.

You can work and have the baby with you, if you want to avoid losing money.

Oh no so when's best to get a form? After 1st scan? I need to live somewhere with my other half. I'm living in a rented house with friends and we wanna live together. I'm 21 and cause of both of our income I don't think we will get any help. But when I leave work on maternity leave he will be only one paying and it won't be possible :s

Aagh! Test period is any 13 weeks in the 66 weeks prior to birth. Not weeks 17-25. Sorry. Doing two things at once. Both badly

Cut and pasted from the link:

You might get Maternity Allowance if:
you're employed, but not eligible for Statutory Maternity Pay
you're registered self-employed and paying Class 2 National Insurance contributions (NICs), or hold a Small Earnings Exception certificate
you have very recently been employed or self-employed

You may be eligible if:
you've been employed and/or self-employed for at least 26 weeks in your 'test period' (66 weeks up to and including the week before the week your baby is due) - part weeks count as full weeks
you earned £30 a week averaged over any 13 weeks in your test period

oh, but i do advise taking it easy in the last few weeks of your pregnancy, mainly for health reasons (labour is easier on women who have had a few weeks of relaxing) - i had to work until two days before i went into labour, andthat was only because i was being threatened with induction and my friend came on the Friday to take over the shop. I had that afternoon and the next day rest and then a looooong labour.

You can claim MA when you reach the 14th week before the week in which your baby is due (the 27th week of pregnancy). Ask Jobcentre Plus for a MA Claim pack or you can download a MA claim pack in PDF format.

From here: www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/specialist-guides/technical-guidance/ni17a-a-guide-to-maternity/maternity-allowance-ma/how-to-claim-ma/

No need to worry about a form yet. You can get one once you've got past 21 weeks and got your MATB1 certificate from your midwife - you need this to claim. Send off your form when you get past 26 weeks.

You could ask your local council/housing association about housing and if you will be able to get any help. But they might not be interested in dealing with you until you are much further along as you are not a priority at the moment.

Perhaps if you need some face to face advice about the practicalities you should go to the Citizens advice bureau and ask someone to talk through it with you.

See my company is quite understanding and can have off whatever I want but downside is I won't be paid for it! I work in an open planned office and wouldn't be able to work with the baby like that. So chances are I will have to look into another job ??

Your company's "understanding" is not legal. But I thought you said you were self employed? I don't understand any more!

If you work for a company then they will have to pay you the legal minimum SMP. It's not optional for them, it's the law.

If you are self employed then you might get maternity allowance, assuming you meet the minimum earnings criteria and your NI contributions are up to date.

I work for a company but self employed within it. So have to pay all my taxes and stuff myself. If I don't work I don't get paid

You need to see your contract and find out exactly what your legal status is. Are they paying employers NI contributions for you at all?

If you are entirely self employed, and you have been paying the right NI, then you should be able to get the 39 weeks maternity allowance.

Sounds like you might be working for a company who has asked you to be self-employed, even though you're technically employed.

Do you have other clients? If not, you should be employed and your company is being negligent in not declaring this and paying employer NI contributions.

I'm in the same boat, by the way.