Maternity Allowance for final year PhD student

[AgBag]

I'm hoping to complete my PhD thesis before I give birth in October, however I might not actually graduate by then so might still be registered as a full time student. If its worth my while I could try and graduate before the birth. My research is funded by a charity. Does anyone know if I'm eligible for any kind of maternity allowance? My research funding has now finished (I've over run due to time off for hyperemesis - I don't get sick pay either!).
Any ideas anyone? Your advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

I don't know whether you can get Maternity Allowance unless you have been employed -albeit for a minimum few hours a week. I'm in my final year funded ttc and if baby is born after funding ends then I assume I won't get anything.
Might it be worth you doing a small part-time job one day a week just to get registered with hmrc so you can apply for Mat Allowance?
No idea about income support etc and whether this would be relevant to you. Will be keeping an eye on this thread in case anyone else knows any better!

I think it's down to whether you've paid NI contributions. MA is usually for self employed or employed on low earnings who don't otherwise qualify under SMP rules. Have a check on the gov website or I think you could prob ring the job centre/benefits office place and they'd tell you for sure.

To qualify for MA you need to have worked for 26 weeks if the 66 weeks before baby is due.
(got my forms on friday, its fresh in my head!)

If less than 14 weeks now you could fit it in.... you also need to earn more than £30 a week, and they ask for payslips to prove that you do.

You get 90% of your highest 13 weeks pay OR if higher £100 and something pounds per week.

I wouldn't bother with the job centre, they're so confused by students!!!

I'm in my 2nd year of my degree, just finished for summer. Would usually be working until end of sept when I start 3rd year but I can't since i'm due on august 3rd :D

They agreed that since I can't work i should be eligible for something, since I don't get increased loan until september, i'm setting up a home with my boyfriend can't live off my parents this summer and physically cannot afford rent without a job!

the only help available is surestart grant or maternity allowance. To get a grant you have to be on income support which doesn't include me since I 'technically' have income (although I think they should try paying a years rent with £3400 that I have to pay back anyway!! then buying baby stuff on top) and for maternity allowance you have to have been working!
boooo :(

I am also PhD, funding has finished and I am due in Dec - hope to hand in by then but will still be registered as a student as still have to do viva etc. I think we are eligible for nothing unfortunately, at least I can't find anything, as haven't 'worked' enough.

I'm 19 weeks now, so don't think theres time to start a part time job - plus I've got hyperemesis so wouldn't be able to work anyway. I did do a bit of consultancy last year, but didn't earn enough to be taxed or pay NI so didn't declare it. I've not paid any NI contributions for the last 3 years. So it looks like I'm not eligible for MA.

Perhaps I should apply for job seekers allowance once I give birth? But no one is going to employ me having just given birth, and I also don't want to have to pretend to be actively seeking employment when I want to be at home with the baby.

Its very confusing. I'd have thought there must be something I'm eligible to apply for ????!!!

Think you're in a similar situation as me :( if you'd officially 'finished' you could claim income support, but my loan is technically supposed to support me over the summer (I don't know how!!!) just like you're placement isn't officially over, so there isn't anything you can do :(

I'd make an appointment at the job centre, they were really helpful, just confused by my situation. They could see that I deserved help but there isn't anything actually aimed at students!

I went to the job centre and applied for income support (just to help me over the summer) anyway last week, I'll let you know if it gets granted!! I'm living with my boyfriend but if you're a single parent (?) you get help for certain!!!

I am hoping someone can find something too as am in exactly the same situation! Not ideal time to be having baby, financially, but I am 33 so it's not like I can wait around! The midwife has no clue as I asked. I looked in all the booklets I could find, but it seems we are just not eligible for anything at all. When we have the baby we won't get a thing. Not even unemployment benefit as far as I can tell - don't think we can sign on if still registered as a student (?)

I did some RA work last year and paid some NI but it finished last summer so I guess it won't count, and it was miniscule anyhow. I am guessing I will just have to be frugal and beg and borrow from my elder sister for baby stuff!

I'm not a single parent, I'm married and my husband earns so I don't think I'd be eligible for income support...? I don't think.... I guess if I manage to submit the thesis before I pop that I can claim job seekers allowance, but it seems madness that theres not something a recent graduate on maternity leave would be more suited to....

There must be some sort of student support / advice office at your university. Ask there - it's not just for undergraduates.

I am married too, hence I suspect the lack of support. If I was a single mum I guess there'd be more support (and rightly so, I suppose). But I still think we are eligible to apply for job seeker's allowance? Ugh. Suppose I should spend more time looking into it. Asking at uni might be a good idea. Will look into it. Where are you based AgBag?

Yeh - I've emailed them, so hopefully something useful will come back!

Thanks everyone for your tips so far!

I live in Banbury, but my uni is Cambridge, I have leave to work away at the moment as I'm just writing up...

I also am at Cambridge! I will be moving away as well come August/Sept to finish writing up. It looks we are in very similar situations.

Oh, well I've emailed the student support officer at the students union, I'll let you know if I get anything back! As you've paid some NI contributions from RA work, there is a chance that you might be eligible for maternity allowance... worth checking out.
You mentioned your funding has ended... mine also ended in April, I was hoping to have finished writing by then, but have spent the last 3 months in bed with Hyperemesis... I'm thinking about applying for extra funding, maybe from college or my funders. Are you not considering that? Its crap that as PhD students we don't get sick pay or any of these benefits. Unfair!

I have tried everything already and no luck - but that was before I was pregnant. Not sure if pregnancy counts as 'unexpected hardship'? The fact that I am married of course makes it more difficult. It's not like I'll end up on the street without help. But any help would obviously be an enormous help. Already eating up my entire savings writing up :( I have only normal morning sickness, it must be awful for you, you poor thing. I have been having a lot of bad headaches though and am totally exhausted from 2pm every day which makes it hard to get on as fast as I would like. I think the NI payments had to be in the 6 months prior so I don't think they count.

I've had a reply from the student union, copied below for other people's information. The final link is quite useful. Apparently Research Councils often pay a maternity allowance and other PhD sponsors sometimes do too.. worth checking out!

" Thanks for your email.

As I am not qualified to advise you directly in relation to whether or not you are eligible for maternity pay, I am providing you with some links which I hope you may find useful. The main website that provides information about maternity leave in the UK is DirectGov - www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Moneyandworkentitlements/WorkAndFamilies/Pregnancyandmaternityrights/DG_10039631.

Cambridge University's Childcare Office has some information on their website about maternity benefits - www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/childcare/student/finance.html#maternity

Also, AMOSSHE (the Student Services Organisation) has provided some guidance for students about maternity pay - www.ecu.ac.uk/publications/files/student-pregnancy-and...for.../file. Please see extract below.

Maternity leave and maternity pay

If a student is employed or has recently left employment, she may be entitled to statutory maternity pay, additional maternity pay or a maternity allowance. Further information can be found at www.direct.gov.uk.

Students who receive a stipend, NHS bursary or research council funding are often entitled to maternity leave and maternity pay from their sponsor. Students who are entitled to a stipend or grant will need to discuss with the appropriate HEI contact whether the HEI needs to inform the sponsor of their pregnancy, and should familiarise themselves with their sponsor?s maternity leave and pay policy.

Based on the paragraph above, it may be an idea to check with your funding body to see if you may possibly be eligible for maternity pay from them.

I hope this is helpful. "

Sounds tough as you're funding has ended but you're not working. Thankfully the timing of my PhD worked out, so I had largely written up (except for 10 pages) before DD had a few months paid leave, then finished and handed in.

Good luck with it all and if you need a break to BF in your viva then ask for it. I told my examiners that if ran past 2 hours I would need a break, which meant my viva was 2 hours

This time around not so lucky, I will be in between post-docs. Well was suppose to be on a post-doc but my boss is knob and doesn't like post docs having families.

Hey thanks for that Ag. Unfortunately once my AHRC funding is up I am not eligible for maternity leave. They do pay it, but only if your scholarship is still active, obviously. I missed out there!!

That message from the Student Support makes me really angry. You can't be the first PhD student to be in this situation. An undergrad that I was supervising was in a similar situation and the university was useless at advising/supporting her.

Yes the last link from ecu.ac.uk is an interesting read as it points out that most universities are rubbish when it comes to supporting pregnant students.

what is annoying me is that there is no information ANYWHERE about students in all the maternity benefits information. There are surely plenty of students who have children. Do none of them get any benefits? It is frustrating that it's so hard to find the information.

Ive just heard from the SU again with this;

"The Childcare Officer has just confirmed with me that they are able to advise on maternity allowance. You can make an appointment with them and they should be able to answer any questions you have in relation to this. Here is the link to their website - www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/childcare/"

I've called them and they are looking into it and will get back to me! So I think they are being quite helpful actually...

Great! I might make an appointment with them also but will wait until I've had my 12-week scan just to be sure! Can you let me know what they say? Thanks! Hope they are helpful!

I am in my final UG year, but wont graduate this summer due to illness over the last 4 months, so technically I will still be a student when I give birth in October.

I have been reading and re-reading the NHS book (the big purple 'Pregnancy book' they give you at the booking appointment) as far as I can see I am not entitlted to SMP (of course) nor MA (because its only for those employed but that had breaks/unemployment/swapped jobs during the pregnancy - you still have to have been employed in at least 26weeks of the last 66weeks before birth like with SMP) - however because I worked last year (sandwich placement year) I might be eligable for Employment and Support Allowance, which opens up housing benefit etc too. There seems to be no hardship funding (at my uni) for students that are pregnant, even though I am an 'independant' (I'm 30).

I think I'll be heading to Citizen's advice because they might have info on council allowances (like housing benefit etc) as well as job centre things. I can only think thank goodness I worked last year - when my partner found himself unemployed after his degree, even though he had worked 11 years in finance before taking the degree, he hadn't paid any NI contributions within the 2 years before being unemployed, leaving him not able to claim any benefits from the job centre... the council helped him out with rent and council tax for a few months until he found work, but that was all he was entitled to.

sorry my post was a bit of a hijack post! - I'm just annoyed students really get no official help when things like this happen - it should have its own explanative leaflet or something at least to explain for everyone!