Mat Pay/Allowance - Any advice please?

[18yearsoftrying]

Employer 1 - Significantly reduced my hours/pay by a massive 85% recently. Salary now less than £150 nett pcm. Also changed to fixed contract (from open ended/long term) which will see me no longer employed as of week 14 before EDD.

Employer 2 - Pays me just less than £400 nett pcm. Long term, employed for a few years.

HOWEVER - the income I also earn from my self-employment brings in an average of just over £800 pcm. I only started this at the start of this tax year.

EDD is mid Nov....do I absolutely HAVE to try & claim SMP through an employer or can I choose to claim the allowance (because it will be a higher amount)?

The accountant is not answering my calls

I think if you can get SMP, you have to have it as the MA form asks why you are not getting SMP and asks for proof that your employer won't be paying SMP.

www.gov.uk/calculate-your-maternity-pay

You can only get MA if you cannot get SMP. You have to include your SMP1 from your employer stating you do no qualify for SMP or your MA claim will be nulled.

Thanks for the answers - I did call the HMRC helpline but they weren't very helpful.

I appreciate your answers

I'm in a similar situation, I saw the CAB who were very helpful. If you're paying class 2 ni contributions through self employment you don't have to have been paying it for as long as through an employer, can't remember dates etc but I'd ask citizens advice for your situation. Good luck!

I rang HMRC themselves and - shock horror - they were actually incredibly helpful. So much so that they were "volunteering" advice on all possible avenues we can explore. I even remember the name of the gent I spoke to - Ewan ('cos I thought of the actor).
But not everyone is comfortable speaking to HMRC (I wasn't but the answers to my questions had to come from horses mouth directly, so to speak), in which case I'd side with those who've advised you speak to CAB.