Anybody claimed Maternity Allowance?

[Tranquilitybaby]

I'm self employed so should be entitled to Maternity Allowance rather than SMP. Does anyone know what the process is for claiming? Presuming I've got to have my accounts up to date to prove my earnings?

Thanks

I will be claiming it too. There is info here but I haven't looked into it much yet

www.gov.uk/maternity-allowance/overview

Would be interested to hear from anyone who has claimed partic re accounts up to date.

I'm claiming this time too - here is the claim form and here is what you need to provide:

"You can claim Maternity Allowance once you’ve been pregnant for 26 weeks. Payments can start 11 weeks before your baby is due.

You need to provide:

• proof of your income - eg, original payslips, Certificate of Small Earnings Exemption (if applicable)
• proof of the baby’s due date - eg a letter from the doctor or midwife, or your MATB1 certificate
• your SMP1 form - only if you were refused Statutory Maternity Pay by your employer"

I really must get on with mine! 31+3 today, and DS arrived at 31+5 (not that this one is going to do the same, I think). Need to get a MATB1 but I'm not due to see the MW again until 36 weeks...

I've just started receiving MA. I didn't need to provide any accounts, all I needed to say was that I was self employed and that I'd paid my NI. They only take into account your earnings if you're employed. I get the standard rate of £138 per week.

You'd have to be mad to provide a certificate of small earnings exemption, if you do that you're only entitled to about £30 per week or something. It's better just to pay the NI.

Thanks so much. I'm upto date with my NI contributions so should be ok. I think it depends how much you earn as to how much you get per week but I should get similar to you garglesis.

Do you choose when you want it to start or is only from baby's birth date? Thanks again.

No. If you're registered as s-e and paying NI voluntary contributions then you don't need to send any "proof" of anything with the form.
It was very easy.

You can choose to go on mat leave (and claim) before the birth but can't obviously do any work then. I was finishing jobs and invoicing right up to the last week so I waited as the MA amount is less than a days work for me.

You can also do your KIT days (ten) while claiming so when you're ready to work again make sure you do them before stopping your MA ((if you are going back before MA runs out automatically).

Oh and you get the full amount unless that is more than 90% of your average earnings for the week.

I'm going to be claiming Maternity Allowance.. is it for 38 weeks?

39 weeks

Brilliant, great advice as ever on here.

What is the full amount does anyone know please?

I don't have to claim, but I will warn you based on the nightmare a friend of mine had, that it may not be as straightforward as you think!

My confirmation came today, it's £139.58 per week for 40 weeks, you can choose to have it monthly or fortnightly.

Don't get me wrong it's better than nothing but another kick in the teeth for self employed people that they think £140 a week is a full time wage.

You don't need to show proof of earnings but need to have been paying NI for a certain amount of time, the forms are very straight forward to fill in, the only thing I didn't know was the date I started paying so I called the NI office and they had it on my records.

many thanks, I think that's what I should get too then. Much appreciated

Dogsmom do you know how long you have to have been paying NI for?

Dogsmom - that's why I made sure I did my ten KIT days. You can invoice for them so for me each was worth nearly two weeks of MA. So so worth it if you can.