Entitled to maternity allowance or not?

[SurlyCue]

I am posting on behalf of a family member who has asked me to do so.

She is a student, and was working part-time until 31 weeks pregnant. She gave up work to concentrate on her exams and dissertations etc

She is confused about whether she is entitled to maternity allowance or not as what she has read says she will get whichever is the lesser of the £139 MA or 90% of her weekly wage which would be £59.65.

Can anyone clarify things a bit for her?

Well if she gave up her job then she technically has no wage so I imagine she would get full MA.

I thought it was based on a 13 week period of earnings. She can pick which weeks if she earned more some weeks than others. Has she put the claim in? She might as well claim and see what they say.

She claimed and was asked (just today by letter) to provide 4 payslips for her highest earning months within the year prior to her leaving work which of course she will do but when she spoke to an advisor she was told it would be the lesser of either 90% or £139. Is there a cut off point in the pregnancy at which she doesnt qualify for the MA if she was working?

There is a MA calculator which is quite simple to use www.gov.uk/pay-leave-for-parents

Oh that is very useful. Thank you loves

She will qualify if she has worked 26 out of the 66 weeks preceding expected week of confinement. How much she gets depends on how much she earnt - she can pick her 13 highest earning pay cheques to submit regardless of whether they were most recent or not.