Maternity Allowance

[Indigogirl88]

Hi all

Just wondered if anyone has been in a similar position to me...

I apparently need to claim maternity allowance as I haven't been in this job since 4th January I have however been in full time work non stop for 15 years. So basically I haven't been in this full time job for 26 weeks to be able to get smp. I thought that just meant I had to claim it via maternity allowance?

Having used the calculator it doesn't say I'm entitled to it?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

yes you can claim Maternity Allowance as long as you have been employed for 26 weeks out of the 66 weeks before your due date and earned over £30 per week.

For Statutory Maternity Pay you need to be employed for 26 weeks by the time you are 25 weeks pregnant so the criteria is slightly different. Which calculator are you using? They are different benefits claimed in different ways

your employer needs to give you the SMP1 firm to say you arent entitled to SMP and then you claim MA

www.gov.uk/maternity-allowance

You have a long time, 66 weeks, to make the criteria which is quite low - you only have to earn £30 a week for 26 out of those 66.

For what it's worth, I distinctly remember the government maternity allowance calculator telling me I wouldn't be eligible but I definitely was. I had to apply with my now 4 month old because I had started a new job just as I found out I was pregnant so didn't qualify for SMP.

You only need to earn £30 in 13 of the 26 weeks out if the 66 weeks before your due date. How many weeks pregnant will you be when you have reached 26 weeks in your job?

It's really easy to do and they let me know pretty quickly too (this was a few weeks ago).

Just be prepared that you won't get the 90% of your usual salary to begin with, as you do with SMP - it's just the standard rate for 39 weeks.

From what you've said I can't think of any reason why you wouldn't be entitled?

@Indigogirl88 I just looked at the calculator for myself and I think the problem is that it doesn't combine 2 or more jobs if that's how your 26 weeks is made up? It's my understanding that the 26 weeks can be from more than one job, for example mine is 13 weeks of employment and 13 weeks self employment but the calculator doesn't allow this...

Oh you've all been so helpful, so I'll be 30 weeks pregnant once I've worked 26 weeks in this job, I've just read I need the SMP1 form so I'll ask HR for that

@Chichz what week pregnant did you apply for it? I've requested the forms, I'm only 25 weeks though so I know I have time and I wouldn't need the payments to start until due date in October

I would apply as soon as you are able as MA takes at least 30 working days to process

@Indigogirl88 I sent mine off literally the first day I could - the beginning of the week that you're 26 weeks pregnant! Mainly because things like that are keeping me sane at the moment...

This was a few weeks ago now and I'd heard things were taking longer too, so that's why I wanted to reassure you about how quick it all was! Got a text from DWP after 2 days saying it had been received; documents returned within a week; then confirmation of payment the week after that, I think.

It's definitely a weight off your mind to know how much you'll be getting for certain, so I'd do it once you've got all the info ready. X

I posted my application for SMA on 14 May and received a reply dated 22 May, though they did say to allow 6–8 weeks for a response.

I'm in a slightly different boat though, as I applied because I'm self-employed.

Thanks for all your help! So I've asked for Smp1 from my employer and I've requested a paper copy of the form as I havent got a printer at the moment hehe. I agree, I'll definitely feel more relieved when it's all sent off and agreed

Jumping on this thread with a question I wonder if anyone can help me with? I'm going to be applying for maternity allowance however my situation is a little complicated as I was made redundant at the end of last year, I started self-employment at the start of February however I've been on Job seekers allowance since the start of April due to lack of work due to the virus.

So I've got 13 weeks employment towards the 26 weeks whereby my income was good and exceeds the stated threshold.

10 weeks self employment whereby I've paid class 2 national insurance.

And now I'm on job seekers due to lack of work however I'm still registered as self employed and hoping work will pick-up. If I continue to pay class 2 national insurance does it matter if I've had a few months on job seekers allowance due to Covid??

Eeek @Clemmie83, I'm struggling to get my pregnant brain around that one!

On the website which people linked earlier, there is a document which shows you all the dates you will need when filling in the form. You go off your due date, and it will show you your 'test period'. Then you can work out what you were doing at that time.

Even if you didn't earn enough or pay enough NI contributions in that time as self-employed, you have the option to pay them now - it should still work out better to get the MA.

FYI, my test period was May-August last year and I'm due this August. Not sure if it always works out the same!

Hope that helps a bit, or bumps for someone who can offer more insight!

@Chichz Thanks for coming back to me, the weeks I've mentioned are all within my test period if that helps?

@Clemmie83 I think the test period is 13 weeks isn't it? So in that case, you should have more than enough.

@Chichz Now I'm really confused...I thought it was 66 weeks and you needed to have worked 26 weeks out of that?

I think that's the theory but the chart will tell you which specific weeks you need to give details about and evidence for. It's a 13 week period somewhere within the 66 weeks prior to your due date.

For example, I was employed during those 13 weeks in my old job so I sent them payslips. I had to give details of my other employment within the 66 weeks, which for me has been a mixture of self-employment and agency work, but the 13 weeks was sufficient for them to see I'd paid enough. I guess they also will have calculated that I paid enough NI for a further 13 weeks? But no evidence was needed.

Have a good look at the chart for your specific dates! X

you need to have worked 26 weeks out of 66 weeks before the due date but have earned over £30 in 13 of those 26 weeks.

From .gov :

In the 66 weeks before your baby’s due, you must also have been:

• employed or self-employed for at least 26 weeks
• earning (or classed as earning) £30 a week or more in at least 13 weeks - the weeks do not have to be together

You may still qualify if you’ve recently stopped working. It does not matter if you had different jobs or periods of unemployment.

Thanks @dementedpixie. That's much clearer than I could say! I don't have all the stuff to hand but just remembered that it was only 13 weeks I needed evidence for.

Still not sure if OP will have worked 26 weeks out of the 66 previous to due date from the info but fingers crossed! X

Thanks, that makes sense, so you can pick which 13 weeks you give evidence for so I'll use my 13 weeks employed.

My remaining 13 weeks will be self-employed however my question is whether being on job seekers allowance for part of this due to Covid and lack of work will affect my application? I'm still registered as self-employed, there just isn't the work available at the moment...I'm happy to still pay my class 2 national insurance contributions.

The chart will tell you which 13 weeks you need to use.

And I think the fact that you've been self-employed for a further 13 should cover it but if not, they'll give you the chance to pay extra NI.

I'd get the form off asap once you're able, so you know for sure! Good luck and apologies for any extra confusion haha. X

@williams3001 I'm self-employed too, can I ask what you need to provide when applying? Thanks 🙂