Sure Start Maternity Grant

[britbo]

Hey all,

I've been furloughed since April for 80% of my part time pay which means I'm making roughly around £500 a month. My partner has had to work over time so we can make rent, bills, car payments along with TRYING to save for our first baby due in 7 weeks.

I applied for universal credit straight away, didn't get anything for the month of April as they took into consideration my March pay and my partners wage. Then I got £20 in May which was baffling but again, understandable as my partner is working over time so I'm not entitled to as much. At least it was something.

I applied for the Sure Start Maternity Grant about a week ago as my midwife told me I'm entitled to it as I'm in receipt of UC and because it's my first baby. We're planning to use that towards buying the travel system which will help us massively.

I called up the helpline and asked if the amount of UC I receive affects wether I'll get the grant or not and the man on the phone said that as long as I'm in receipt of UC, regardless the amount, I should be accepted but he didn't seem so certain.

After reading up online, it said that the maternity grant decision will be made upon the next UC payment. I've just bloody checked and I'm getting £0 for June so now worrying that they Sure Start peeps will see that and decline my application. Obviously hoping that it'll show that I received UC in May but yeah, just wondering if something similar has happened to anyone before.

Any advice would be great!

Thanks ❤️

Hi, I'm no expert but I'm claiming UC since corona virus as I'm self employed.
From what I can tell the fact you have been accepted for UC means you are eligible for the grant, it's not based on the UC amount.
Fingers crossed we both get the sure start grant, I'm desperate for some help towards the things i need

That’s weird, I received it very recently and I was sure it went through a separate department. They wrote to me to say I would receive it and it was in my bank three days later. I only got it a couple of weeks ago so not sure if it would change procedure so soon? I also receive UC.

@birdy1991 can I please ask how long it took from you sending the form to them acknowledging that you would receive it?
I sent mine 10 days ago and heard nothing yet.

About two weeks. 😊

If you don't get it this time just keep reapplying. You usually need to get paid some UC 2 months in a row just because of the way the system is. But if SSMG looked at the screen and saw that you had £20 they may just pay it if they look and see £0 then they wont.

You can apply for up to 6 months after you have your baby so once the baby is born and added to your UC claim you may find that its easier to qualify as you are more likely to get UC.

Unfortunately for people who are on and off UC it's getting the timing right.

Also once you receive nothing they will close your universal credit claim. So you will have to re apply to that as well each time it closes. Right now thats suspended but I doubt thatll be for much longer. It really may not be worth it to keep re applying as you have to go in EVERY time, both ypu amd your partner, to except your commitments. You must be earning a fair amount to only have got twety pounds anyway. Trust me, you will not wanf to have to go in once a month, its a nightmare

Sorry my spelling is awful! On a different phone

To be honest your not really eligible if it keeps beong nothing other then a one off twenty pounds contribution. I know if you eafn 2500 or more you receive no universal credit. Thats their cut off point so thats obviously what you are earning combined even with furlough pay. Im sorry but that is alot more then most people who will be applying for the grant, its for low income and your income, although not ideal, is not low. Its unfair i know because your hardly rich! But take it from me once your claim gets closed whoxh it will probably the next time you earn too much again, i really wouldn't bother applying again unless you are 100 percent sure it wont cloae for at least 3 months.

That was riddled with mistakes, i give on on this phone!

@champoopapi the OP has said in her original post she is getting £500 a month on furlough which is 80% of her usual monthly pay, so can't see that she is earning over £2500 per month.

When does your SMP kick in, you are probably on the cusp, UC depends on assessment periods and weekly pay can affect it too.

@ChampooPapi they've suspended that as April I got 0, May I got £20 and June I got 0. My UC account is still open so I'm guessing they're trying to make it easier for people so they don't have to keep reapplying during this time.

@Quietheart I'm a supply teacher so I won't get SMP. Will have to claim maternity allowance once the baby arrives. Just trying to long my furlough out atm so I can get maternity allowance for as long as possible if that makes sense.

@Thekindyoufindinasecondhand btw I sent my application out on Friday 12th of June, got a text Thursday just gone saying they'd received it and will let me know within the next 21 days if I'll get the grant or not. Good luck to you; hope we both get it. God knows we need it right now! We've barely saved anything because of Covid-19

If you’re not entitled to UC in the months before the baby is born, your max entitlement will increase as soon as you’re eligible for the child element after the birth. You can claim a SSMG up to 6 months after the baby is born if you can’t get it in the 11 weeks before the expected due date

If they say they will tell you in 21 days I reckon they are waiting to see what June's payment is and as it is £0 they will likely say no. Your application has to be timed to when the computer says you are entitled to UC. You should reapply the next time your UC says you will receive a payment.

@ChampooPapi
I know if you earn 2500 or more you receive no universal credit. Thats their cut off point so that's obviously what you are earning combined even with furlough pay.

The cut off is much less than £2500 for a couple without children, even with children if they have a mortgage.

@Quietheart yeah the cut off for a couple with no children is way less than £2500 because if it wasn't, we would be a lot more UC. I think you're right; if they look at June then they'll decline me but if they look at May, they'll give it to me. I'm just going to have to reapply once I get more UC when I have the baby. Thanks for your advice!

@Quietheart well we are on universal credit and I earn nothing and my partner was told the cut off point is 2500 a month. So that's a fact. We have two children and we rent. If the op has a mortgage that's a totally different thing and different cut off point. But we are aloud to earn up to 2500 a month then the claim is closed. I know this as when my partner earnt 2,300, we got like a hundred pounds universal credit. But one month he wasn't 2500 and our claim was closed. I have been on it for 8 months so I do know what I'm talking about here. The op and her partner earn to much, that's just a fact of the matter

And if you have no dependants then the cut off point will very obviously be less. Especially if your mortgage is like 500 pounds, rather then the nearer a grand a month most renters are having to fork out

@britbo ye sof course they've suspended that because of covid and people not physically being able to go in. That is not going to last much longer though!

You really need to claim Maternity Allowance now; you can claim it in advance. And it takes a while to come through.
Have you discussed with your employer when furlough will end and maternity leave will begin?

@Thekindyoufindinasecondhand that's COMBINED earnings. She has said her partner is doing overtime so I bet you they are earning more then then that. Trust me, if they had a combined income of 500 pounds they wouldn't be declined. The cut off point for having 2 dependants and renting is 2500 pounds Combined earnings. That is a fact. For the op it'll be lower die to circumstances. They asses it on people's circumstances. It's actually quite a complicated system, and confusing, due to many cock ups obviously and people constantly getting their claims closed or suspended. If I was the op I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole for twenty quid, or for getting even the 500 pound grant if both myself and my partner were either working or furloughed. It's a lot of effort when they start closing that claim every month. For now probably worth another punt, but it really is designed for people like in our circumstances where one person earns nothing like myself, and my partners furlough pay is 700 pounds. That is what we are taking home each month as a family of 4. Unfortunately you kind of have to be super fucked rather then just a bit fucked to qualify

@AnotherEmma your so right, this is what the op should be applying for. Sack off the universal credit situation.

@ChampooPapi your cut off may be £2500 and you wrote that the OP was obviously earning that much. I just pointed out that was not necessarily the case, so while they may earn too much for UC it may be no where near £2500 as everyone’s circumstances are different.

"The cut off point for having 2 dependants and renting is 2500 pounds Combined earnings. That is a fact."

It really isn't a fact
Leave the benefits advice to people who know what they're talking about!
There are so many variables, and the most relevant one in this scenario is probably the housing element, which depends on whether you are a council/HA or private tenant, your bedroom entitlement and (for private tenants) where you live as the LHA varies by area.