What benefits can you claim whilst on mat leave?

[SunnySide1992]

Hey everyone so i work full time but will inly get mat pay from the goverment as i dont qualify for smp! DH works full time aswell. Are there any benefits we can get to help, seeming as mat pay is so awful? UK by the way =)

You might qualify for universal credit depending on your OH's income. It's always worth doing a calculation.

SMP is not a lot. The way to manage is to plan ahead. Try to ensure you are in the best position financially to have a baby and save up if you need to so that you have money to pay the bills while you are on mat leave.

@Screamingcowboy99 you can't assume all pregnancies are planned..

I know it's a joke. I'll be going from £40k a year down to SMP which is £7k a year. It should definitely go off what you earn, as with all due respect I will be picking up the same SMP as people earning a quarter of what I do. It's not as though we pay the same tax and NI contributions is it. Then you have idiots on here saying well you chose to have a baby

@mummyh2016

I know it's a joke. I'll be going from £40k a year down to SMP which is £7k a year. It should definitely go off what you earn, as with all due respect I will be picking up the same SMP as people earning a quarter of what I do. It's not as though we pay the same tax and NI contributions is it. Then you have idiots on here saying well you chose to have a baby

By the same token, I wouldn't want to be paying for everyone to have their full earnings while on mat leave. There has to be some kind of cap. Some employers offer decent mat leave pay so you could look for one of those if planning a family and then otherwise it's just down to saving and planning.

SMP is low. I just don't know how you deal with it so that it's fair.

I made a suggestion on here a few years ago that Maternity Pay should be 6months at National Minimum Wage per hour that you are contracted to work, with employer contributions/pay after 6m also possible.

Apparently that was a ridiculous suggestion.

My argument is that if govt think the NMW is the national minimum then this is the minimum they should pay for mat leave.

@ElderMillennial but those that earn more pay more in taxes. It's not as though I'm expecting something for nothing. And I'm not expecting a £40k pay whilst I'm on maternity leave from the government but £140 a week is an insult. I've already been in this position once before and there is a larger age gap between DD and my next baby due to the fact I've had to save my arse off to pay for my maternity leave. Whereas if I only worked 1 day a week I would be picking up the same just makes no sense whatsoever.

Thankyou for all you responses =) im ignoring the shouldn't of had a baby if you cant afford it comments, this is harsh as no one knows each individuals story. But thanks replying everyone =) some useful tips that i will use! I moved job but didnt like my new one (only lasted 1 month it was awful, got bullied aswell!) And then went back to my old job! If only i didnt leave i would get smp haha never mind! Im sure it will all work out =) xx

@mummyh2016 You have far greater opportunity to save than someone on a low income. Why do you think you deserve more than a low earner, don't all children deserve the same opportunities, do their children cost less than yours?

@mummyh2016 I get that but the money needs to come from somewhere and then there's the question of what an appropriate amount would be

You will get universal credit if your partner earns less than 19k

but those that earn more pay more in taxes. It's not as though I'm expecting something for nothing. And I'm not expecting a £40k pay whilst I'm on maternity leave from the government but £140 a week is an insult. I've already been in this position once before and there is a larger age gap between DD and my next baby due to the fact I've had to save my arse off to pay for my maternity leave. Whereas if I only worked 1 day a week I would be picking up the same just makes no sense whatsoever.

Plus those who earn more won't be able to claim for child benefit, government help with childcare costs or the 30 free hours of childcare

@Orf1abc Not only will I have to save around £10k to cover our bills when I'm on maternity leave I will then be paying out £1k a month in childcare. So yes my children will likely cost me more as me and DH work long hours. £40k sounds like a lot. It's really not, we don't live an extravagant lifestyle. My DH is a low earner. It's my wages that run our house and pay the bills. When I'm on maternity leave we will turn into a low income household. But we won't get any help even though our combined income will probably be classed as one of the lowest in the area we live.

[quote ElderMillennial]@mummyh2016 I get that but the money needs to come from somewhere and then there's the question of what an appropriate amount would be[/quote]
I think it should go off a %. Like I say I'm not saying the government should match my current wages. But at the moment it is less than 20%. It's wrong. Or maybe they could offer some sort of tax/ni reduction once you've gone past 20 weeks or something. I don't know but I think something needs to change.

@justchecking1

but those that earn more pay more in taxes. It's not as though I'm expecting something for nothing. And I'm not expecting a £40k pay whilst I'm on maternity leave from the government but £140 a week is an insult. I've already been in this position once before and there is a larger age gap between DD and my next baby due to the fact I've had to save my arse off to pay for my maternity leave. Whereas if I only worked 1 day a week I would be picking up the same just makes no sense whatsoever.

Plus those who earn more won't be able to claim for child benefit, government help with childcare costs or the 30 free hours of childcare

There is a minimum earning threshold for tax free childcare and for 15 of the 30 free hours so it's one of the few situations where earning relatively well is beneficial. I'm being made redundant just before mat leave so only getting SMP (losing my contractual additional pay, curses!) but the difference that 6 weeks at 90% when you get SMP makes vs only getting MA is quite substantial so you have my sympathies OP. You just have to save what you can before, struggle during, and hope that you can get round your childcare to get back to a new financial normal when you return to work. It's hard!

I managed to claim JSA which surprised me. Obviously it isn’t a lot but has been really helpful.

@Babymeanswashing

I managed to claim JSA which surprised me. Obviously it isn’t a lot but has been really helpful.

Were you employed and on Mat Leave?

The minute I knew I was pregnant I saved to cover all of my direct debits and regular payments then my maternity leave was for spends. I also managed to save to cover my half of the bills for the whole of my maternity. DP covered all food/baby stuff/clothes etc.

I left my job in November. Made the claim in June.

Place marking as watching with interest.

mummyh2016

So it is ok for "other" people to have to survive on the absolute minimum but not for you? For you it is an "insult" ? Because you think you're better than them?

If you've decided to structure your life in a way where you have high outgoings then why do you think the government should finance that during maternity leave? Or are you happy for them to start doing the same for disabled people so they can live in nicer homes and have nice things like you? The percentage of smp compared to your normal salary is just a reflection of how well paid you are, it doesn't demonstrate there is anything "wrong".

Why do you think you should pay less tax whilst still receiving a high income? Tax isn't a "pay per use" system. You're not a better person for earning more.

It is the nature of any successful society that different people contribute different things at different levels and some have greater needs than others. Humans thrive when we embrace that and pull together. We suffer and decline when we pursue individualism and start trying to grab as much as we can at the expense of our community.

I think it's a bit shocking to say you feel "insulted" you're getting what you consider to be the same shit treatment you're happy for others to receive.

I can see the argument that it should be linked to earnings because (a) it means less of a drop in earnings and (b) those on higher pay will have contributed more in tax. Then again there would always be a cap and what if someone earns £200k? Would they get more still?

I do just think there's a bit of an entitlement to help and mat pay when really we just have to plan for our families.

Then again I am fortunate that I can afford to save when I'm working and my employer pays some enhanced maternity pay.

Yes it's crap - I earn £55k + so impossible to survive on £150 per week

It should be means tested for longer as % of salary like the first 6 weeks are. If you told a man he has drop his salary to £150 per week the SMP level Would have been raised years ago 🤣

You'll just have to do what I did which is go back to work - no one forces you to take a year off 🤷‍♀️ I had twins and went back at 20 weeks once my enhanced pay (which wasn't much of an enhancement!) ended

Nothing unfortunately. I hated being on mat leave, I'm not doing it this time around. DH will take mat leave, I will work as I earn more and we've saved up enough that the savings will act as his regular wages.

It's such a poor system.