Maternity Pay

[allthingssparkly]

Does anyone know what the criteria is for statutory maternity pay? & also if you become ill whilst pregnant and don't return to work, can you still qualify being unemployed?

Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP)
To qualify for SMP you must:
• earn on average at least £123 a week
• give the correct notice and proof you’re pregnantt_
• have worked for your employer continuouslyy_ for at least 26 weeks continuing into the ‘qualifying week’ - the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth
If you usually earn an average of £123 or more a week, and you only earned less in some weeks because you were paid but not working (‘on furlough’) under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, you may still be eligible.
You cannot get SMP if you go into police custody during your maternity pay period. It will not restart when you’re discharged.

You would need to meet the criteria, if you don't then you might be able to claim the Maternity Allowance.

You need to have been working for your employer for 26 weeks by the time you are 25 weeks pregnant and earn on average £123 per week.

Once you qualify for SMP you will get it even if you leave after that. If you are unwell would you not be signed off sick and still count as being employed?

I think the one I'll be applying for is Maternity Allowance, got mixed up with the two @wishinguponrainbows 😬 the criteria must be different from SMP.

You only get maternity allowance if you don't qualify for SMP. Can you disclose your circumstances and why you think its MA you need to claim?

How does Maternity Allowance work? x

SMP I won't qualify for as I won't have worked for my current employer for long enough.

Your employer would give you the SMP1 form to say you don't qualify for SMP and then you claim MA

www.gov.uk/maternity-allowance/how-to-claim

Ah ok, but if I leave my employment during pregnancy can you still qualify for MA?

You can get Maternity Allowance for 39 weeks if in the 66 weeks before your baby’s due, you’ve been:

• employed or registered as 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.

Thank you @dementedpixie it's a while off yet before I need to apply, but handy to know.

OP you can leave your employer and get maternity allowance (this is what I did as I had a temporary contract and didn't qualify for SMP). My employment ended January and I started my maternity allowance in the February. I was eligible because I had worked full time since 2013 but had moved jobs (before knowing I was pregnant). To receive maternity allowance you need to have worked between a certain time period and paid tax - all on the Government website to find out which time period you would be compared to based on due date - and then you submit an application with payslips proving income and taxes paid etc. Make sure you apply soon as it takes a long time to process it all.

I'm only nearly 10 weeks pregnant, I don't think I can apply for a while yet 🤔 @SproutsAtChristmas

I just want to get an understanding of what I maybe entitled to x

This is what it tells me on the gov.uk website so does that mean I need to have worked between the first day and last day of my test period to qualify? X

Yes, you need to have worked and earnt at least £30 a week, for 13 weeks, between those dates to qualify for maternity allowance.

Assuming you had a job earning more than £30 a week between 28th November 2021 and 4th March 2023 then you're fine. It could be many different jobs, as long as it adds up to 13 weeks minimum of work earning over £30 a week.

On your application form it asks you when you want maternity allowance to start. I applied early for mine as the processing of the paperwork can be slow, it doesn't mean the payments start now as you state when you want them to begin.

You need some evidence from the midwife I believe though so read the application documents and get them printed ready (assuming it hasn't moved to online applications).

Within the test period you need to have worked for 26 weeks and earned £30 in 13 of those weeks.

Thank you. I have requested for the form to be posted out so hopefully that arrives next week.