Statutory Mat Pay

[BabyMo]

Hi,

I am due in November & really panicking about how little money i will receive on Stat Mat Leave. I work full time & live wage to wage as it is! By the time we pay rent etc there's not a lot left over. We are fortunate enough that we've never really worried about money but with the way things are atm & how little Stat pay is, I'm starting to freak out.

I've had friends & family tell me that I should claim benefits, pretend I'm a single parent etc to get help. I feel really uneasy about this. Can anyone offer advice o what help I can maybe receive? I've tried the benefits calculator but because baby isn't here yet it makes no difference.

I have been lucky enough to be in work since I was 16, so I've no idea how the benefits system works.

Thanks!

Please don't claim benefits by pretending you're a single parent. It is illegal and immoral.

SMP is very low. The only options open to most is to save before the baby arrives or to go back to work fairly swiftly.

Unless your partner is a low earner then nothing. I've had to save up before having both of our children so I could top up my wage whilst on maternity leave.
You get child benefit at £87.20 every 4 weeks and that's it.

Options to most people who only get SMP is to save before baby is born, or take a shorter maternity leave. Have you looked into the cost of childcare for afterwards? You say you live wage to wage but then say you've never had to worry about money...

It really doesn’t seem fair. I get occupational as well as statutory maternity pay but to make up the shortfall between what I would have been earning and what I’ll get whilst off work, we’ve had to save £11,000 over the past few months.

I’m going back to work when the baby is 9 months old because we can’t afford for me to be off any longer. I work in the public sector and get the grand total of 4 weeks full pay. I’ve got plenty of friends in the private sector who receive 6 months plus on full pay! The whole system is completely unfair so I totally understand how you’re feeling.

Does everyone get child benefit?

It's hard. The only way we managed the first time round was looking at everything we were spending and cutting down everything possible as soon as we found out I was pregnant. We dropped to one car, cancelled subscriptions, took out a sim only deal for phones, cut all luxuries and scrimped and saved as much as we possibly could.
Don't claim as a single parent, that's fraud and when they find out will get you in a lot of trouble.
Apply for uc once your pay has dropped its worth double checking incase you are entitled to anything.

@rickandmorts as long as no parent earns over £50k then yes - and between £50-60k you still get it but have to pay some back. As OP says she lives wage to wage I presume her or her partner don't earn over £50k each.

You may be eligible to some UC depending on what your partner earns

I had to save whilst pregnant to get enough to help whilst on maternity leave.
When your SMP goes down to the £151 a week you can put a claim in for universal credit as a couple, you might be lucky enough to get some help.
I applied thinking we wouldn't get anything but depending on what my partner earnt, some months we got £250 which was really helpful.
You can also claim child benefit which is around £85 every 4 weeks which helps aswell.

Definitely don't do a claim as a single person!!

Put in everything on the entitled to website as if baby was here, and then do another with what you will spend on childcare when you go back to work. There is not much available I am afraid but look at tax free childcare if you have not already.

Okay thank you, I'm due next month and we definitely don't earn over 50k! Will mention it to my midwife next week about how to claim.

@rickandmorts if it's your first child you just need to complete a CH2 form and send it off with the birth certificate. There used to be a copy in the bounty bag you're given in hospital or you can download it online. They backdate the money owed.