Cha
you maybe entitled to MA (maternity allowance)
found the following on the dwp website:
Maternity Allowance for women expecting babies up to and including 5 April 2003
What is it?
For pregnant women who cannot get Statutory Maternity Pay. MA is paid by the Department for Work and Pensions through the social security or Jobcentre Plus office.
Paid for up to 18 weeks (the Maternity Allowance Period) by order book cashable at a post office or payment direct into bank, building society or National Savings Bank account, or by giro.
Not taxable
Who is entitled?
A woman must have been:
Employed or self employed
Employed or self employed for at least 26 weeks out of the 66 week period running up to and including the week before the week baby is due (the Employment Test)
Earning on average £30 a week or more (the Earnings Test)
Not entitled to get Statutory Maternity Pay from her employer if she has one.
What are the detailed qualifying conditions?
Employment Test
The woman must have been employed or self employed for at least 26 weeks in her test period (the 66 weeks before the week baby is due). The 26 weeks do not have to be in a row and employment for part of a week will count as one week to help satisfy this test.
Earnings test
On average the woman must earn £30 a week or more.
Her average weekly earnings are worked out either:
If her gross earnings from one job in any week are at least equal to the lower earnings limit (LEL) current at the end of that week, and this applies for 13 weeks in her test period, she will be entitled to standard rate MA. These weeks can be any separate weeks and she can choose which weeks to use, or
If the above does not apply, then her earnings can be averaged over any 13 weeks in a row during the test period. She can choose the 13 weeks in a row when she was paid her highest earnings. If she has more than one job or is also self-employed, her earnings from each job and the earnings she is treated as having from self-employment will be added together and divided by 13 to work out the average.
If the woman is self-employed and pays Class 2 contributions, she will be treated as having earnings equal to the lower earnings limit current at the end of the week covered by the Class 2 contribution. If she holds a small earnings exception certificate, she will be treated as earning £30 a week.
Lower earnings limit 6 April 1999 to 5 April 2000 = £66 a week
Lower earnings limit 6 April 2000 to 5 April 2001 = £67 a week
Lower earnings limit 6 April 2001 to 5 April 2002 = £72 a week
Lower earnings limit 6 April 2002 to 5 April 2003 = £75 a week
When does Maternity Allowance start?
If the woman is still working, she can choose when to start getting MA. The earliest she can start getting MA is from the 11th week before the week baby is due. The latest is from the week beginning with the Sunday after the date baby is born. Generally MA will start from the Sunday following the week in which the woman stops work.
If she stopped work before the 11th week (for example was unemployed and getting Jobseeker's Allowance), her MA will start at the 11th week before the week baby is due.
If baby is born early before the beginning of the 11th week before the week baby is due, or before the date the woman chose for her MA to start, MA will start from the Sunday after the date baby is born.
If the woman is off work sick for a pregnancy related reason in the 6 weeks before the week baby is due, then MA will start from the Sunday following the day she was off sick. If the woman is already off work sick for a pregnancy related reason when she reaches the point 6 weeks before the week baby due, her MA will start then.
Anything else to know?
MA cannot be paid for any week the woman works.
If the woman cannot get Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance, she may be able to get Incapacity Benefit.This may be paid for 6 weeks before the week baby due and for 14 days after baby born.
If the woman is married to a serviceman overseas and cannot get MA, she may get an ex-gratia payment equivalent to the MA she would have got in the UK. She can apply through her husband's pay office.
How to claim?
A woman should complete and return form MA1 to the social security or Jobcentre Plus office on or after the 14th week before the week baby is due. If she cannot get SMP from her employer, she should get form SMP1 from her employer which explains why she cannot get SMP, and send form SMP1 in as well. She should also send in, with her claim form, her maternity certificate which she gets from her doctor or midwife no earlier than 20 weeks before the baby is due.