Last 3 months of unpaid AML

[emza78]

Hi all,

I've decided to take the full year of maternity leave but we're really going to be struggling for cash for the final 3 unpaid months. Does anyone know if there's any benefits I can claim for these 3 months? ( Our tax credits were taken away this year due to earning just over the threshold last year but I wonder if they'd be reinstated if I had no money coming in?) Or would I be able to get a part time evening job even though I'm still officially employed by someone else? Would they even know about it if I did ( I guess they may get tax paperwork through?) Would they even mind? So confusing!

Thanks in advance

Emma

Hi - don't know anything about tax credits, but I can definitely tell you that whilst you can go and get another job, any kind of work will bring your AML to an end, and the tax man will most certainly be interested in all your income from whatever job(s) you have.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!

Does it matter if it ends though? I mean I'm not getting paid for it, although I am still accruing holiday I suppose.. as long as I can still go back after the 12 months maybe it's worth just doing a part time bar job or something until then..?

Well, it does matter because when it ends, your current employer will expect you to come back to your job! can you get a bar job now to save up some money to use in the last 3 months?

Starting work somewhere else will not automatically end your maternity leave with your current employer. If you were still receiving SMP your entitlement to that would end, but you remain entitled to take you 12 months mat leave.

Having said that your existing employer may well have rules about taking on additional employment so do check that first.

But I think if I got an extra job now that would end my MA (sorry forgot to mention I'm on that not SMP as wasn't at job long enough) If I wait till the last 3 months I'm not getting any money in anyway.. I just wonder if they'd find out about it thru tax people etc..

The percentage of income tax you'll have to pay on a second job will be huge in comparison to what you usually pay on you existing job (job 1), so I doubt it's worth it just for part time low paid work - unless you're going to do somethiing really, really well paid as your secondary job (national journalism, broadcasting) I think you'll not see any real financial benefit of the second job even if you have no childcare costs whilst doing it.