Oh my, have a made an awful mistake??

[sushistar]

DS is 4.5 months. I am on Maternity allowance (£112 per week, and dh works full time. We are really strapped for cash and my allowance stops in July, so when a previous emplpoyer offered me some web-based work from home, hourly paid, I said I could do 10 hrs per week. They're fine with me doing the work in evenings or at weekends, I just have to go inb for the odd meeting.

I planned to do an hour in the day, more if poss, and an hour in the evening when dh can have ds. Today is day 2 of this plan, and ds WILL NOT GO TO SLEEP... suddenly he's decided he doesn't need an afternoon nap ever again...

Was I stupid to even think of being able to do 10 hrs per week?

There you go- the timesheet has it!

You have got your child tax credit, haven't you?

Pinkyminky you're WONDERFUL. I am taking ds into the garden to enjoy the sunshine. I will tell work that childcacre arrangments have changed and I am now only able to do 5 hours per week, but this may increase in a month or 2. I will fill in my timesheet to show these 5 hours on one day, so I can work for 10 weeks without it affecting my MA. DOes that seem sensible?

I will talk to work next week tho, and just write this week off - just do what I can.

Yes, got CTC and child benefit. Bizarrely, my job is research on.... working parents!!

That sounds like a great plan. Let us know how you get on.x

i cant see how they would know. if you are invoicing in hours.

Can you just ask your employers to make sure your paysips make it clear you work hours rather than days?

Ok, so last night dh and i read the MA guidance carefully, ans decided it would really be a bit dodgy to falsify my timesheet to make it look like less days. We decided we'd rather have completly clear conciences. So I'm going to email work and tell them i cant work until my MA ends.

I'm glad you have sorted things out, I know it's difficult when money is tight, but I think it's a good idea to give yourself this time with your baby. x

I feel like this huge weight has been lifted. I'd far rather eat cheaper food and cut back, and feel relaxed at home. I know I'll HAVE to work when my MA runs out, but really I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. And work have been really understanding, and my boss told me to email as soon as I was available so he could bear me in mind if anything came up.

PHEW!

Thanks SO MUCH pinkyminky for talking me through all this, it helped so much. You've done a good thing, helping someone you've never even met! Thank you!!

What a lovely thing to say!