Maternity Allowance

[whathappensnext]

I am wanting to become a childminder, I have booked onto a course which starts in June then there's the obvious Ofsted inspections etc which need to be carried out in my home. Basically, I was planning on beginning childminding around Sept.

I have 2 weeks left to work at my current job and ds has 2 weeks left at nursery.

My problem is AF is 2 weeks late and I have extremely sore and itchy breasts. I haven't yet taken a test as, to be honest, I'm slightly terrified about the outcome. I may be jumping the gun and I know I need to test but when I suggested to dh about possibly being pg he got very anxious, mainly due to the fact we are in debt up to our eyeballs and we are desperately relying on me bringing in an extra income (I left my previous job as it was just covering childcare costs)

So, I know I am not entitled to Stat mat pay but would I be entitled to the allowance? Do I need to actually be childminding a child to be entitled to it or will it be ok if I am just registered, and given that I might not register until Sept would I be registered long enough? Does any of that make sense.

God, I feel sick that we might end up falling further into debt just when there was looking like there was light at the end of the tunnel.

whathappensnext see here rules for MA. If you have been employed for 26 weeks during the 66 weeks before your baby is due, you are eligible, so you should be fine, as long as you have been employed the last 6 months and are pregnant now.

To claim it on a self-employed basis you need to be paying NI contributions as it says on the link - being registered for childminding will not be relevant.

But if you are pregnant now and have been continuously employed for 26 weeks, you will be entitled on that basis.

I hope that makes sense?

God flowery - 66 weeks? That's a long pregnancy

obv you are not likely to be pg for that whole time....

you'll almost def get it as long as you've paid some NI in last five years.

So, if I am pregnant now and have been employed part-time for 16mths, will be out of work for 3mths whilst I get set-up as a childminder, then hopefully working for the 4/5mths whilst pg as a childminder will I be ok? (Bearing in mind I normally look extremely pg early on so would anyone take me on as a childminder knowing I will have to take leave for a short while)

Whathappensnext they look at the period of 66 weeks before your baby is due, and as long as you were employed for 26 of them, you're ok.

So you have the 40 weeks of your pregnancy plus the 26 weeks before you were pregnant, that makes 66 weeks. As long as you were employed for 26 of those weeks, you're ok, so in your case if you are pregnant now but not anticipating working during your pregnancy, you would still get MA as you've already clocked up 26 weeks of employment during the 66 week period.

Thanks everyone, that makes sense to me now. Well fingers crossed either way then I guess?

I'm a teacher in an independent school in North London. I have been told that our schools maternity allowance is 26 weeks - 6 weeks 90% then basic SMP for the remaining 20 weeks. This is a lot less than maintained sector and I have been finding that it's also a lot less than other independent schools. Are any of you out there teachers in the Indep sector? Could you let me know what maternity pay your school is providing so I can go to the Head with some comparisons. Many, many, many thanks!!!!

Jules - you should start a separate thread. Maternity allowance is the state benefit given to self-employed people, so has nothing to do with your situation.