AAAARGH!!! Help me work out this SMP v Mat Allowance question PLEASE?

[Teuch]

I am employed by one company, work freelance for another and am a partner in family business.

My earnings from my employment are just over the threshold for Statutory Maternity Pay so I think I'm entitled to that but taking it from my employer would mean I get less than if I could apply for Maternity Allowance, as I would be able to include all of my earnings and get the full whack (and let's face it, it ain't that much difference but it all counts!!)

Can anybody help? Please?

My HR Manager is a fecking waste of space as I have been asking her the same question for 4 weeks now... sigh!

You can only get Mat Allowance if you're not entitled to SMP from any employer. It tells you here.

Nightmare that it means you get less though! Do you fit the criteria for SMP with your income on the other 2? Because you can claim SMP more than once as long as you fit the criteria in each job. I was amazed but that's what I did.

You won't get less with SMP than with MA Teuch. MA is only £106 (or thereabouts, prob gone up a few quid by now) a week, whereas with SMP you get the 90% for 6 weeks before dropping to this level.

Ah yes, but I am only actually employed a few hours a week which works out at £103 a week so I would only get 90% of that! whereas I think MA lets me claim 'full' amount (£117 a week) as I'm self-employed...

Not a huge amount but enough to make a difference!

My HR dept are useless but I think I have just worked out for sure that I don't qualify for SMP so I have 'helpfully' sent them this info and requested confirmation...fingers crossed!

If it helps you'd only get 90% of your pay if it's above the SMP rate, other than that you get the SMP amount for the entire length of ML so you should get the £118(or whatever it is) every week anyway

Oh really? THat would make sense but I wasn't aware that was a possibility. Do you have any links or anything as I haven't been able to find that info?

Thanks for the heads up!

i'll have a look tomorrow, no time atm

heres some info form HMRC

i often find that seeking advice from the employers pov seems to bring up more helpful answers IYSWIM.

I may have been wrong with my previous info and i am sorry if I was, i thought that was the case. I am vert tired atm, so cannot work out if the info on the link agrees or disagrees with me

heres some info form HMRC

i often find that seeking advice from the employers pov seems to bring up more helpful answers IYSWIM.

I may have been wrong with my previous info and i am sorry if I was, i thought that was the case. I am vert tired atm, so cannot work out if the info on the link agrees or disagrees with me

balls

If you qualify forc SMP, you qualify for SMP. You cannot choose not to take it in favour of MA. Your employer has no choice but to pay you SMP if you qualify, thus exckuding you from claiming MA.

for

excluding