Getting peed off trying to sort out my maternity allowence!

[poochielove]

Ok i have a MATB1 form and a form my work have filled out stating why they cannot give me SMP. I have tried rining my local job centre for help as it says on my form that i need a maternity allowence claim pack. They said they have no idea what i am going on about. Anyway i got given this number 8456088610 typically its opened 9-5 pm...my working hours . Anyway i cleared it with my boss to keep trying to get through. 2 days later i STILL havent spoken to anyone and everytime i call it says all the lines are busy and hangs up on me! I really want to get this sorted (i am super organised) but no one seems to want to help, please girlies what do i do now???

 

[Huddsgirl]

I too am having a hellish time trying to sort my maternity allowance. i am waiting for my boss to fill out one of these SMP1 forms and i have been asking him for 3 weeks for one now. I am now 29 weeks and worried i am slowly running out of time.
QUESTION.................... how do they know when to start paying you from because no where in the form does it ask when you want to start maternity leave.????????????/

 

[maria1976]

I hated sorting mine out!! I waited 15 weeks to get mine

 

[elaine22]

Poochielove - when my work said I couldn't have SMP I just printed off the MA claim forms from the website rather than contact my job centre.

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/advisers/claimforms/ma1.pdf

It explains everything really well too and once I'd sent it off it was sorted very quickly (I was living in Leicester too at the time).

 

[elaine22]

Huddsgirl if you mean on the MA1 form - I noticed it asks when you want your MA paid from on the bottom of page 6 (part 5 I think?)

 

[poochielove]

Poochielove - when my work said I couldn't have SMP I just printed off the MA claim forms from the website rather than contact my job centre.

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/advisers/claimforms/ma1.pdf

It explains everything really well too and once I'd sent it off it was sorted very quickly (I was living in Leicester too at the time).

Oh my gosh..this is fab...thanks so much hun feel much better now, was stressing over it so badly!

 

[peanut1982]

The set up for Maternity Allowance seems to be a right shambles. I completed the online form and printed it out ready to post. At the end of the form it gives a telephone number to ring to find out where to send your form. I did this and after about 45 minutes on hold I finally spoke to a human who couldn't find details of the address I had to send it too. Just gave me a number which wasn't available!

Ended up phoning my local Job Centre who managed to find an address for me. I sent off all my forms in July, only for them to be returned mid August with a note saying I'd submitted them too early. (I'd signed it a day before the first day of the 14th week before my baby is due apparently ) So, I had to amend the date by one digit and post the whole thing back again.

A couple of weeks later I got a later saying they'd received my forms but there is a backlog for processing. I'd hoped to start Maternity leave at 36wks which is only a couple of weeks away now but not looking very hopeful that the forms are going to be processed on time Have tried ringing to check up on progress but it's impossible to get through to anyone so saving my phonebill until I'm really desperate if I haven't heard from them over the next couple of weeks.

Hope you have more joy with your application!

Sarah

 

[Huddsgirl]

great..................im gonna have no luck then. i started all my forms at 26 vweeks and my boss has held things up so now im 29 weeks . i doubt mine will get sorted out then. aaarrrrhgggghhh i cant live without that money, i earn about 525 a month so to go from that to nohbing is gonnna be a struggle. Damn stupid boss

 

[HideiLu]

Just a bit of light at the end of the tunnel for this backlog on MA girls...I had trouble too, and sent my form back stating i had finish work on 6th August that day. By 15th August the money was in my account - LO was born on 13th and didnt leave hospital til 17th so worked oujt just right