Maternity Allowance

[soverign]

I am not entitled to smp as I am on a 12 hour contract at work. I was working up to 42 hours a week but that was classed as over time. I am currently recieving the maternity allowance which is 90% of my wages! This is only £250 a month and I am struggling as it is.

I know I recieve this for 6 months. I just don't know what I do for the last 6 months of the year. Does anyone know if there is something else I can claim?

I don't want to go back to work until my year is up! The £250 a month and the child benefit is all I have to buy baby food, nappies, baby clothes etc. I don't have a single penny left for me. I am just getting panicky now that I wont be able to feed and cloth my baby.

 

[Zodiac]

Ok - firstly the law has now changed - so your paid maternity allowance has gone up from 6 to 9 months.

There are several other things you can probably claim too.

Importantly is a Surestart grant. If you are paid under a certain amount per year (sorry can't remember what) you are entitled to claim a £500 lump sum which is yours to do with what you will & doesn't need to be paid back. BUT - it needs to be claimed before baby is 3months so put in for it asap!!!


There is also something which gives you a small amount to buy fresh vegetables from surestart - only about £5 a week - but not to be sniffed at.

Then there is Working tax credit/Child tax credit - the amount paid is worked out based on your earnings. As an example - my yearly gross this year (2008/9) will only be about £14000 and I'm getting nearly £90 a week Working tax credit

Then there is the Child benefit which is £18 per week.

You may also qualify for low income support too.

For more info maybe drop in on your Citizens Advice Bureau - they can tell you if you're entitled to anything else, and probably give you the web addresses/phone no's etc for doing it all.

Good luck hun.

 

[soverign]

Thankyou for your very informative reply. I will have a look!

 

[Lola's Mummy]

Have a look on here hun!

http://www.entitledto.co.uk/

 

[kalia]

You choose the 13 weeks out of the last 66 weeks that you want your MA to be based on. Can you get them to re-evaluate how much they pay you as whether the money is overtime or not doesn't matter. That way you would be getting almost twice as much each month as you would be entitled to the full amount.

 

[NIE]

I got paid MA for 9 months. x

 

[soverign]

You choose the 13 weeks out of the last 66 weeks that you want your MA to be based on. Can you get them to re-evaluate how much they pay you as whether the money is overtime or not doesn't matter. That way you would be getting almost twice as much each month as you would be entitled to the full amount.

When I sent in my claim form I put the months where I earnt the most and they have still given me just £250 for some reason. I assumed that they would consider the over time but it doesn't look like they did.