|
This benefit is dealt with by Incapacity Benefits Branch
Maternity Allowance (MA) is a tax-free benefit payable to pregnant women who cannot get Statutory Maternity Pay from their employer, to the self-employed and women who have recently given up their jobs.
Maternity Allowance is paid for up to 39 weeks.
The earliest Maternity Allowance can start (unless baby is born earlier) is 11 weeks before the expected week of childbirth. Generally if a woman is working, she may choose when to stop work and start her Maternity Allowance.
- Maternity Allowance provides you with some money to help you take time off work for the birth of your baby.
- Paid to women who are not entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay.
- Maternity Allowance is not subject to tax and National Insurance.
Are you:
- Employed - employed or recently changed employer and you cannot get Statutory Maternity Pay.
or
- Self-employed - registered with HM Revenue & Customs and paying Class 2 National Insurance contributions or hold a Small Earnings Exception certificate.
- Employed or self employed for at least 26 weeks out of the 66 week period running up to and including the week before the week your baby is due (the Employment Test)
- Earning on average £30 a week or more (the Earnings Test)
If YES to any, claim Maternity Allowance.
To get Maternity Allowance you must have:
- been employed and/or self employed for at least 26 weeks in the 66 weeks up to and including the week before your baby is due. This 66 week period is known as the Test Period. Part weeks are counted as full weeks; and
- earned on average at least £30 or more a week in any 13 weeks in the Test Period. If you are registered self employed you will be treated as having an amount of earnings if you have paid Class 2 Contributions or a Small Earnings Exemption certificate.
Maternity Allowance is paid for a maximum continuous period of 39 weeks.
The earliest that Maternity Allowance can start is from the 11th week before the week your baby is due and the latest from the day following the birth.
Unemployed
If you are unemployed at the 11th week before the week your baby is due and you satisfy the conditions for payment, Maternity Allowance will start from this date. You cannot choose when to start getting your Maternity Allowance.
Maternity Allowance will usually start from the Sunday following the day you last worked.
Employed/self employed -
If you continue to be employed/self employed (you do not actually have to be at work, you may, for example, be off sick) after the 11th week before the week your baby is due, you can choose when to start getting your Maternity Allowance.
Maternity Allowance will start from any day after you have stopped work to have your baby. This means that your Maternity Allowance should start from the first days of your maternity leave.
Changes that will affect the start of Maternity Allowance
The start of your Maternity Allowance will be affected if:
- Your baby is born before that start of the 11th week or before the start of your Maternity Allowance pay period. If this happens Maternity Allowance will start from the day following the birth of your baby.
- You are off sick from work with a pregnancy related illness at the start of or in the 4 weeks before your baby is due, Maternity Allowance will start from the day folowing the first complete day you are off sick from work for that reason.
Claim as soon as you can after you have been pregnant for 26 weeks. If you claim more than 3 months after the date your Maternity Allowance is due to start you will lose money.
Claim on form MA1. If you are not entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay, your employer should give you form SMP1 which explains why. Please send this in with your claim form.
Contact Incapacity Benefits Branch or your local Social Security/Jobs & Benefits office for a claim form.
It is important that we can be sure of your identity when you make a claim. We may ask you about your background and look at any official documents you have to support the information you give. In particular you must also provide us with evidence of when your baby is due. This is normally on maternity certificate (form MATB1). The earliest that this certificate may be issued by your doctor or midwife is 20 weeks before the week in which your baby is due.
If you are registered self employed and hold a Small Earnings Exception certificate we will need to see this.
If you are self employed and paying Class 2 contributions, we will contact HM Revenue & Customs to confirm payment during the 66 week test period.
The weekly rate is based on your average weekly earnings.
MA is paid at standard rate or at a rate equal to 90% of your average gross weekly earnings. You will get whichever is the lower rate.
The standard rate is £123.06 from 6 April 2009.
Maternity Allowance can be paid either every 2 or 4 weeks into a bank account
National Insurance Credits are available for each week in your MA pay period.
If you have recently come from abroad or returned from abroad, there are some extra rules - see leaflet GL28 - Coming from abroad and State Benefits.
If you cannot get Statutory Maternity Pay or MA, you may be able to get Incapacity Benefit. If the normal conditions for payment are satisfied, benefit is paid for 6 weeks before the week your baby is due and 14 days after the baby is born. You may also claim for an adult dependent. Please contact Incapacity Benefits Branch for details.
Maternity Leave
If you are an employee you are entitled to 26 weeks Ordinary Maternity Leave followed by a further 26 weeks Additional Maternity Leave. For more information about Maternity Leave go to the Department for Employment and Learning  (DEL) website. Paternity Leave and Pay
If your partner is working for an employer they may be entitled to 2 weeks Statutory Paternity Leave and Pay.where conditions are satisfied. For more information about this go to the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) website. I am already getting it. What happens if:
I go into hospital or someone I claim for goes into hospital?
MA is not affected if you or someone you claim for goes into hospital.
I do some work for an employer or as a self employed person before the end of my Maternity Allowance period?
You will lose MA for the days you work.
You will be able to work for your employer or as a self employed person for up to 10 days without losing any Maternity Allowance. These days are called Keeping in Touch days (KIT). If you work more than 10 days you will lose Maternity Allowance for the days that you have worked. You must tell Incapacity Benefits Branch about any work you do.
I return to work for my employer or start work again before the end of my MA?
Your Maternity Allowance will stop. You must tell Incapacity Benefits Branch when you return to work or start a new job. The same will apply if you return to work as a self employed person.
I am part of a service family living abroad?
The rules for going abroad are the same as anyone else going abroad. However, if you are entitled to Maternity Allowance but cannot receive payment because there is no reciprocal agreement between countries and you are married to a serviceman, you may get an ex-gratia payment equivalent to the Maternity Allowance you would have received in the United Kingfdom. You can apply through your husband's pay office.
I start voluntary work?
Maternity Allowance is not affected by voluntary work.
I go into a residential care or nursing home?
Your Maternity Allowance will not usually be affected if you go into a residentail care or nursing home. Contact Incapacity Benefits Branch for advice.
I am sick at the end of Maternity Allowance?
If you are sick at the end of your Maternity Allowance period and you work for an employer you can claim Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from your employer. You will have to satisfy the usual qualifying rules for SSP. If you are not entitled to SSP you will need to make a claim to Employment and Support Allowance. Your employer will give you form SSP1 to explain why you are not entitled to SSP.
In all other cases you will need to claim Employment and Support Allowance. Normal rules for paying Incapacity Benefit will apply.
|
