matenity allowance while self-employed

skintchick

I think I said I unemployed during that period, but I sent the certificate in cos I am self-employed and it asked for it. I can;t remember!

Oh I really am so worried about this now - seems like they screw you every way they can!

princess-of-plastic

you have to have been employed or self employed for 26 weeks out of the 66 weeks test period to get anything at all. if you cant get ma they will give you incapacity for a few weeks before the baby is born and a few weeks after. as the baby is due this month i would give them a call and ask for an update. if you are not entitled to ma you dont want to miss out on any incapacity they might give you. let me know how you got on, i really feel for you

pop x

skintchick

I was working full time earning 23k until I was made redundant and that job officially ended in early December. I was out of work for a month, then got a three-month contract paying 27k pa which ended March 31.

Since then I've been at home. I didn;t claim JSA for that period, and I did do a couple of SE jobs but I think on the form I said I was unemployed as I thought it would make things easier. I do a tax return so I will obviously declare the work, but they don;t ask which month I did it and as I am still arguing with DWP over the JSA for December I wanted to keep thing ssimple this time.

But it asked for my exemption cert so I had to say I have one and send it in, but I only applied for that in January this year after reading on MSE that it was a good idea to get one!!

It's not that we can't survive without the MA but why, when I have worked ALL MY LIFE since I was 19, am I now not entitled to anything just because I got made redundant when I was pregnant?

It seems totally unfair and I never saw any mention of this stuff anywhere on the websites about MA or I'd have got rid of the cert before I claimed.

I hate this Government so much.

princess-of-plastic

if i were you i would call them up and explain your circumstances, maybe they will be able to help sort it out and tell you what is happening with your claim so far x

skintchick

princess-of-plastic wrote: »

if i were you i would call them up and explain your circumstances, maybe they will be able to help sort it out and tell you what is happening with your claim so far x

Who do I call? Do you know where I can find the number?

princess-of-plastic

hi, if you go here - http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/Aboutus/Ouroffices/Search/LocalOfficeSearch.aspx?type=1&name=Local Office and type in your postcode it gives you the address and phone number of your nearest office. If you give them a call and ask for the dept that deals with maternity allowance they will transfer you to the right place. let me know how you get on, good luck! x

Becles

skintchick wrote: »

But it asked for my exemption cert so I had to say I have one and send it in, but I only applied for that in January this year after reading on MSE that it was a good idea to get one!!

Sorry - just hightlighting this for the benefit of any other self employed mam-to-be's.

It's only a good idea to get the exemption certificate if you are also in an employed job and earning enough to pay Class 1 NI contributions. If you are only self employed or self employed and employed but earning under the NI threashold (think it's about £100 a week), then it's better to not hold an exemption certificate and pay the Class 2 NI. That way you still have paid stamps which give entitlement to maternity and sick benefits and it all counts towards your state pension.

SC - just wondering, can you change your test period? I seem to remember that you can claim based on any of the 26 weeks in the 66 weeks before baby is due. Is it possible to use a 26 week period of employment and send in the relevant payslips? Long time since I claimed (Charlotte is 2 now!) but it might be worth asking this. Hope you get something sorted out. I know how much of a worry it is and this is the last thing you need.

skintchick

Becles - the form with the MA application showed me how to work out the test period, otherwise I'd have used the period when I was earning 27kpa pro rata.

I cannot get through to anyone to ask the question and don;t know what to do. I'm just sitting here sobbing noww and i don;t know how to tell OH.

i thought MA was for people like me, who were made redundant while Pg, but it seems I get no help at all. I don;t understand it.

skintchick

Ive spoken to a lovely man! You have to ring 0845 608 8595. Basically, what I did when I used their table to work out the test period was think they meant april this year when they meant April last year. It does say 2008 but I didn;t read it properly with my PG brain.

So i need to send in pay slips from last year and I will get the full amount!

He said it's a very common mistake and would have resulted in my claim being returned to me, but as I have called and my claim hasn;t been touched yet, he is going to get hold of it and put it on hold, then I can send in the payslips, and it should be OK!

Hope this helps someone else and thanks for all your help princess and Becles.

I can stop crying now!

Becles

So pleased you got it sorted

Now put your feet up and chill out with a cuppa now to get rid of the stresses