Maternity Pay/Allowance

irn_bru

Hi all. My wife is pregnant and I'm trying to work out what she will be entitled to in terms of maternity pay. She works 12 hours per week in a shoe shop so falls below the requirements of SMP (I always wondered why they limit their part time staff to 12 hours, now I know!) and she is also self employed providing cleaning and ironing services. She has been paying Class 2 NIC's and we are about to file her first ever tax return.

Does anybody have a rough idea of what we are able to claim when the time comes?

Thanks

Indie_Kid

Maternity allowance, maybe? http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/Expectingorbringingupchildren/DG_10018869

sophiasmummy

I had only been in my current job for a month when I fell pregnant, I wasn't entitled to any mat pay so made a claim for maternity allowance which started the day my mat leave began. Your partner needs to have been working for a min amount of time before starting mat leave to qualify. I receive £125 per week. I checked the directgov website and found everything I needed. make sure you try and claim the health in pregnancy and sure start grants when eligible. (am assuming they haven't been cut yet). good luck!
sorry for bad grammar ''i'm balancing a 5 month old on my knee!!

just checked, to qualify for health in pregnancy grant your wife had to have reached 25th week of pregnancy by 1st jan 2011.