Maternity Allowance Question

johnsons_baby

Good Morning,

Can anyone help with a quick Q on maternity allowance?

I started work in August 2010, for a construction company and my weekly pay was £292.50. I was employed by them until 22/12/2010, when they made me redundant.

In Jan 2011, they asked me to come back on a self employed basis, which I was happy to do, at the same rate of pay, £292.50.

I got my UTR from the Tax Office a number of weeks later but I have not yet been billed for NI contributions.

I'm 30 weeks pregnant now and I'm due to start maternity leave tomorrow.

The company I have been working for are counting my employed period and self employed period as different periods of employment and as such, been told I'm not eligibel for SMP, which is fine, so I'm claiming maternity allowance instead because I have worked 26 weeks out of the 66 week test period.

I've enclosed my 13 weeks chosen payslips from my employed period with my application, which shows my weekly earnings of £292.50.

However, in conversation with a lady at ante-natal clinic yesterday, she says she had a similar experience of employed/self employed and they only paid her £30 a week due to not paying NI contributiuons, even though she'd only been self employed for 12 weeks out of her 26 week period.

Just wondering, I thought the rate was £128.73 or 90% of your average gross weekly earnings, whichever was the lesser from those 13 weeks you have chosen?

Am I wrong here? Due to not yet being billed for NI contributions, will I therefore only get the £30 rate?

Submitted claim about 2 weeks ago but no decision as yet but any input would be appreciated.

Jo

girlneedshelp

Bump, bump, bump. Please take this with a grain of salt, because I'm not entirely sure, but I thought you had to have your contributions paid, because that will be checked and confirmed before they accept your maternity allowance. I would contact them about your contributions to see about your billing and how you can get them paid ASAP. I would have thought that you would then be entitled to the £128.73 rate. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable can confirm or correct this. Have a safe delivery.

johnsons_baby

Thanks hun,

I'm hoping I should be OK with contributions via PAYE which I have been in for years, prior to having my first child, I had a 5 month break from work as I was working for an agency and the contract expired and found it difficult to get another job before the one I was offered in August 2010.

It's not a huge deal but the extra money would be useful but if I'm not eligible, I'm not eligible and that's the way it works.

J

johnsons_baby

Just to say, I received my award letter which has given me the maximum available to me, which I was suprised with but pleased!