Maternity Allowance and what?

djdido2

No savings, if only!!
Same with ISA's
Have everything for baby apart from milk!!!!

embob74

I'm surprised your WTC stopped as while on maternity leave you are still classed as employed.
I know when I was on SMP I still got WTC as well as CTC. It was only if I took more than 39 weeks maternity leave (13 weeks unpaid) that WTC would have stopped.
I didn't think MA was that much different to SMP?

LL30

djdido2 wrote: »

No savings, if only!!
Same with ISA's
Have everything for baby apart from milk!!!!

I know not everyone can, but your body will produce great milk for your little one xxx

EKAndrew

i would say that going for ESA is not worth your time or effort, my partner applied for it (when she was pregnant) and she wasn't allowed to work, and was still declined. In hindsight, she should've just signed on for JSA.
i'm no expert in benefits, as I have never claimed anything in my life, but the process she had to go through was ridiculous.
as others have mentioned, we found signing up to baby sites/forums were an invaluable help, and if family/friends are going to buy gifts for the wee one dont be shy in telling them what you need!! (we told certain people to buy things for certain age groups so everyone wasn't buying newborn - meaning we always had something for her to wear as she proceeded through the age/weight groups)

djdido2

embob74 wrote: »

I'm surprised your WTC stopped as while on maternity leave you are still classed as employed.
I know when I was on SMP I still got WTC as well as CTC. It was only if I took more than 39 weeks maternity leave (13 weeks unpaid) that WTC would have stopped.
I didn't think MA was that much different to SMP?

What a rigmarole this has been. I was made redundant at the end of July and informed the Tax Credits of this. They told me I would get a four week run on payment and then this would stop. When I got the award notice the WTC was still included so I rang up again and now they have cancelled the WTC from the end of August.

Hell knows whats going on, all I do know is that I am not going to survive off Maternity Allowance and Tax Credits for income

emsywoo123

Now I *thought* you could claim IS from 29 weeks pregnant (rather than MA) which is at the same rate but is a passport to other benefits?

clairec79

You can claim IS (or ESA now) but only if not entitled to MA - as MA will be taken off the IS

thorsoak

What about the father of the baby you are expecting now? Can he help out?

djdido2

[QUOTE=thorsoak;47274161]What about the father of the baby you are expecting now? Can he help out?[/QUOTE]

He is totally denying Paternity and will not pay anything until he can prove the child is his!! I don't want to go over and over regretting getting pregnant again as I did this for months at the beginning of the pregnancy and it did nothing but stress me out and mess up my head.

I am only looking for help for a very short period of time, until baby is born as I have worked solid for the last 23 years and only ever claimed Benefit for about a year of that many many years ago. I fully intend returning to work as soon as possible.

djdido2

I have tried to cancel out the Maternity Allowance in favour of Income Support but I am not allowed to swap from one benefit to another. Being in receipt of Income Support would help with things like Free School Meals etc.