Maternity Pay

united4ever

My wife teached Italian at a local school doing a lunchtime club twice a week for £25 per 45 minute lesson. There is no contract and it was set up quite informally.

She's pregnant and I am pretty sure that the school will not pay any sort of Maternity pay, do you know if the government might pay something?

We've been sent a form to fill in which came with the free prescriptions card that pregnant women get and it mentions that there may still be some possibility to get this.

Mimi_Arc_en_ciel

is your wife self employed?

She may be entitled to Maternity Allowence if not entitled to SMP

more info:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/Expectingorbringingupchildren/DG_10018869

united4ever

Not registered self employed so I guess that's a no. Thanks all the same

dl5543

Check on the direct gov site to see if she is entitled to maternity allowance.

Good luck!

dl5543

Just seen your reply above.

Could you check with the school if they will offer anything? Or do you think it's pretty much a given that they wont?

kingfisherblue

I'm assuming that this is your wife's only income, so she will not be paying any income tax or national insurnace contributions. If she did earn enough to pay tax and NI, who would pay it? If your wife wouuld pay it from her earnings, she is self employed. If the school would pay it, she would be employed.

Does your wife receive a wage slip, or does she invoice the school for the work carried out? Again, a wage slip means that she is likely to be employed, whereas invoicing the school means that she is running a business and is self employed.

It sounds from your OP that she is self employed, in which case, she should be registered with HMRC. I think this is still the case even if she earns below the personal tax allowance. She should also have public liability insurnace. It would also be in your wife's best interests for her to have a contract with the school to protect herself. Just as an example, if she should have worked today, but couldn't because the teachers are on strike, will she still be paid? I suspect that the answer is 'No', but if she had a contract that had a clause along the lines of being paid for all Wednesdays during termtime, she would still be entitled to receive her payment.

karenx

So she has been working cash in hand and not declaring it?
She has been getting free money without paying tax or declaring it so I should hope the school or government do not give her anything

t0rt0ise

If that is your wife's only income she doesn't earn enough even for Maternity Allowance so she won't get anything.

xylophone

karenx wrote: »

So she has been working cash in hand and not declaring it?
She has been getting free money without paying tax or declaring it so I should hope the school or government do not give her anything

If this is her only income and she works term time only earning £50 a week, her wage is well below the personal allowance of £7475.

She should however sort out her employment status with HMRC.