redundancy and pregnancy

jennmark

hiya, just looking for a bit of info if anyone can help. i am being made redundant at the end of the month, i am also 31 weeks pregnant so i'm recieving my smp as a lump sum in my final pay packet. a colleague who is also being made redundant told me about contributions based jsa, i had assumed that because my husband has a fairly decent wage i wouldnt be entitled to any benefits other than maybe some ctc, however she assures me that anyone who has been working is entitled to this type of jsa for 6 months, after which it becomes means tested and i would then no longer qualify. so firstly is she correct?! also can i claim it given that i would have finished work within a month anyway and taken 12 months off on maternity leave? can i claim jsa if i have a baby and have recieved smp? could i leave my claim until after the baby has been born, would it have to be a specific age, or length of time since i recieved my smp for me to be able to claim for contributions based jsa?
just to add i do only work part time, but my weekly wage is around £250 after tax, have i made enough contributions to be entitled at all?!
many thanks for any help or advice anyone can give,

Jen

pmlindyloo

jennmark wrote: »

hiya, just looking for a bit of info if anyone can help. i am being made redundant at the end of the month, i am also 31 weeks pregnant so i'm recieving my smp as a lump sum in my final pay packet. a colleague who is also being made redundant told me about contributions based jsa, i had assumed that because my husband has a fairly decent wage i wouldnt be entitled to any benefits other than maybe some ctc, however she assures me that anyone who has been working is entitled to this type of jsa for 6 months, after which it becomes means tested and i would then no longer qualify. so firstly is she correct?! As you have received your SMP (albeit as a lump sum) then your are still considered as working and therefore would not be entitled to Job Seekers Allowance also can i claim it given that i would have finished work within a month anyway and taken 12 months off on maternity leave? can i claim jsa if i have a baby and have recieved smp? could i leave my claim until after the baby has been born, You can claim contribution based JSA after the baby has been born. There has to be a 2 week gap after baby has been born. You have to be activiely seeking work to claim JSA would it have to be a specific age, or length of time since i recieved my smp for me to be able to claim for contributions based jsa?
just to add i do only work part time, but my weekly wage is around £250 after tax, have i made enough contributions to be entitled at all?!
many thanks for any help or advice anyone can give,

Jen

On the salary quoted you would have been paying NI contributions. Whether you have paid sufficient to be able to claim contribution JSA I do not know - it is quite complicated.

It is, however, not means tested so your partner's income and your combined savings are not taken into account.

The main point to make is that in order to claim JSA you have to be actively seeking work. Do you intend to return to work after the baby is born?

During your maternity leave while you are receiving SMP you will be classed as working so the drop in income may mean that you and your partner will be entitled to working tax credits (depending on the income and hours he works) as well as child tax credit when the baby is born.

Complicated isn't it?

When the baby has been born telephone re: tax credits and explain your position and see what they say.

jennmark

ah ok, things getting slightly clearer! as smp covers 9 months then would i have to wait this long before being able to claim it, or just as long as i want to take - eg 6 months (had i remained employed i would have had enhanced mat pay)? what if we can get by on my husbands wage and i decide not to return to work just yet, can i put off my claim indefinately or does my entitlement have a time limit?
i will certainly be calling the tax credits people once the baby is here, we already have one child but with both of us earning we get no ctc, after the baby is here and without my wage we will be entitled to some, but from what i can tell unless we are paying for childcare we wont be entitled to wtc.
thanks for your help

lowlitmemory

jennmark wrote: »

ah ok, things getting slightly clearer! as smp covers 9 months then would i have to wait this long before being able to claim it, or just as long as i want to take - eg 6 months (had i remained employed i would have had enhanced mat pay)? what if we can get by on my husbands wage and i decide not to return to work just yet, can i put off my claim indefinately or does my entitlement have a time limit?
i will certainly be calling the tax credits people once the baby is here, we already have one child but with both of us earning we get no ctc, after the baby is here and without my wage we will be entitled to some, but from what i can tell unless we are paying for childcare we wont be entitled to wtc.
thanks for your help

I am pregnant and possibly facing redundancy and I was told by our HR dept that if it looks like I will get made redundant, I can start my maternity leave the day before formally being made redundant and I will still be entitled to the enhanced mat pay.

I do not know if this will be relevant in your case, but it may be something worth checking out. For example in my case, even in the worst case scenario I will be entitled to 4 months full pay plus 4 months SMP, so that would tide me over until I could find another job post-birth.