Statutory Maternity pay Vs. Allowance employment dispute. Help please!

notanewuser

creative-highs wrote: »

Alongside my job at *, I also run my own full-time well-established costume and formal-wear design business. The earnings are almost as paltry as my minimum wage from * but I put just as much love and effort in and I work hard to provide for my family.

My self employment should, in theory, entitle me to Maternity Allowance, but, you realise, applying for it could be a long and arduous experience and my payments may not start until long after the baby is due now. I need days to make up my accounts books to a standard to be able to apply, as they are only made up to the last self-assessment tax return that was due.

If I'd have only been told the correct information when I applied for maternity pay, then I'd not be in this horrid, stressful mess, and I've had started receiving my allowance soon, leaving no deficit in my finances. Also, I'd have saved what I could of my business income (of which I shall not receive more of now until the influx of new orders in winter time).

Safe in the (ill-advised) 'knowledge' that I was due maternity pay, I have been refusing many hundreds of pounds worth of design work since I was 'granted' the pay, that in retrospect, I really should have taken up, despite needing a rest from the crazy maintaining of two jobs that I've been sustaining for the last few years.


<snip>


Believe it or not I trimmed down the correspondance but if you are still reading then thanks! And well done. Anyone have any opinions on the matter? One massive concern is that I am not as up to date with my Nat Ins. Contributions as I'd like to be as I am living as a single mother (albeit a VERY hardworking one with two jobs). This might mean I don't qualify for maternity allowance either?

Any assistance would be gratefully received.

Exceptionally stupid to leave your self-employed accounts undone like this, and your NI conts unpaid. You're only working about 15 hours a week in the job you're complaining about, and complain that your self employed work is similarly low paid, but apparently have turned down hundreds of pounds worth of income. Why would anyone earning so little do that?!

Presumably you're getting your rent and council tax paid, plus tax credits etc. Yes, your employer has handled it badly, but you've been incredibly naive or stupid too in not saving every penny you could from the minute that line appeared on the stick.

notanewuser

And no, you're not really single either:

creative-highs wrote: »

Could someone help me to shed some light on my very complex situation please?
I am an employed and self-employed pregnant mother of a 5 year old and am living with my son.
My partner who is the father of the baby I am expecting (but not my 5 year old) does not live with us yet (but we intend to marry and move elsewhere together in due course, probably some months after the baby is due in 4 months time).
I am in reciept of help with housing benefit, working tax credit and child tax credit currently as a lone parent under my current work situation.
It is unclear to me where I stand in the law, having a very stable relationship with my partner, yet not living with him. We haven't not moved out because I fear losing benefit, moreso other life circumstances. He lives in another house in the neighborhood but we are frequently guests in each other's houses and also both work from home so need to maintain our individual 'spaces' for now (until somewhere bigger if found).
When the baby is here, he will still be renting his current home, and I mine, but we will be together almost always. What is my legal situation in terms of claiming the benefits I have now and those I will receive when I have my baby please?