maternity allowance

lamp193

I just wanted to know how to calculate how much maternity allowance you would get per week and how do they work it out. From my understanding the government provide 90% of your weekly earnings or the government maximum but to find out how much you would get you would have to provide 4 of your best monthly wages that you have earned 66 weeks before your due date. I just want to know how the maths is done for it thanks.

xylophone

https://www.gov.uk/calculate-your-maternity-pay
might help?

lamp193

The calculator only seems to work as if you are getting the same wage per month however my monthly wage change from month to month depending how many hours I work.

nannytone_2

in that case you need to add the totals of your 4 best months earnings during the test period.
then divide by 4.
this will give you an average across the 4 months.
then take away 10%

NYM

It's an average of 8 weeks pay (if paid weekly) or 2 months pay (if paid monthly) up to the last pay date before the end of the qualifying week.
You can't choose which months pay slips to provide.

http://www.maternityaction.org.uk/wp/advice-2/mums-dads-scenarios/pregnant-and-benefits/common-maternity-pay-questions/


*edit*

Maternity Allowance is paid by the Jobcentre Plus for 39 weeks. MA is £138.18 per week (April 2014 – April 2015) for 39 weeks or 90% of your average earnings if that is less.

lamp193

Thank you guys

Mrs_Soup

You can choose which pay slips to provide and the link quoted above says to do exactly that.so pick the 13 weeks where you were paid the most unless in all weeks it was sufficent to get the full amount.

JohnJLewis

NYM wrote: »

Maternity Allowance is paid by the Jobcentre Plus for 39 weeks. MA is £138.18 per week (April 2014 – April 2015) for 39 weeks or 90% of your average earnings if that is less.

If my weekly earnings are £128 then I will only get 90% of that?

How does that affect WTC? will that go up to account for the loss of earnings? Will you still be classed as working those hours you were before even though you are not working while on maternity leave?

Also I am self employed but just strting and not making profit yet, so will I still be classed as working those hours in my self employment even though on mat leave?

JohnJLewis

blondebubbles wrote: »

You are still classed as working for the first 39 weeks of maternity. If you take any longer you would no longer be classed as working.

Maternity allowance is not classed as income for tax credits.

How it would affect your claim depends on your income for 2013/14 and expected 2014/15 income.

Its not classed as income for TC? That doesnt make any sense.

At the moment we get about £100wk WTC, will this continue? Will it go up then if our earning fall?

JohnJLewis

What I do not understand is how it is not counted as income for TC? I thought it would be?

JohnJLewis

So will you still get wtc when you go onto ML? if it was only the wife working claiming wtc and husband was a stay at home house husband, can they still get wtc all the way through ML until the mum goes back to work?

Or is the husband expected to go look for work while both not working over ML?