Qualifying for Maternity Allowance?

fill0000

My wife is 22 weeks into her job at an agency (She doesn't quality for SMP as she hadn't been employed there long enough -- we received necessary paperwork to this effect).

All my research online suggests she would need 26 weeks of employment within a 66 week period counting back from our due date, she is currently on 22 weeks however doesn't think she can manage another 4 weeks (baby due in 9 weeks time!) so effectively she won't qualify for this allowance.

She has 4 days holiday to use with the agency, and my question is -- wouldn't it be possible to just take 1 day holiday a week?

She has to inform the agency of her availability every week as this is how they offer her shifts, so how plausible would it be to have no availability for the next 4 weeks and to take each monday as holiday?

As solution two, I am a LTD company in the capacity that I am a contractor and I do employ and pay myself, I would be able to put my wife on PAYE -- would this be another potential route to achieving the required 26 weeks in employment in order to qualify for Maternity Allowance?

Are there any rules against doing something like this? She is a shareholder but not a director.

Thank you
Phil