Maternity Allowance Self Employed

Hi Everyone,
Apologies if this has been asked before.
I am self employed an looking to claim maternity allowance from 26 weeks. I have looked at my NI Class 2 for 2017-2018 and it states
Paid employment: £141.52
National Insurance credits: 45 weeks
I am aware I need to have paid NI Class 2 for 13 weeks out of the 66 weeks before my due date of 4th July. Will this 2017-2018 cover this? I have no idea what the credits are or why I have them.
I have already submitted my tax return for 17-18 and have not added on any voluntary contributions...should I do this before 31st Jan? Is it needed?
I currently dont earn enough to need to pay class 2 but of course I would prefer to pay voluntary than lose out on the allowance at 140+
Any help would be greatly appreciated :). I may have completely the wrong end of the stick here

Comments

  • huckster
    huckster Posts: 5,154 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Best to call maternity allowance helpline and ask about National Insurance contribution requirements of self employed.

    I suspect that they have a way of checking contributions and can tell you what they will require to see at the point you make your claim.
    The comments I post are personal opinion. Always refer to official information sources before relying on internet forums. If you have a problem with any organisation, enter into their official complaints process at the earliest opportunity, as sometimes complaints have to be started within a certain time frame.
  • calcotti
    calcotti Posts: 15,696 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 31 December 2018 at 8:07AM
    Were you in receipt of any benefits in 2017-2018?

    https://www.gov.uk/national-insurance-credits/eligibility
    Information I post is for England unless otherwise stated. Some rules may be different in other parts of UK.
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