Benefit - Questions - Please help :-(

kooger21

Hi

My partner and I are having a baby which is due on the 1st November.

I work full time and earn just over 22k

My girlfriend is a full time nursing student who is given a bursary of £500 a month, however this will stop in August when she qualifies. She also has a part time job on a Sunday with contracted hours of 3.45 hours a week, which gives her a minimum of £20.87 a week however 9 times out of 10 she does a couple of extra hours so the average weekly pay is around £37.

I know we will be entitled to:

Child Benefit and some child tax credit.

I know she won’t be entitled to SMP as she doesn’t pay NI, however I think she would be entitled to maternity allowance? Can anyone confirm this for me? And also let me know if there will be anything else we can get.

(Just for info we live together in my house and she pays me £50 rent a month)

Thanks in Advance

dmg24

Why are you asking this question again?

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=768963

kooger21

Im starting a new post, as im still unsure about the MA side of things, im pretty sure we would get this as MA does not rely on NI contributions but some people say otherwise, so im still after the answer, thanks again

dmg24

Google is your friend ...

Maternity Allowance

kooger21

Hi yes i know google well just wanted confirmation from other members from form the link you put on it says this:

you've been employed and/or self-employed for at least 26 weeks of the 'test period' (66 weeks up to and including the week before your baby is due). Part weeks count as full weeks; and
you earned £30 a week averaged over any 13 weeks in your test period

Now her basic pay as said previously is £20.87 but as she often does more hours her average weekky wage is more than £30 a week, so in my eyes she should get it?

Does this sound right to you?

Thanks

dmg24

If her average wage was more than £30 for any thirteen weeks in the last sixty six weeks, and if she will have been in employment for at least 26 weeks of the test period, then she will qualify.

notlongnow_2

I was a student nurse and was 32weeks when I qualified. My partner then earned £12,300 full time wage and I wasnt working after I qualified as I had baby. We were entitled to sweet F.A as they said he earned too much!! This was before the days of tax credits as well.

Hope times have changed! but luckily you earn a good wage.

kooger21

Does any one know if my girlfriends bursary of £500 a month would count towards her income? (Im thinking if this does maybe should would get more MA)

Thanks

real1314

No, it won't.

kooger21

I looked on my girfriends payslip and as a general rule she doesnt pay NI as she doesnt earn enough so the monthly deductions coloum is blank however as she did some over time last year this did qualify her for paying NI and this is shown in the yearly deductions coloum. So does this actually mean her employeer could pay her SMP or do the NI contributions have to regular? thanks

stazi

From what you say, she will not qualify for SMP from her employer as her average earnings are too low.

As others have said, to qualify for MA, she will need average earnings of £30pw for her chosen 13 weeks period. She needs to pick the best 13 weeks earnings within the 26 weeks Test Period.