On additional mat leave-no pay- any benefits?

squashy

We are so skint at the moment! Thank goodness it is just for 6 weeks. I am on maternity leave but my 39 weeks of SMP are up. I am not due back for a few more weeks yet (still fully breastfeeding etc). Unfortunately my husband is going through a very slow patch at work- he is a cab driver but I think everyone is feeling the pinch customer wise as he is not earning at all, the students have all gone away and there are few business meetings in the summer, plus the football season is over. This week after paying the rental on his cab and paying his increasing fuel bill he came out with about £40. He cannot put in the silly hours that some cabbies do as he has a bad knee (broke his kneecap and now has grade 2 arthritis). We have checked in the past and cannot claim any incapacity or disability etc for this.

I accpet that we will probably just have to tighten our belts until I go back but I thought it would be worth checking if we can get an income support or other top-up. Any advice would be great.

ukdickie31

Hi

I think you are still classed as in employment. Although unpaid, your job is still there for you to return to.

Have you claimed all of the tax credits based on your circumstances?

lic

How many hours a week does he work??? For £40 it sounds like he is only working one day a week!

Batty_3

lic wrote: »

How many hours a week does he work??? For £40 it sounds like he is only working one day a week!

Hmmmm if he's only doing runs of say £4 a trip and has to pay the rent of the radio etc it's not uncommon to only come home with £30 to £40

My ex once did a full 12 hour shift in the office, got two runs and came home with £1.20. He still had to pay for the rent of the radio etc whether he got a job or not that night.

squashy

Batty wrote: »

Hmmmm if he's only doing runs of say £4 a trip and has to pay the rent of the radio etc it's not uncommon to only come home with £30 to £40

My ex once did a full 12 hour shift in the office, got two runs and came home with £1.20. He still had to pay for the rent of the radio etc whether he got a job or not that night.

That is for two and a half days :eek: The rent on the cab (he is not an owner-driver) is £120 for that period, with fuel on top of that. If he is driving here and there hoping to get flagged down then getting one job an hour you can see how the fuel is costing a bomb too. I have told him he would be better off looking for paid employment, minimum wage would still be better than that. He is really depressed about it actually. His main motivation for staying is that he is 490th on the waiting list to be issued with a taxi plate which will then allow him to buy a vehicle and thus earn much more, but you have to be an active driver to stay on the list.

I have done a bit more digging and i think that i am still classed as full time employed as someone said, so I think we will just have to see what happens. Work have got someone else in covering my leave so got to go back on the date I said really, plus I can't wean baby overnight. We will have to have a chat with mr bank manager i think and see if we can take a payment holiday on the mortgage, sort out an overdraft etc. Will ring Tax Credits too to explain too.

Krystaltips

Squashy, congrats on still breastfeeding. If you need any support or information about breastfeeding and returning to work do feel free to PM me.