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Maternity Allowance
If you're pregnant or have a new baby but don't qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), you may be able to claim Maternity Allowance (MA).
Who is eligible?
You might get Maternity Allowance if:
- you're employed, but not eligible for Statutory Maternity Pay
- you're registered self-employed and paying Class 2 National Insurance Contributions (NICs), or hold a Small Earnings Exception certificate
- you have very recently been employed or self-employed
You may be eligible if:
- 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
More information can be found in the leaflet NI 17A 'A Guide to Maternity Benefits'
Who isn't eligible?
If you're entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay (from any of your employers, even if you have more than one) you won't be eligible for Maternity Allowance.
How much do you get?
Maternity Allowance pays a standard weekly rate of £117.18 or 90 per cent of your average gross weekly earnings (before tax), whichever is the smaller.
MA is paid for a maximum of 39 weeks.
You may be able to get extra money for your husband, civil partner or someone else who looks after your children, if that person is on a very low income.
How it's paid
Maternity Allowance can be paid weekly or every four weeks directly into your bank, building society, Post Office® or National Savings account that accepts Direct Payment.
The earliest you can get Maternity Allowance is from the 11th week before the week your baby's due. The latest you can get it is from the day following your child's birth.
Effect on benefits or tax credits
Tax Credits and Disability Living Allowance are not affected by Maternity Allowance.
But while you're getting Maternity Allowance and any of the following benefits - they may be reduced or stopped:
- Incapacity Benefit
- Carer's Allowance
- Bereavement Benefits
- Income Support
- Jobseeker's Allowance will stop
How to claim
You can claim MA as soon as you've been pregnant for 26 weeks. To get a claim form (Form MA1) you can call 0800 055 6688 (8am - 6pm Monday to Friday) or download one from the website. For more information contact Jobcentre Plus.
If you're not entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay, your employer will give you Form SMP1 to send with your MA1 form.
You'll also need to give medical evidence of when your baby is due. This is normally on the maternity certificate, form MATB1, given to you by your doctor or midwife, which includes your estimated due date (EDD). The earliest you'll be able to get the certificate is 20 weeks before your baby is due.
You'll need to give proof of your earnings. If you're self-employed send your Small Earnings Exception certificate or if you are paying Class 2 NICs, HM Revenue & Customs will be asked to confirm your payments are up to date.
What if your circumstances change?
It's important you tell Jobcentre Plus if your circumstances change although in most cases this is unlikely to affect Maternity Allowance.
Changes that don't affect the payment include:
- going into hospital
- going into a nursing home or residential care
- starting voluntary work
How to Appeal
If you're refused Maternity Allowance or if you have any queries about your payment, you can ask the Jobcentre Plus office that dealt with your claim to look again at their decision.
If you're still unhappy with the outcome, you can appeal.
What else you need to know
National Insurance Credits are available for each complete week (Sunday through to Saturday) within your Maternity Allowance period.
If you're unemployed
If you're unemployed in the 11th week before the week your baby is due and you're eligible to get Maternity Allowance, your payments will start then. If your baby is born earlier than this, your MA will start the day after the birth.
If you're employed or self-employed
If your baby arrives before the start of the 11th week or before the date your Maternity Allowance was planned to begin, the allowance will start from the day following your child's birth.
If, in the four weeks before your baby is due, you're absent from work for a pregnancy-related reason, Maternity Allowance will start the day after the first complete day you were absent from work because of your pregnancy.
If you continue to be employed or self-employed into the 11 weeks before the week your baby is due, you can choose when to start getting Maternity Allowance. The date you choose will match the date that you start your maternity leave from work.
If you do some work for an employer, or as a self-employed person, before your MA is due to end, you will be able to work for up to ten days without losing any MA. If you work for more than ten days, you will lose MA for the days you work after that.
If you can't get Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance you may be eligible to get Incapacity Benefit.
More information can be found in the leaflet NI 17A 'A Guide to Maternity Benefits'
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