Maternity Allowance (MA) is a form of compensated parental leave in the UK for those not eligible for Statutory Maternity Allowance (SMP). Eligibility is based on employment status, length of employment, and earnings. MA pays a fixed allowance and can be claimed up to 39 weeks. Applications require proof of medical history, salary, and SMP ineligibility. Maternity leave does not affect other benefits or tax credits, except for certain programs.
Maternity Allowance (MA) is a form of compensated parental leave for people in the United Kingdom (UK). People who are not eligible for Statutory Maternity Allowance (SMP) may be able to receive an MA under certain employment conditions, such as self-employment, recent unemployment, or a recent job change. Low-income employees are often eligible for both maternity pay and maternity benefits under certain conditions.
Qualifications to receive maternity funding in the form of an MA include SMP eligibility, employment status, and length of employment. People who are eligible for an SMP cannot receive a maternity benefit. Eligible individuals must have been employed for a minimum of 26 weeks in the 66 weeks preceding the cut-off date and be earning a minimum of £30 British Pounds Sterling (GBP) per week for 13 of those weeks.
Employment status is also relatively flexible for obtaining maternity benefit. While individuals must have been employed for 26 weeks, they could be self-employed for those weeks or work for another employer. Currently unemployed individuals still qualify if they have met the minimum job requirement within the last 66 weeks. Part-time work weeks still count as full weeks towards the 26-week requirement.
An MA typically pays a fixed allowance which is the lower 90% of an individual’s average earnings or £124.88 GBP per week. The start date for payments is usually 11 weeks before the child’s due date for the unemployed. For people currently in employment, maternity benefits can start claiming as early as 11 weeks before the due date and up until the day after the baby is born. The maximum time period for receiving funds from a maternity check is 39 weeks.
Lodging a maternity benefit involves completing an application form, which can be found at a local Department of Work and Pensions office, sometimes known as the Social Insurance office or Jobcentre Plus. Other requirements include proof medical history, proof of current salary, and forms from employers describing ineligibility for SMP, known as SMP1 forms. Earnings summaries must be submitted in the form of pay stubs and self-employed persons must submit exception certificates for small earnings.
Individuals can begin claiming maternity benefit once they have reached 26 weeks of pregnancy. Maternity leave status does not interfere with other benefits or tax credits received through programs such as disability living allowance programs. Programs that will offer no benefits or reduced benefits include carer’s allowance, bereavement benefits, income support programs, as well as employment, support and jobseeker benefits.
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