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Question about Maternity Allowance.

8 replies

pinkspottywellies · 03/08/2008 21:38

I think I'm going to be elligible to claim Maternity Allowance. I work about 3 or 4 hours most weeks, and a day a week most school hols.

I just want to know how it works when I come to claim it. I am employed in both my jobs and they're PAYE type jobs although I don't earn enough to pay tax. The more regular job I get paid monthly.

So... when I get the form, will I have to work out how much I have been paid, weekly (it's based on what you earn over 13 weeks) or do they work it out for me? Or what? And I'll need to pick the weeks where I've earned most over the period, won't I?

Oh God I think this is going to get complicated.

Right I need to go to bed now but will check back tomorrow. TIA

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madmouse · 03/08/2008 21:42

Get some help. Ask the benefits agency if they will do an 'entitlement check' for you, or contact citizens advice.

good luck

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CarGirl · 03/08/2008 21:44

Just contact the benefits agency and ask for the forms, I think there is the spaces to enter more than one job etc

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pinkspottywellies · 03/08/2008 21:57

Oh dear. I'm looking at the form online. It keeps talking about pay slips for each of the 13 weeks but I get paid monthly. This is definitly going to get complicated isn't it!

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CarGirl · 03/08/2008 21:59

Just pick the months where you've earned the most.

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pinkspottywellies · 03/08/2008 22:04

But I don't work regular hours so some weeks I'll have earned £150 and another week only £30 or nothing at all, so I'll need to specify weeks to get the most amount of MA. It says to send your monthly pay slips and they will work out how much I've earned per week, but I don't want them to take an average!!

Never mind. I'll wait til a bit nearer the time and work out the best weeks and contact them and see if I can send other evidence like my claim forms.

I'm sure it will all be worth it in the end!!

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pinkspottywellies · 03/08/2008 22:04

Thanks for your input by the way!

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CarGirl · 03/08/2008 22:06

Perhaps phone them and ask, does it say on your payslips how many hours worked or how much earned in each particular week?

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pinkspottywellies · 03/08/2008 22:09

No just the total over the month. It's County Council so they might have experience of this kind of thing if I ring HR as well. It's the jobcentre who deal with MA isn't it?

I think I'll wait til a bit nearer the time anyway. I've got ages. Just need to try and cram lots of work in to bump up my average!