New mums who have recently stopped working or are self-employed could be entitled to a £184 weekly boost to their monthly income.
DWP Maternity Allowance Provides Financial Support for New Mothers
Maternity Allowance payments are provided by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to help new mums who are not eligible for the Maternity Pay care for their newborns.
Future parents can submit an application for Maternity Allowance from the twenty-sixth week of their pregnancy and can receive payments anytime from their twenty-ninth week to the day after their child is born.
Maternity Allowance is deposited every two or four weeks directly into your bank account, credit union, or building society account.
Maternity Allowance can affect the rate at which other benefits are provided, but your total payments either increase or remain the same.
Who Qualifies for Maternity Allowance?
You could qualify for Maternity Allowance if you’re self-employed, have recently left employment or provide unpaid services for your spouse or civil partner’s business.
You must have been registered as self-employed, or have been employed, for at least 26 weeks out of the 66 weeks prior to your due date.
In the case you are self-employed or have recently stopped working, you must have been making £30 a week or more for a minimum of 13 of those 66 weeks, but the weeks do not necessarily need to have been consecutive.
It doesn’t matter whether you’ve held various jobs or experienced periods of unemployment across the 66 weeks, provided that you've met the 13-week requirement.
If you provide free services for your spouse or civil partner’s business, you could qualify if you’ve completed work for a minimum of 26 weeks in the 66 weeks before your baby is born.
During these same 26 weeks, your spouse must have been enrolled as self-employed with HMRC and settled Class 2 National Insurance contributions.
You wouldn't qualify if you had held another job or were self-employed while working for your civil partner's business.
What Amount Could You be Entitled To?
If you have recently ceased working, you could receive up to £184.03 a week or 90% of your typical weekly earnings — whichever is lower — for up to 39 weeks.
If you’re self-employed, you could get between £27 and £184.03 a week for up to 39 weeks, as long as you've been enrolled as self-employed with HMRC for at least 26 weeks in the 66 weeks prior to your due date.
The amount you will receive depends on the number of National Insurance contributions you make within the 66 weeks preceding your baby's due date.
Class 2 National Insurance contributions amount to £3.45 a week and are settled as part of the self-assessment tax bill. These contributions entitle you to benefits such as the Maternity Allowance and state pension.
In order to get the full £184.03, you must have settled Class 2 National Insurance contributions for a minimum of 13 out of the 66 weeks before the baby is born.
If you’ve paid no more than 13 weeks of contributions, the sum you get will be reduced and based on the number of payments you’ve provided.
If you’ve provided no payments at all, you’ll be eligible for £27 a week.
You can augment your contributions to increase your Maternity Allowance after you submit an application.
If you provide free services for your spouse or civil partner, you will receive £27 a week for a period of 14 weeks.
How to Make a Claim?
You can submit an application for Maternity Allowance from the 26th week of your pregnancy.
To make sure you’re paid when you need it, you'll have to submit your application within three months of the date you wish to start getting your payments.
You’ll be required to file a MA1 Maternity Allowance claim form, which can be completed online, printed out and sent via post.
You’ll be required to provide details about your job and earnings in the 66 weeks prior to your due date.
You’ll also need to provide proof of payment, such as paychecks, and evidence of your due date or birthdate.
If your employer has denied your Statutory Maternity, you’ll have to provide a SMP1 form.
You should receive a decision on your claim within 20 working days, if you are dissatisfied with the decision you have the option to request a reconsideration.