New Maternity Allowance

What is it?

Maternity Allowance (MA) is for pregnant women who cannot get Statutory Maternity Pay. It can be paid for up to 39 weeks.

Are you:

* Employed or self Employed?
* Earning on average £30 a week or more?
* Previously working recently?

If yes to any, claim MA.

Are you:

Now unemployed or not working but previously had been working within the last year?

If yes: You could have a claim

You may be able to choose when to start getting your Maternity Allowance (MA). The earliest you can start getting MA is in the 11th week before the week your baby is due. The latest you can start getting MA is the week after your baby is born. You cannot get MA for weeks that you are working.

If you cannot get Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance (MA), you may be able to get Incapacity Benefit, or Income Support.

You must have been employed or self-employed for at least 26 weeks in your test period (66 weeks before the week your baby is due) and you must earn at least £30 a week on average.

Your average earnings are worked out either:

If your gross earnings from one job in any week are at least equal to the lower earnings limit (LEL £90 weekly) at the end of that week, and this applies for 13 weeks in the test period, you will be entitled to standard rate MA. These weeks can be any separate weeks and you can choose which 13 weeks to use, or

If the above does not apply to you, then your earnings can be averaged over any 13 weeks in a row during the test period. You can choose the 13 weeks in a row where you were paid the higher earnings. If you have more than one job, your earnings from each job will be added together and divided by 13, to work out your average. If your average earnings are at least equal to the LEL in place at the beginning of your test period, you will receive standard rate MA. If your average earnings are below the LEL, but £30 a week or more, you will get MA worth 90% of your earnings. You cannot get more than the standard rate.

Weekly amounts

Average earnings at least the LEL, which applies at the beginning of your test period. Standard rate £117.18

Average earnings at least £30 a week 90% of your average weekly earnings

If you are self-employed and pay Class 2 NI contributions, you will be treated as earning £130.20 a week. If you hold a small earnings exception, you will be treated as earning £30 a week.

When to claim

Claim as soon as you can, after you have been pregnant for 26 weeks. If you delay you may lose out.

DISCLAIMER - Although every effort is made to ensure the information on these pages is accurate and up to date, we cannot be held liable for any inaccuracies and their consequences. The information should not be treated as a complete and authoritative statement of the law. If you wish to know more about your benefit rights, you should seek independent advice.