Does anyone agree with me that the HIP grant is all wrong?

[87lianne]

I saw a few people mentioning that HIP grant is being scrapped in April however my midwife told me I am lucky because I qualify to claim it in Dec, just before it gets stopped in Jan. My midwife may have been wrong but it might be worth checking when it does actually stop.

I think you are right my midwife told me the same for those who are 25weeks before Jan 1st 2011 can still claim but anybody who is 25 weeks after that date will not be allowed to claim

 

[Nessicle]

I saw a few people mentioning that HIP grant is being scrapped in April however my midwife told me I am lucky because I qualify to claim it in Dec, just before it gets stopped in Jan. My midwife may have been wrong but it might be worth checking when it does actually stop.

That aside I will be claiming it. I hope what I am about to say won't offend anyone, it is purely my own opinion and is not intentionally meant to offend. I have paid my tax contributions since I was 15 years old and I feel I have contributed more than enough to the system to make this claim guilt free. I have no issues that women who have never worked and paid taxes can also get this grant but if I choose not to spend it on fruit and veg I think thats a right I deserve as a full time worker. When I return to work from maternity leave my entire wage will go on childcare, I will have no money or time for personal treats so why shouldn't I treat myself with the HIP grant. I don't need the money to buy veg as I already buy it as part of my usual shop but a spa or massage would go down a treat!

As it happens I will not be spending my grant money on a spa or massage, in fact I will be using it to boost the £250 Child Trust Fund money we will also get from the government after the baby is born but if I did want to go for a foot massage, given that I am still working during my pregnancy, I don't see anything wrong with that. The only thing I strongly disagree with is using it to buy things that harm the baby such as alcohol, cigarettes or drugs but I think thats a given.

Me too hun. I think you have put across some very good points. I used my HiP grant on nursery furniture. I may earn a moderate salary but I in no way am loaded and every little helps. We wouldnt have been able to afford the nursery furniture (which is a bedroom package very cheap from Tesco Direct and a £60 cot so no Mama's & Papa's stuff for me!) yet if it was MEANS tested then we wouldnt have been able to claim it.

They are scrapping it anyway, but I'm grateful to have been able to claim it this year before its scrapped. But I too am working full time right to 38 weeks (two weeks holiday I've had to save so I can finish at 36 weeks as I'm exhausted already!).

I in no way think I'm "entitled" to claim anything and nobody should be of that mindset but if it's there and everyone else claims it why shouldnt I given I pay £500 a month in tax and NI contributions and work damn hard it's nice to get a little something back - it's so rare these days!

Once I return to work (bearing in mind we HAVE to return to work most of us because we can't afford not to) all my salary which will be half of what I earned before, will go on childcare. I will have nothing for myself. I won't even be able to afford toiletries and makeup but won't be entitled to claim anything.

So the more money I save now before the baby gets here the better and that HIP grant has allowed me to save £200 that I have spent on the nursery furniture.

I did plan my baby, both my OH and I work and we don't claim benefits and never have so we are supporting our baby but as I said it's very nice to have something like the HIP grant and I'm sure we're all very grateful of it. However if you think you can manage without or feel guilty for claiming it or are loaded then don't claim it I don't see what the big deal is!

 

[Nessicle]

This may come across as hormonal and I'm sorry if this offends anyone and it's not directed at the OP herself it's just a general rant, but I don't understand why people start these threads. I'm so sick of them!

Everyone has a different walk of life, a different experience and different bills to pay and houses to run etc. who is anyone to judge anyone else on whether they should be "entitled" to claim something??

I HATE it when people pull the "you shouldnt have a baby if you can't afford to support it on your own" card out. So what? Because I don't have £5,000 in savings or more I don't deserve to be able to start my own family? I'm 27 for goodness sake, worked full time for 10 years, paid more than enough tax contributions, have my own home, can drive, have a good job - but because I don't have savings to apparently "support my own child" because I've claimed the HIP grant, I am therefore classed as not being able to support my own child.

Yes I'm going to be skint, I accept that. No I won't claim benefits because we won't be able to. I am willing to sacrifice any luxuries in my life for my child because I'm with someone I love and we deserve to be able to start a family together and because that is what you do when you have a child. That's not to say you're not going to jump at the chance to claim nearly £200 if you can! You'd be a fool not to!

Everyone should think about what they're writing before they post a topic like this because it's deeply offensive to both those who receive benefits and those who work their bloody arses off to come out with sod all after bills and taxes and mortgages to get told we shouldn't claim something that everyone is allowed to claim because apparently if you have an ok job "you don't need it". I have a decent job but I certainly do need that money and if its there I'll bloody well claim it and certainly not feel guilty.

Rant over......phew that feels good....!!!!

 

[angelic_one]

I don't think the original poster was attacking anyone for claiming it, i think it's more the way it's organized... If the government intend it to be spent on healthy eating, they've gone around it the wrong way.

Furthermore as you say, "Everyone has a different walk of life, a different experience and different bills to pay and houses to run etc." That includes everyone who isn't pregnant or who doesn't have a child. I'm sure that pretty much everyone in Britain could use a £200 handout from the government. Doesn't mean that it's affordable, or that it's the *right* way to spend the country's money. So if the government have specified that THIS specific money should be spent on healthy food for pregnant women, they should have gone about it in a different way, for instance with vouchers.

I don't think that anyone would suggest that if the money is there but you don't need it, you shouldn't claim it.

 

[Pixxie]

I was working full time when I got pregnant and was unfairly dismissed from my job. We can now only just afford to pay our bills, never mind buy all the stuff we need for our baby. I dont qualify for any benefits because I live with my OH who works full time. If it wasnt for the HIP grant my baby wouldnt have a cot to sleep in or clothes to wear.

Circumstances change, do I not deserve to have a baby because I was sacked for being pregnant and didnt save up hundreds of pounds?

 

[Nessicle]

angelic_one - thanks but please read my first sentence you will see I said this was not a rant directed at the OP, just in general. And this is a pregnancy website so of course it relates to us being pregnant not just everyone in Britain I thought that was fairly obvious.......

 

[angelic_one]

Yes the system is messed up, but we're not really about what people "deserve".

It's just like the fact that to get a Surestart grant you HAVE to be claiming some sort of benefit, it doesn't matter if you just have a low income. My income is about £2,000 per year, but I don't get the Surestart grant or healthy start vouchers as I'm not on a benefit. Crazy huh? And if HIP was means tested I probably wouldn't get that either, just because I'm not claiming benefits! Many people are saying if they weren't getting HIP their baby wouldn't have a cot/clothes etc....well if I wasn't getting HIP, I wouldn't be able to eat. End of. My baby will be sleeping in a hand-me-down moses basket while we save for a cot for when she needs it, and living in clothes that will be hand-me-downs and gifts.

So yeah, I get it. Circumstances change and people need the money. But it should be done in a different way, it shouldn't be a handout under the name of "healthy eating" because at the end of the day, that's what's got it taken away so easily, it sounds like a flimsy reason.

Families in general need more help, childcare needs to be more affordable. Pregnant women definitely need more help and there needs to be no more of this "the baby doesn't count until it's here" which stops people being able to move into a house ready for their baby coming and in my circumstances, has stopped me being able to go back to university.

But it's probably not going to happen, and now one of the lifelines for pregnant women is being taken away, whereas if it had been handled better in the first place, it might have survived.

 

[emsie]

I think that pregnant women should be given MORE to be honest. In Europe they get full pay for up 20 weeks. why should the rich bankers and MPs get richer off the back of us hard working women? Is that the 'best way to spend the country's money?' Give to the rich and take from the poor? No. I don't think it is.

 

[angelic_one]

angelic_one - thanks but please read my first sentence you will see I said this was not a rant directed at the OP, just in general. And this is a pregnancy website so of course it relates to us being pregnant not just everyone in Britain I thought that was fairly obvious.......

I saw your first sentence, but then you went on to say "Everyone should think about what they're writing before they post a topic like this".

And well yes, most people on this website are pregnant, but my point was that everyone could use extra money, and everyone could find reasons why they should be given £200.

 

[angelic_one]

I think that pregnant women should be given MORE to be honest. In Europe they get full pay for up 20 weeks. why should the rich bankers and MPs get richer off the back of us hard working women? Is that the 'best way to spend the country's money?' Give to the rich and take from the poor? No. I don't think it is.

I agree with this strongly, have you seen the news today, Europe are trying to bring this into Britain and our government are saying it's unaffordable. :-/

See this is my point, this is a better way of spending some of the £200 per pregnant person, than a meaningless handout.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11340407

 

[87lianne]

I was working full time when I got pregnant and was unfairly dismissed from my job. We can now only just afford to pay our bills, never mind buy all the stuff we need for our baby. I dont qualify for any benefits because I live with my OH who works full time. If it wasnt for the HIP grant my baby wouldnt have a cot to sleep in or clothes to wear.

Circumstances change, do I not deserve to have a baby because I was sacked for being pregnant and didnt save up hundreds of pounds?

A similar thing happened to me when pregnant with my first and I wasnt allowed to claim anything due to my OH working and although he was full time he still didnt earn enough to be able to support me our bills and the baby i was lucky after a few months i was allowed to claim maternity allowance because i had worked for atleast 15weeks while pregnant so that was a help but the HIP wasnt out then but i could of used it back then! I feel for you because I know it is very stressfull x

 

[Nessicle]

Yeah I meant "everyone" on this forum.

Not everyone could use the extra money - my friend is a millionnaire she certainly doesnt need it.

My baby will be wearing hand me downs and clothes given or bought too. There's nothing wrong with that. I've been given a moses basket and a vibrating chair and activity centre too.

BTW Tesco Direct do a cot for £60 (the one I got) and you can get some good second hand ones from ebay for very good prices so don't save for too long for a cot

 

[Nessicle]

I think that pregnant women should be given MORE to be honest. In Europe they get full pay for up 20 weeks. why should the rich bankers and MPs get richer off the back of us hard working women? Is that the 'best way to spend the country's money?' Give to the rich and take from the poor? No. I don't think it is.

I agree with this strongly, have you seen the news today, Europe are trying to bring this into Britain and our government are saying it's unaffordable. :-/

See this is my point, this is a better way of spending some of the £200 per pregnant person, than a meaningless handout.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11340407

if that was an option then of course that would be better but unfortunately it's not an option during my pregnancy and that £200 has been spent well in my case though I appreciate some don't spend it wisely

 

[leash27]

I think someone else has already posted this but if you check the government website it actually states:

If you're a mum-to-be you may be able to get a one-off, tax-free payment called the Health in Pregnancy Grant. The money is to help you with your wider costs in the run up to your baby's birth.

This would suggest that the money can be used in any way that will help with the cost of having a baby. Whether its to buy nursery furniture, maternity clothes or a trolley full of fruit and veg! People need to chill out and consider the much more ridiculous things our government uses taxes to fund - a 12 million pound visit from the Pope anyone???

 

[Lil_Apple]

I think someone else has already posted this but if you check the government website it actually states:

If you're a mum-to-be you may be able to get a one-off, tax-free payment called the Health in Pregnancy Grant. The money is to help you with your wider costs in the run up to your baby's birth.

This would suggest that the money can be used in any way that will help with the cost of having a baby. Whether its to buy nursery furniture, maternity clothes or a trolley full of fruit and veg! People need to chill out and consider the much more ridiculous things our government uses taxes to fund - a 12 million pound visit from the Pope anyone???

I agree with this. We wont be able to claim anything else after this HiP grant and it will be well used on whatever it goes on! and by that i mean if it goes on food to feed me and my baby GREAT if it goes on maternity clothes as i am buldging and suffereing with low self esteem GREAT if it goes on nappies for when baby is born GREAT

I am totally greatful for it whatever.

Surely the SSMG is the one that is rightly being taken down? £500 per child??

I am using all of my sons old bits and bobs that we used that were neutral (hopefully we will be having a boy and will be able to use all his clothes too as they will be same season) and if I was elligiable for the SSMG i would get ANOTHER £500 to go and buy whatever with. I TOTALLY 100% agree that mothers should get it for first baby without a doubt but 2nd child they should use hand-me downs OR flog stuff on ebay to get money to buy new clothes for a different gender.

I really hate it when you would be 'better off' to be on govenerment handouts than work...

 

[Kent Mummy]

I don't think vouchers would work - I spent mine on a 2nd hand double buggy on eBaby (as this is my second). So I doubt they'd do eBay vouchers!

I don't expect handouts - I am a stay at home mum and I do not/cannot claim any benefits due to husbands salary - but things are still a struggle. I'm 38 and I have paid taxes/national insurance since I was 17 (until I became a stay at home mum 2 years ago) so I do not feel bad for once having something given by the government.

It's difficult to take the moral high ground on this when you are claiming it yourself.

Besides this will be scrapped next April anyway.

Loz and Lily 2yrs and bump 30 weeks

 

[Chellepot]

Families in general need more help, childcare needs to be more affordable.

I totally agree with this, the cost of childcare these days is rediculous. When I was a baby/young child I was looked after by a non registered childminder. When she moved away I had to be sent to a new childminder who was registered. Basically she was so expensive my mum had to cut her hours at work because she couldn't afford to pay her, the loss in wage due to reduced hours meant she was still better off than if she paid the childcare. This was 23 years ago so I can only imagine what its like now.
I can understand why a lot of mums would rather give up work than pay childcare. If it werent for the fact that I am close to the end of my contract and would lose my pension I wouldn't have come back to work either. My entire wage will go on childcare, I will work for nothing except for another woman to have have the privalige of spending time with my child.