UK mums - advice

[MummyKP]

Hi ladies,

I'm nearing the time I need to get my matb1 form in for my maternity pay, but just wandering what other support we can apply for? Is there a cut off point on any others I can apply for like the matb1 form? Any advice appreciated!

 

[littlesteph]

you can try sure start, they do milk fruit and veg vouchers for people on low income. you have to have a household income of around £16.000 or less a year if I remember rightly. Personally think that limit should be higher.

 

[MummyKP]

Wow there's no way we'll be entitled to that if you have to earn below £16,000, that's very low!! Thanks anyway hun, I appreciate the reply xx

 

[His Princess]

We're not entitled to anything! You may be entitled to working/family tax credits but I think the threshold for them is pretty low too- I think it's if your total household income in below £26K.

 

[littlesteph]

Wow there's no way we'll be entitled to that if you have to earn below £16,000, that's very low!! Thanks anyway hun, I appreciate the reply xx

pretty ridiculous isn't it, its pretty much a kick in the teeth for all us that work hard and still struggle to get by.

 

[littlesteph]

We're not entitled to anything! You may be entitled to working/family tax credits but I think the threshold for them is pretty low too- I think it's if your total household income in below £26K.

I think it's higher then, think it's about 28 - 30k could be wrong though

 

[littlesteph]

https://www.gov.uk/benefits-credits/tax-credits

that's the link for tax credits,
defiantly worth getting if your entitled even if it is just a few quid. it dose help

 

[bathbabe]

Wow there's no way we'll be entitled to that if you have to earn below £16,000, that's very low!! Thanks anyway hun, I appreciate the reply xx

pretty ridiculous isn't it, its pretty much a kick in the teeth for all us that work hard and still struggle to get by.

We actually both work very hard yet still only earn 21k a year. Yet if I stopped working we would be entitled to EVERYTHING because we would be below 16k. Wheres the sense in that?!

 

[His Princess]

We're not entitled to anything! You may be entitled to working/family tax credits but I think the threshold for them is pretty low too- I think it's if your total household income in below £26K.

I think it's higher then, think it's about 28 - 30k could be wrong though

It's £26K if you have 1 child, then I believe it goes up to £30+K if you have 2 or more.

 

[loeylo]

I'm not entitled to anything either. It is REALLY frustrating as we have decent earnings (I earn £26k my partner earns £19k) but my job isn't permanent, I have worked since I was 14 and never been out of work, even thru Uni, but because I changed employers in December I am only going to be entitled to £135 per week plus child benefit. I get no paid leave whatsoever so our earnings are going to be less than HALF what they would be normally. We still have bills to pay etc - so we are looking at me having to go back to work when she is 13 weeks old we put all our savings into buying a house, so we are both working frantically to try and save to give me as long off as possible!

 

[Penguin20]

I been looking into what I am entitled to because both me and my partner work very hard fulltime but we still will have to cut back while I'm on maternity leave as maternity pay isn't that great.
We been putting away savings but I know it won't cover us for the whole time i'm off and my partner willing to do all these extra hours but don't want him working himself to the bone and never seeing our child as it's not fair on him.
Everything I look into you have to be on a VERY low wage like 16,000

what annoys me is this girl I know have had 2 kids so she doesn't have to work as she doesn't want to and she got a free house and get's loads of money of the government and she doing ok where as me and my partner working and saving really hard to make sure we can provide for our child (sorry about the rant)

 

[Mrs_Bump]

It's tight on maternity but last time it wasn't as bad as I expected. I saved before I went on mat leave and just bought lots of second hand, cooked from scratch,reusable nappies etc and it was definitely doable. Not treats obviously but the bills got paid and I got my year off.

 

[MummyKP]

I'm not too worried as I know we will get by, my hubby is very careful with money, but just thought was worth seeing what we could get that we are entitled to have. Can you apply for the child tax benefits once you go on maternity? Because once I go on maternity I imagine we will come below the 26k mark, but won't beforehand?

 

[His Princess]

I'm not too worried as I know we will get by, my hubby is very careful with money, but just thought was worth seeing what we could get that we are entitled to have. Can you apply for the child tax benefits once you go on maternity? Because once I go on maternity I imagine we will come below the 26k mark, but won't beforehand?

I don't think so MummyKP. I'm pretty sure it's calculated based on your salary so I imagine they'd work it out based on what you'd earn whilst you were working.

 

[bathbabe]

I'm not too worried as I know we will get by, my hubby is very careful with money, but just thought was worth seeing what we could get that we are entitled to have. Can you apply for the child tax benefits once you go on maternity? Because once I go on maternity I imagine we will come below the 26k mark, but won't beforehand?

Yes, you can ring them with your expected earnings for the rest of the tax year.
I did it when I had my son x

 

[bathbabe]

Oh sorry.. just reread it. You can apply once youve had baby. Then once they have given you a yes/no and you have a claim number, ring them and tell them your expected earnings for the rest of the tax year x

 

[littlesteph]

Wow there's no way we'll be entitled to that if you have to earn below £16,000, that's very low!! Thanks anyway hun, I appreciate the reply xx

pretty ridiculous isn't it, its pretty much a kick in the teeth for all us that work hard and still struggle to get by.

We actually both work very hard yet still only earn 21k a year. Yet if I stopped working we would be entitled to EVERYTHING because we would be below 16k. Wheres the sense in that?!

both me and hubby work too

 

[littlesteph]

I'm not too worried as I know we will get by, my hubby is very careful with money, but just thought was worth seeing what we could get that we are entitled to have. Can you apply for the child tax benefits once you go on maternity? Because once I go on maternity I imagine we will come below the 26k mark, but won't beforehand?

not till baby arrives, tax credits tend to go on the previous tax year as well.