worried about maternity leave!

[highhopes19]

im worried that i wont be entitled to maternity pay of any sort as i dont think i have been paying enough national insurance contributions.

i roughly get £500 a month (my hours have drasticly dropped over the last year). so therefore, because of this small amount i have been getting i have only been having really small amounts of national insurnace taken from my wages each month. i didnt see this as a problem untill reading this i found on the internet.


"You are entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) if you have been employed by your employer for a continuous period of at least 26 weeks ending with the 15th week before the expected week of childbirth, and have average weekly earnings at least equal to the lower earnings limit for National Insurance contributions. SMP can be paid for up to 39 weeks; it is payable by the employer but partly (or, for small firms, wholly) reimbursed by the state.

From 3 April 2011 the standard rate of SMP is £128.73 a week (or 90 per cent of your average weekly earnings if this is less than £128.73 a week). For the first six weeks the rate is 90 per cent of average weekly earnings with no maximum limit. The standard rate of SMP is reviewed every April."


would someone be able to kindly explain what this means for me please ?

xxx

 

[MrsMalowey]

Sorry i don't know but im sure someone will be along to answer shortly

I think as long as you pay some NI, you should be fine.

 

[RaspberryK]

The earnings rule
To qualify for SMP, you must have been earning on average:
an amount which at least equals the lower earnings limit which applies on the Saturday at the end of your qualifying week
The lower earnings limit (LEL) is the amount you have to earn before you are treated as paying National Insurance contributions. This is £102 a week if the end of your qualifying week is in the 2011-12 tax year.
If you satisfy both the continuous employment rule and the earnings rule, your employer must pay you SMP. They must pay even if your contract ends at any time after the start of the 15th week before the week your baby is due.

x

 

[DLA]

Didnt' want to read and run. I don't really understand how maternity leave works over there, sorry! My leave is 100% unpaid which sucks big time, one of the few things I will complain about this country for... but we're saving as much as we can. Good luck!

 

[geordiemoo]

If you're not eligible for SMP you might be able to get government maternity allowance, look into that. For that you have to have been employed/earning as a self employed person for 26 in the 66 weeks before you're expected week of child birth and have earned at least £30 per week. You're employer will tell you if you're entitled to SMP or not, if you are you can't get maternity allowance but if you're not you can apply for MA. Hope that makes sense, check out the direct.gov website

 

[firsttimer87]

The earnings rule
To qualify for SMP, you must have been earning on average:
an amount which at least equals the lower earnings limit which applies on the Saturday at the end of your qualifying week
The lower earnings limit (LEL) is the amount you have to earn before you are treated as paying National Insurance contributions. This is £102 a week if the end of your qualifying week is in the 2011-12 tax year.
If you satisfy both the continuous employment rule and the earnings rule, your employer must pay you SMP. They must pay even if your contract ends at any time after the start of the 15th week before the week your baby is due.

x

was going to say the same thing as ^^ as long as you earn over £102 a week (which roughly equals £442 a month) by the time you are 25wks pregnant and have worked with your employer for 26wks by the time you are 25wks pregnant. Hope that make sense

 

[oblada18]

You will likely be entitled to either MA or SMP if you have been working over the last year or so and at your level of earnings whichever it is makes very little (if no) difference; for SMP it is 6 weeks at 90% of your average earnings (calculated between week 17 and 25) and then up to 33 weeks at either 90% of your earnings of £128 per week whichever is lower - for MA it is just up to 39 weeks at 90% of earnings of £128 per week whichever is lower... so with your rate of pay you are likely to simply get 90% of your earnings for 39 weeks whether SMP or MA.... not so bad... ....hope that helps!

 

[highhopes19]

Oooo thankyou ladies

I've been signed off sick for the last 2 weeks and have 2 weeks left with stress/ anxiety caused by employer bullying me
Will this make any difference to the amount of maternity pay/allowance I will receive?

Thankyou feels like a bit of a weight lifted

 

[firsttimer87]

highhopees - it shouldnt make a difference unless your income has dramatically dropped since being off due to no overtime for example. Although it you go off sick in your last 11 weeks (i.e. after wk29) they can make you start your maternity leave instead of being sick xx

 

[oblada18]

If you are off sick at the moment then it means you are likely not to be entitled to SMP but rather MA and it is a good thing in your case as with MA you can use any 13 weeks in the relevant period (66 weeks before the child is due) to calculate your average earnings for the purpose of MA (again the max you will receive is 90% of your earnings or £128 per week whichever is lower)...whilst for SMP your average earning, for entitlement and payment purposes, is calculated based on your wages between week 17 and 25 of your pregnancy...
As far as being off sick and maternity leave - they can only force you to go on maternity leave early if you are 4 weeks to your due date.
xx