Thanks to you all! Thats really useful and has helped me work it out in my head! Finally! A rest off.
Will let you know how I get on next week then!
Hi - there are 2 types of maternity benefits for people who have been working.
One of them is Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) which you can get if you've been working for your employer roughly since (well, just slightly before - because you will be due in 14 weeks time when you are 26 weeks pregnant) you became pregnant.
The other one is Maternity Allowance, and it doesn't matter if you've switched employers, as well as the minimum earnings and number of weeks you've worked in total being much more relaxed. Both are payable for up to 39 weeks and I think thye're both £117 a week (but there's possibly a bit more at the start).
Don't forget about Child Tax Credit, Working tax credit and the Sure Start Maternity Grant which you might qualify for if you're on a low income.
Good luck with that, any questions I'd do my best to help, just message me as a friend. Good luck!
I know I'm jumping the gun a bit because i'm still ttc, but i'm very unhappy in my current job (where i've been for 8yrs)and looking for another (have an interview planned too!) but worried if I leave I won't get any maternity benefits. I've read that you have to work 26 weeks by the time your 15 weeks before your due date, but I can't figure that out in my head! I know i'm being thick, but is a normal pregnancy 39 weeks? So in effect i'd have to be 13 weeks pregnant if I got a new job and retain benefits?!? Hope someone can throw some light on it for me and help my poor worried head! Sorry its confusing!
Hiya, I had alsorts of problems at my place of work when I was pregnant because they had no clue what to do in a pregnancy situation. I got the best advice from ACAS you can find their number on the net but they deal with everything to do with employment law. My understanding was that you had to work for a company continuously for 26 weeks to be able to claim maternity benefits but I don't know about how that is affected by the number of weeks you are pregnant. If you want to add me as a friend I will happily pass on all the advice I was given. My little one is 10 months now. xxx
Hi, Basically if your nine weeks pregnant by the time you start work your cool. So if your still ttc and you have a interview now your fine. A pregnancy is 40wks in total. Take care and good luck
I know I'm jumping the gun a bit because i'm still ttc, but i'm very unhappy in my current job (where i've been for 8yrs)and looking for another (have an interview planned too!) but worried if I leave I won't get any maternity benefits. I've read that you have to work 26 weeks by the time your 15 weeks before your due date, but I can't figure that out in my head! I know i'm being thick, but is a normal pregnancy 39 weeks? So in effect i'd have to be 13 weeks pregnant if I got a new job and retain benefits?!? Hope someone can throw some light on it for me and help my poor worried head! Sorry its confusing!