contribution job seekers and pregnant confused???

[lsharp]

hey
i am currently getting contrubution job seekers allowance, due to being made redundant...i am now 5 months pregnant due 15th feb, my benefit stops on 3rd feb...does anyone know what happens oncee this stops as my partner works full time and i do not qualify for income based job seekers, i also have a 3 year old. i asked the lady at the job centre and she literally didnt have a clue!! so do i claim till it ends, have baby and get nothing?? im confused
any help is greatful
with regards

[THECORBYLOON]

If you qualify for Maternity Allowance (MA), you will get £128.73 a week or 90% of you average earnings whichever is lower. The JSA will stop eleven weeks before the week in which the wee one's due.

[lsharp]

hi thanks for your reply but i have been told mine doesnt stop 11 weeks before due date as i do not qualify for income based, also i was told maternity allowance is only when you dont qualify for statutory maternity allowance(when u have been employed for 26weeks) its too confusing lol

[lsharp]

im out of work so dont qualify for maternity allowance

[lsharp]

hi yeah i was thinking of them seems as job centre are useless and havnt got a clue, its maddness

[THECORBYLOON]

Sorry, but whoever telt you you had to be in employment to get MA is wrong.

[THECORBYLOON]

See here for the qualifying conditions for MA, http://www.direct.gov...pchildren/DG_10018869

[THECORBYLOON]

There's also a guide to MA leaflet here, http://www.dwp.gov.uk...a-guide-to-maternity/

[lsharp]

it says clearly that you have to have earnt at least £30 a week working to qualify for maternity allowance

[THECORBYLOON]

Yes but it's in any twenty-six weeks in the sixty-six weeks in the Test Period.

[lsharp]

im so thick lol, im rather confused, i havnt earnt any money since my job which was beginning of august....i thought u can only get MA when u do not qualify for statutory maternity allowance, says you are eligible if you have earnt over £30 a week........im very confused sorry

[THECORBYLOON]

There are a few conditions you need to satisfy to get MA so here goes.

1 You can’t be entitled to SMP

2 You need to have been employed for twenty-six weeks in the sixty-six weeks ending in the week before the wee one is due (the Test Period) and the twenty-six weeks don’t need to be one period, they can be ANY twenty-six weeks. It doesn’t matter if you were off work sick in any of the twenty-six weeks, you just need to be employed so it doesn’t matter if you weren’t at work all the time.

3 Your average earnings must be at least £30 each week. The average earnings are the best thirteen weeks’ earnings in the Test Period (again, they needn’t be in a row) added together and then divided by thirteen to get an average. As long as the average is at least £30, that’s okay.

If you satisfy the conditions, the rate of MA will be 90% of the average earnings or £128.73, whichever is lower.

[THECORBYLOON]

Sorry I should not have said the average earnings should be £30 EACH week, it should have been just £30 a week. The reason is, you could have been working for tweny-six weeks and been paid £20 for twenty-five of them and got £150 in only one.

Taking the best thirteen weeks gives 12 X £20 and 1 x £150 = £390

You've not earnt an average £30 EACH week but the average is £30.