Maternity Allowance

If you meet some but not all of the qualifying conditions for SMP, you may get Maternity Allowance (MA) instead.

MA is paid for a maximum of 39 weeks and can start from the 11th week before your baby is due, as long as you have stopped work.

Who can get it?

There are currently three ways of qualifying for MA:

• if you have been working for your employer for less than 26 weeks but you meet all the other qualifications for SMP, and you have worked for at least 26 weeks in total (with different employers) in the 66 weeks prior to the week when your baby is due, you will get standard rate MA. This is identical to the standard rate of SMP — £138.18 a week or 90% of your average earnings, whichever is the lower;

• if your earnings are too low for you to get SMP but you fulfil all the other qualifying conditions, and you have earnings of at least £30.00 a week on average (even from different jobs), you will receive MA paid at 90% of your average earnings;

• if you are self-employed, your earnings will be assessed as equal to £111.00 a week for any week when you paid Class 2 National Insurance contributions. If, for any period, you are exempt from paying National Insurance and hold an exemption certificate for that period, you will be treated as earning £30.00 a week. You will then receive MA at the standard rate of £138.18 a week or 90% of your average earnings, whichever is the lower.

How to claim

If you do not qualify for SMP, your employer has to give you an SMP1 form. You need to complete this and send it with form MA1 (available from your local Jobcentre Plus or benefits office, or to download at: www.dwp.gov.uk/advisers/claimforms/ma1_print.pdf, together with your maternity certificate MATB1, to the local Jobcentre Plus or benefits office, which will make arrangements for the payments.