Apply For Maternity Allowance Northern Ireland : nidirect

Organization : Nidirect
Type of Facility : Apply For Maternity Allowance
Country: Northern Ireland

Website : https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/

Apply For Maternity Allowance :

Maternity Allowance is a benefit for working pregnant women who are unable to get Statutory Maternity Pay.

Related : Nidirect Apply For Employment & Support Allowance Northern Ireland : www.statusin.org/9227.html

How to use this service:
Maternity Allowance is paid for up to 39 weeks and is not subject to tax and National Insurance. It is not paid while you are working.

You make a claim by printing out a claim form and filling it in. When you have filled in the form you can either:
** post it to the office whose details are shown on the form, or
** hand it in at your nearest Social Security / Jobs and Benefits office
** Social Security / Jobs and Benefits office (contacts section)

Important:
The date the claim form is received in a Social Security Agency office is the date we can consider payment from – not the date you downloaded the claim form.

Who can get Maternity Allowance:
You may be able to get Maternity Allowance (MA) if:
You are not entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) from any of your employers,
Your employer will give you a form SMP1 which says why you cannot get SMP. If you have more than one employer, send us an SMP1 from each employer.

You may not be able to get Statutory Maternity Pay because:
** you were not employed in the 15th week before the week your baby is due, or
** you have not been employed by the same employer for long enough, or
** you have not been earning enough. and
** you have been employed or self-employed for at least 26 weeks in the 66 weeks before the week you expect to have your baby, and
** your average gross weekly earnings are at least £30 a week, and
** you have stopped work to have your baby,

If you are employed, we may check the information you have given us with your employer:
By employer we mean the person or organisation who pays the employer’s share of Class 1 National Insurance (NI) contributions.

We still call them an employer, even if they don’t pay Class 1 NI contributions because of an employee’s age or level of earnings.

We call you employed even if you are an agency worker, if:
** you pay Class 1 NI contributions on your earnings, or
** you would pay Class 1 NI contributions, but you do not because of your age or level of earnings.

You may be able to get Maternity Allowance (MA) for 14 weeks if for at least 26 weeks during your test period:
** you must have been taking part in activities related to the business of your self-employed spouse or civil partner, and
** for the same 26 weeks you must be, or have been married or in a civil partnership with the same self-employed person, and
** you must not be a partner in or an employee of the business of your spouse or civil partner, and
** you must not be employed or self-employed in any other occupation. And for the same 26 weeks during your test period your spouse or civil partner must have been:
** registered as self-employed with HMRC and have a liability to pay Class 2 National Insurance contributions, and
** working as a self-employed earner in their business. Also, to get this Maternity Allowance you must not be entitled to or receiving:
** Statutory Maternity Pay from a current or former employer for the same pregnancy, or
** Maternity Allowance for 39 weeks for the same pregnancy

By taking part in activities related to the business we mean carrying out the same or ancillary tasks which support the business of your self-employed spouse or civil partner.

If you are taking part in the activities related to the business of your self-employed spouse or civil partner, we may ask for further information about the activities you do or about their business.