Change of circumstances - Pregnancy

How being pregnant may affect the benefits which you receive or may be entitled to.

Carer's Allowance

If you are in receipt of Carer's Allowance any Statutory Maternity Pay or Statutory Sick Pay you receive will be classed as earnings.

Any award of Maternity Allowance or Incapacity Benefit or Employment and Support Allowance will have to be taken into account because these benefits are affected by Carer's Allowance.

Child Benefit

If you are pregnant your Child Benefit will not be affected.

Disability Living Allowance

Your Disability Living Allowance will not be affected if you are pregnant.

Housing Benefit

Your Housing Benefit will not be affected if you or your partner are pregnant.

Income Support/Jobseeker's Allowance

If you or your partner are getting Income Support / Jobseeker's Allowance you can get help with Health Service Treatments and Healthy Start Vouchers·which can be used to buy milk, fruit and vegetables or infant formula.

If you are an expectant mother's partner and receive Jobseeker's Allowance (Income based) and an increase is paid for the expectant mother any Maternity Allowance or Incapacity Benefit payable will have to be taken into account.

If you are an expectant mother's partner and receive Jobseeker's Allowance (Contribution based), it will not be affected.

Maternity Allowance/Incapacity Benefit/Employment and Support Allowance

If for some reason you or your partner are unable to get Statutory Maternity Pay, (for example, if you are self-employed or have recently changed jobs), you may qualify for Maternity Allowance.

If your employers have refused to pay you Statutory Maternity Pay, you should get form SMP 1 and send it with your claim for Maternity Allowance.

To get Maternity Allowance you must satisfy two conditions, the employment condition and the earnings condition.

If you or your partner do not qualify for either Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance you may be able to get Employment and Support Allowance.

If you are already in receipt of Incapacity Benefit or Employment and Support Allowance you should obtain form MAT B1 from your doctor or midwife and submit it to Incapacity Benefits Branch as soon as possible.

Severe Disablement Allowance

Severe Disablement Allowance is a benefit payable to you if you have paid insufficient National Insurance Contributions to qualify for Incapacity Benefit or Employment and Support Allowance.

If you are entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay the amount of Severe Disablement Allowance (including any increase for an adult and/or child dependant in payment) will be reduced by the amount of the Statutory Maternity Pay and any balance shall be payable.

Statutory Maternity Pay

If you or your partner work for an employer and are expecting a baby, you may be entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay, whether you intend to return to work or not.

You must tell your employer at least 28 days before you intend to stop work because of your pregnancy.

Statutory Sick Pay

If you are already off work and receiving Statutory Sick Pay, it will stop if you change to Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance, but you will still have to tell your employers 28 days before you intend to stop work because of your pregnancy.