Universal credit during maternity leave
Hiya everyone, I'm a first time mum and will be going on maternity leave at the beginning of February. I am entitled to 26 weeks full pay from my current job, which will then drop down to statutory maternity pay for the remainder of the year. I was initially planning on taking 8 months off and returning early; however, I have just found out I should be eligible for benefits for the remainder, so I am interested in taking a little longer off.
Whilst on statutory maternity pay, I will be entitled to universal credit to support with paying rent, etc, but I just wanted to know roughly when I should look at applying? I won't be entitled to anything during the first 26 weeks but I am conscious I may need at least one bank statement to prove my total income has dropped. Any advice would be appreciated x
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Apply around 2 months before you’ll need it x
Remember you can get child benefit as well. Once baby is registered ypu can apply. X
Following as mine drops in Feb, how to apply 2 months before if no proof of payslip or can I send my letter that shows what I’ll get paid those reminding months?
your UC amount changes each month based on how much your take home pay is. It’s automatically calculated based on what is reported to HMRC so you don’t prove your earnings yourself. Your first month may be £0 but that’s fine, each month will be recalculated and if you’re entitled as your wage has dropped, you’ll get paid. Applying early means you have time to get everything verified in time for your wage drop x
That's really helpful, thank you all 💞. Was slightly concerned as it mentioned a 5 week delay after applying, but I'm assuming applying early will allow that delay to be bypassed.
you are a diamond! Thank you, this means so much& a massive help. I’ll get on that the next few days then!x
I couldn't get a single thing from UC until my baby was born. We applied but as we're not eligible it was denied. As soon as baby was born and registered, we immediately applied again and got accepted
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