A MATERNITY leave expert has revealed some of the little-known benefits that a lot of women are entitled to when they have a baby.
Katie is the co-founder of Nugget – a page dedicated to maternity leave information – and took to TikTok to detail some of the grants that perhaps aren’t as well known as others.
“Have you heard of the Sure Start Maternity Grant?” Katie said.
“This is a one off payment of £500 for your first child, or if you’re having a multiple birth like twins or triplets.
“If you have triplets, the grant goes up to £1,000.”
To be eligible for the grant, you have to be receiving certain benefits already, including Job Seeker’s Allowance, Universal Credit, Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit.
“You must claim within the time frame, which starts the 11 weeks before your baby’s due or six months after birth – so within that time period,” Katie continued the TikTok video.
“To claim you need a SF100 form, which you can get from the HMRC website.
“You need your MATB1 form and you need a doctor or midwife to fill in a statement on page 16 of the SF100 and then you’ll get a letter through the post letting you know if you’re successful in your claim.”
Things are slightly different if you’re in Scotland – you get a pregnancy and baby payment, and it’s more for your first baby.
“You get £707.25, you need to live in Scotland, you need to be pregnant and you or your partner need to be receiving certain benefits, much like the UK one,” she said.
“The time you can claim is when you’re 24 weeks pregnant, up until six months after the baby’s been born.
“The good thing about the Scottish system is that they check when you apply for the Scottish child payment whether you’re eligible for other benefits and they’ll just automatically enrol you, which is so much easier and very smart.”
In another video, Katie revealed another benefit you can receive while pregnant – namely a council tax reduction.
You can only apply. via your local authority, if you’re on a very low income as a result of your maternity leave, but it can be back dated by one month.
“Also if you’re a single mum and you’re the only adult in the household, there’s a 25% discount on your council tax and this can also be back dated as well,” she added.
“Most district councils will have online forms where you can apply for reduced council tax.”
