Maternity Allowance

Basic qualifying conditions

To qualify for MA you must:

• Be pregnant or have recently given birth
• Have stopped work
• Have been employed or self-employed in at least 26 of the 66 weeks immediately before the expected week of childbirth (EWC), and
• Have earnings from employment or self-employment which, on average, amount to at least £30 a week for any 13 weeks in the 66 weeks immediately before the EWC.

Maternity Allowance is payable for a maximum of 39 weeks, starting no earlier than 11 weeks before the EWC.

Employees: If you are an employee, MA will be paid to you at the rate of 90% of your average weekly earnings, up to a maximum of £241.50 a week.  

Self-employed: If you are self-employed and have paid class 2 National Insurance contributions, you will be paid maternity allowance at the weekly rate of £210.35.

If you are self-employed and have a Small Earnings Exception Certificate, you will be paid maternity allowance at the weekly rate of £27.00.

You must be ordinarily resident in the Isle of Man at the time of your claim.

Applying for Maternity Allowance

Please read leaflet MA5 'A Guide to Maternity Allowance', available via downloadable documents, for further information.

Payments

Payments of Maternity Allowance can be made:

• Weekly or every 2 weeks into your bank account, or
• You can collect them from a post office each week using a MiCard.

Maternity Payment

If you or your partner are getting employed person's allowance (EPA), income support or income-based jobseeker's allowance you may be able to get a Maternity Payment for each child (or still-born child).

It doesn't matter whether or not you're entitled to Maternity Allowance.