Maternity Payment

Qualifying conditions

You can get a Maternity Payment if –

• you or your partner get Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or Employed Person's Allowance; and
• you, or you and your partner together, have savings of £6,000 or less; and
• either -
  • you, your partner or a dependent child or young person of yours is expecting a baby within the next 11 weeks or has given birth to a child (or a still-born child) within the last 6 months, or
  • you or your partner is responsible for a child in one of the circumstances set out below.

Responsible for a child

The child must not be more than 12 months old when you claim a Maternity Payment, and one of the following must also apply:

• The child’s parents are not partners at the date of the claim and either –
  • you’re the parent (but not the mother) of the child and you’re responsible for the child, or
  • you’re responsible for both the parent of the child who is not the child’s mother and the child;

• The child has been placed with you or your partner for adoption and you’re responsible for the child;
• You or your partner have been granted an adoption or a residence order for the child and you’re responsible for the child;
• You or your partner have permission to adopt the child from abroad and you’re responsible for the child;
• You or your partner have been granted a parental order for the surrogate birth of the child and you’re responsible for the child; or
• You or your partner have been appointed the guardian of the child and you’re responsible for the child.

To be responsible for a child you or your partner must normally be getting child benefit for that child.

But you can be treated as getting child benefit for the child for any week you’re not entitled to child benefit because of the household income test.

You’ll also be regarded as responsible for the child if no-one is getting child benefit for them and they usually live with you.

Applying for a Maternity Payment

Complete claim form SF100(IOM) and return it to us with evidence of the expected date of birth or actual date of birth (this can be your Co-op card or MATB1 certificate), or in the case of adoption or the granting of a residence or parental order send us documentary evidence of this.

Send your claim to us between the 11^th week before the expected week of childbirth and up to 6 months after the child is born (or the still birth). If you have become responsible for a child in one of the circumstances mentioned above, you should claim within 6 months of doing so.

Amount of Maternity Payment

The amount of a Maternity Payment is £700 for each child (or still-born child).

But if you’ve received a Maternity Payment in the 3 years before making your latest claim for a Maternity Payment the amount is £350 for each child (or still-born child).

Maternity Payment is paid in the same way as you or your partner (if you have one) are paid Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employed Person’s Allowance.