NI17A - A guide to Maternity Benefits
Maternity Allowance (MA)
- Extra benefit for your dependants
- How other benefits affect MA
- How payments from your employer affect MA
Extra benefit for your dependants
An increase of your MA may be paid for one adult dependant. The current amount payable is shown in leaflet Social Security Benefit Rates.
If the adult dependant is your husband or civil partner you may get an increase if both of the following apply:
- the persons earnings or occupational pension are no more than the increase normally payable for a dependant and
- the person normally lives with you, or you are contributing to their maintenance, a sum that is at least as much as the amount of the increase you would get.
If the adult dependant is a person looking after children, you may get an increase if all of the following apply:
- you are entitled (or can be treated as entitled) to Child Benefit for the children and
- they normally live with you, or you are contributing to their maintenance, a sum that is at least as much as the amount of the increase you would get and
- you do not get an increase for your husband or civil partner.
You cannot get an increase for an adult dependant who has stopped work or lost their job because of involvement in a trade dispute.
If you wish to claim an increase, you should fill in the appropriate part of your MA claim form MA1. Or ask at Jobcentre Plus.
Effect of other benefits
An increase for a dependant may be reduced or not paid at all if you or anyone else is getting a payment for the same dependant under the War Pensions, Industrial Injuries, or training allowances schemes.
This includes an allowance under any Youth Training Scheme. This also applies if a partner or other adult dependant is receiving payment in his or her own right under any such scheme, including the Job Release Scheme. (But it will not apply if the payment is a War Pension or Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.)
How other benefits affect MA
Your MA may be reduced, or not paid at all, if you get another social security benefit or a training allowance (including an allowance under the Youth Training Scheme).
How payments from your employer affect MA
Occupational maternity pay, payment in kind or any other payments made to you by your employer will not affect the payments of your MA. But remember that you cannot get MA if your employer pays SMP to you.