NI17A - A guide to Maternity Benefits
Terminology
| ASPP | Additional Statutory Paternity Pay |
| BIS | Department for Business Innovation and Skills |
| Childbirth | Labour resulting in a live birth, or labour after at least 24 weeks of pregnancy. |
| DWP | Department for Work and Pensions. |
| ESA | Employment and Support Allowance |
| European Economic
Area |
All the European Union countries and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Switzerland is not a member of the EEA, but the EC rules on social security also apply to Switzerland. |
| European Union | Member countries are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom (UK), for social security matters, Gibraltar. |
| EWC | Expected Week of Childbirth – the week starting on a Sunday in which your baby is due. |
| KIT | Keeping in Touch days |
| LEL | Lower earnings limit – the point at which you start to be treated as if you have paid National Insurance (NI) contributions. |
| MA | Maternity Allowance. |
| MAP | Maternity Allowance Period - the continuous period of up to 39 weeks in which you can be paid MA. |
| MAT | Maternity Allowance Threshold – minimum level of earnings to qualify for MA. |
| MA test period | The period of 66 weeks immediately preceding the week in which your baby is due. |
| Maternity certificate (MATB1) | Certificate issued by a doctor or midwife showing the date on which your baby is due. |
| MPP | Maternity Pay Period - the continuous period of up to 39 weeks in which you can be paid SMP. |
| NI | National Insurance. |
| Primary earnings threshold | The point at which you have to start actually paying National
Insurance contributions. |
| Qualifying week | The 15th week before the beginning of the week in which your baby is due. |
| SAP | Statutory Adoption Pay. |
| SMP | Statutory Maternity Pay. |
| SPP | Statutory Paternity Pay. |
| SSP | Statutory Sick Pay. |
| United Kingdom (UK) | England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are not part of the UK.* |
| Week | Generally a period of seven days that begins at midnight between Saturday and Sunday. Where SMP begins on a day other than a Sunday, a week means any period of 7 days such as Thursday to Wednesday. |
| Year | Period of 12 months such as from 3 November 2010 to 2 November 2011. |
* The Isle of Man may be treated as part of the UK for the purpose of benefits.
