What am I entitled to?
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Prescriptions and NHS Dental Treatment
These are free while you are pregnant and for 12 months after you have given birth. Your child also gets free prescriptions until age 16.
Child Benefit
A tax-free benefit to help parents with the cost of caring for their children. It is payable for each child from birth until at least age 16.
Income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) and Income Support
Weekly payments for people who are not in work and do not have enough to live on. If your family income falls below a set level the benefit will 'top it up'. This means that you may be able to get income-based JSA or Income Support even if you are already getting Statutory Maternity Pay, Maternity Allowance, Incapacity Benefit or some income from part-time work.
Working Families Tax Credit (WFTC)
A tax-free weekly benefit for working parents on low or middle incomes.
£100 Maternity Payment
A one-off lump sum payment (a grant not a loan) to help buy things for a new baby.
Social Fund Loans
Interest-free loans for people in need. There are different types of Social Fund loans for different circumstances.
Housing Benefit - help with your rent
Housing Benefit will help you pay your rent (in Northern Ireland rent and/or rates) if you're on income-based Jobseekers' Allowance, Income Support, Working Families' Tax Credit, or have a low income.
Help with Mortgage Interest Repayments
If you've got a mortgage and you're on income-based Jobseekers' Allowance (JSA) or Income Support, you may be able to get help with your interest payments, although there is usually a waiting period during which you won't get any help.
Council Tax Benefit
A benefit to help you pay your Council Tax if your income is low.
Free Milk and Vitamins
You can get these free if you get income-based Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) or Income Support. They are for pregnant and breastfeeding women and for children up to the age of five.
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You may be entitled to free milk, fresh fruit and vegetables, infant formula and vitamins under the Healthy Start scheme.
Who is eligible for Healthy Start?
You may qualify if you’re pregnant and/or have at least one child under four years old and your family gets any of the following:
Income Support
income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
Child Tax Credit (but not Working Tax Credit) with an annual family income of £14,155 or less (2006/7)
OR
If you are pregnant and under 18 years old.
What do you get?
You may be able to get vouchers worth £2.80 each that can be spent on milk, fresh fruit and vegetables or infant formula. Pregnant women and children over one and under four years old get one voucher a week. Children under one year old get two vouchers a week. You can also get free vitamin supplements. They're usually available from NHS clinics and health centres but your midwife or health visitor will be able to advise on local arrangements.
How to claim Healthy Start vouchers
You'll need to complete an application form and get your midwife, health visitor or registered doctor or nurse to sign it. You can request a Healthy Start application form by calling 08701 555 455 and quoting reference HS01.
Help with Hospital Fares
If your family gets income-based Jobseekers' Allowance, Income Support or Working Families Tax Credit, you can get a refund for fares to and from the hospital (including visits for antenatal care). Maternity Allowance (MA)
- For women who have changed jobs during pregnancy and/or
- For women who have had periods of low earnings or unemployment during pregnancy
A weekly allowance for women who work just before or during their pregnancy but who can't get Statutory Maternity Pay. You may get Maternity Allowance if you are self-employed, if you stopped work or if you changed jobs during pregnancy.
Incapacity Benefit (IB)
For women who have paid some National Insurance contribution during the last three years, but not many recently.
Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP)
For women who have been in the same job throughout their pregnancy AND
Whose earnings average £67 per week or more
Contribution-based Jobseekers' Allowance (JSA)
An allowance which lasts for up to 26 weeks for people who are unemployed or working less than 16 hours a week.
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Maternity Leave
Ordinary Maternity Leave (OML).
18 weeks' leave for all employed women.
right to return to same job
It is 18 weeks' leave from work for any woman who is employed while she is pregnant. You must give your employer the correct notice.
Additional Maternity Leave (AML).
For women who have been in the same job for one year and 11 weeks or more by the week their baby is due.
You don't have to return to work until your baby is about 29 weeks old.
You can leave work any time from 11 weeks before your due date. You can stay off work for 29 weeks from the start of the actual week your baby is born.
Parental Leave
Unpaid leave from work of 13 weeks per parent per child, to be taken before the child's fifth birthday. It is also available for adoptive parents, in which case you can take it either within five years of the placement for adoption, or by the child's 18th birthday: whichever is earlier. In the case of a child on Disability Living Allowance (DLA), the leave must be taken before the child is 18.
Time Off for Antenatal Care
You have the right to take reasonable time off for your antenatal appointments, including time needed to travel to your clinic or GP, without the loss of pay.
Health and Safety Rights
If you are pregnant, have recently given birth or are breastfeeding, your employer must make sure that the kind of work you do and your working conditions will not put your health or your baby's health at risk. To get the full benefit of this legal protection you must notify your employer in writing that you are pregnant or have recently given birth or are breastfeeding.
