How long did it take for your maternity allowance claim to be approved and when did they start paying you out?

Question

Also - how will I know if it has been approved or not? Do they write you a letter or something? It has been two weeks since I submitted my forms and I haven't heard anything yet. Please answer only if you have experience with this kind of claim. Thank you (UK only pls)

Answer 1

OK The bad news..I put in a claim for this at the end of May, they received it 4th June and when I rang up they told me there is a 8-10 week backlog, which means I should receive my Maternity Allowance in August when my baby is due !!!!! Mine should have started 16th June, they do backdate but that don't mean squat when you need to pay rent/bills etc. They will write a letter to you which you should receive any time now but I would ring just to make sure (wouldn't hurt also to  sob on the phone to make them feel guilty !!!). Good News though...Have you heard of the sure start maternity grant (£500, you can claim this from 29 weeks pregnant), you can receive this if you receive certain benefits including Child tax credit, Income Support etc. Pick up the form from your local Job Centre and once sent off it should take about a week to receive (All being well !!!) I got mine last week and it was a huge help, you don't pay this back. Hope this helps !!!

Answer 2

i dont even want to get into this because of how bad my situation went. I got paid after my son was born!