You may be entitled to Universal Credit to ‘top up’ your income whilst you are on maternity leave. You can claim Universal Credit at the same time as maternity pay, however, some or all of your maternity pay will be taken into account when calculating the amount of Universal credit you are entitled to.

Universal Credit is the main benefit for people on a low income who are not already on other means-tested benefits or Tax Credits. If you are already on Working Tax Credits, Child Tax Credit, Housing Benefit, Income Support, income-related Employment Support Allowance or income-based Jobseekers Allowance you should not claim Universal Credit without getting further advice as you could end up worse off and you will not be able to go back on to your old benefits.

Universal Credit is usually a monthly payment to cover your living costs. How much you get will depend on your circumstances. It takes into account your whole household income and savings (including any maternity pay you receive). If you you live with a partner you have to claim jointly (even if your partner is working full-time) and their income and savings will be taken into account. You can’t get Universal Credit if you and/or a partner you live with have more than £16,000 in savings or other assets.

Your Universal Credit payment is made up of a ‘basic allowance’ but you may get more money if you have children, pay for childcare, rent your home, have a disability or health condition, or if you are a carer or care for a disabled child. You will not usually get extra Universal Credit for a third or subsequent child born on or after 6 April 2017, unless an you qualify for an exception to the two-child limit. Unfortunately, you won’t be entitled to any additional ‘maternity’ amount of Universal Credit other than the normal standard allowance and any other elements you are entitled to and you will not get a child element for your new baby until they are born.

There are no minimum number of hours you need to work in order to claim Universal Credit, however, it is a benefit that has work-related requirements. You will not have any work-related requirements if you are pregnant and your baby is due in less than 11 weeks or your baby was born less than 15 weeks ago (including stillbirth). You will also have no work-related requirements whilst your baby is under one year old, if you are the main carer for your baby.

You can use a benefits calculator to help you work out how much UC you might get.

Please note, it is no longer possible to make a new claim for Tax Credits as they have been abolished and replaced with Universal Credit. However, if you have an existing Tax Credits claim you may be able to claim Child Tax Credit for your baby once they are born.

You can add a new child to an existing Child Tax Credit claim. You can also start getting Child Tax Credit, if you have only previously been getting Working Tax Credit and you have a new child. But if you are not getting any Tax Credits you will have to see if you are eligible for Universal Credit instead.

If you already have two or more children, you will not be able to get Child Tax Credit for a third or subsequent child born on or after 6 April 2017, however, you should still let HMRC know about the birth. If your third or subsequent child is disabled you can get a disabled child addition for them and you can also claim help with childcare costs for them, despite not getting the standard rate of Child Tax Credit for them.

If you do not qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) or Maternity Allowance (MA), you may be able to claim New-Style Employment and Support Allowance (New Style ESA) for a short period before and after birth. New Style ESA is a benefit based on National Insurance contributions for those who have a disability or health condition that affects how much they can work. You can apply if you’re employed, self-employed or unemployed.

If you are pregnant and within six weeks of your expected week of childbirth, you can be automatically treated as having ‘limited capability for work’ in order to qualify for New Style ESA. Your MATB1 certificate will be accepted as evidence of incapacity to work. You can continue to receive New Style ESA for 14 days after the baby is born.

You must meet the National Insurance contribution conditions for New Style ESA. You must have made enough National Insurance contributions in the last two tax years (not including the current tax year).

The rate of New Style ESA varies according to your circumstances. You can claim New Style ESA at the same time as Universal Credit, however, it will be deducted in full from any Universal Credit you get so you will not be financially better off claiming both together. 

For more information about New Style ESA and how to claim it, see the Government page on ESA.

For your first child, you may be eligible for a one-off Sure Start Maternity Grant of £500 to help with the costs of the new child. You need to be in receipt of certain benefits including Child Tax Credit or Universal Credit to qualify. You will not have to pay the grant back and it will not affect your other benefits or Tax Credits

Please note that you must make the claim within 6 months of the baby’s birth. It is therefore worth filling in the forms well before the baby is born (this can be done within 11 weeks of the baby’s due date).

You may be eligible for the Healthy Start scheme, which aids expectant mothers, new parents and their children to eat healthily. If you are in receipt of Universal Credit, your earned income has to be £408 or less per month to qualify. If you’re on Tax Credits you’ll qualify if you’re entitled only to Child Tax Credit, but not Working Tax Credit.

With this scheme, you can get free vitamins and a pre-paid card towards the costs of milk, vegetables, and fruit. If you qualify for the Healthy Start scheme, then once you are ten weeks pregnant, you are entitled to £4.25 a week for yourself which is added to your pre-paid card. When your baby is born you get another £4.25 a week added to your card (£8.50 in total). You are entitled to this each week until your baby is one (or until it is a year since the expected date of birth, if your baby was premature). Then you are entitled to £4.25 a week until your child is four. 

You should be able to claim Child Benefit once your baby is born. You get Child Benefit if you are responsible for bringing up a child who is:

• under 16
• under 20 if they stay in approved education or training

Child Benefit is paid at a higher for your eldest or only child and a lower rate for any other children you are responsible for. It is paid every month and there is no limit to how many children you can claim for.

Only one person can get Child Benefit for a child – meaning that only one parent can claim, but not both. Some or all of Child Benefit is repayable if you or a partner you live with have a taxable income of more than £60,000 (£50,000 prior to 6 April 2024). If you earn less than this, you will not need to repay any of it – so it will depend on the family’s finances.

If you are in England, Wales or Scotland, you may be able to get help with the Council Tax via council tax reduction. You are more likely to qualify for this help once you have a child. If you live in Northern Ireland, you should check whether you can get any help with the rates.

If you are claiming Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit, but this does not cover your full rent, you may be entitled to a Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP). You might get a DHP to cover a shortfall in rent or to help you with rent deposits or rent in advance if you need to move home. You’ll need to contact your local council to apply. They will assess your circumstances and decide whether to award you a DHP.

You will be eligible for free prescriptions and NHS dental treatment during your pregnancy until a year after you have given birth. Prescriptions are free for everyone in Scotland and Wales. Speak to your midwife, doctor or health visitor who will complete the application for a maternity exemption certificate which is required to get free prescriptions.

The Warm Homes Discount Scheme

If you are on certain benefits, including Tax Credits or Universal Credit you could get a discount off your electricity (or gas bill, depending on the supplier) for winter under the Warm Home Discount Scheme. Not all energy providers are signed up to the scheme, but you should check if yours is and whether you meet their eligibility criteria.

Social Tariffs for water bills

If you’re on certain benefits, including Tax Credits or Universal Credit you could get cheaper water rates through a social tariff. All water companies should have a social tariff for people on low income benefits, so you should contact your supplier to find out more.

Social Tariffs for landline and broadband bills

You might be entitled to cheaper landline/broadband through a social tariff if you’re on certain benefits, including Tax Credits or Universal Credit. Not all landline/broadband suppliers provide a social tariff but it’s worth checking if yours does and whether you can get a cheaper deal.