For Working Women:

Statutory Maternity Pay

If you are working then you can receive Statutory Maternity Pay, you need to be earning £86 or more a week to qualify. You will get paid by your employer for up to 26 weeks, while you are not working. The amount you would get is 90% of your wage for the first 6 weeks and £100 for the remaining 12 weeks (or 90% of your wage if this is less than £100).

Maternity Allowance

If you are self employed or earning £30 or more you can get Maternity Allowance, which is again paid for a maximum of 26 weeks while you are not working. You would be paid either £100 or 90% of your earnings if this is less than £100.

For Women who don't work:

If you are not working then you might be able to claim Incapacity Benefit. You would need to have enough National Insurance contributions to qualify and would receive money for 11 weeks before your baby is due and 14 days after it is born. You would get £54.40 a week.

Extra help for people on low incomes:

Sure Start Maternity Grant

To qualify for this you or your partner need to be receiving; Income Support, income-based job seekers allowance, Pension Credit, Child Tax Credit which includes an amount higher than the family element or
Working Tax Credit where a disability or severe disability element is included in the award. You can claim from the 29th week of pregnancy until the baby is three months old. You get around £500 to help pay for stuff for the baby. The money does not have to be paid back.

Free Milk and Vitamins

While pregnant and for a year after giving birth you can qualify for free milk and vitamins if you are on income-based Job seekers Allowance or Income Support.

Help with Hospital Fares

If you are claiming income-based Job seeker's Allowance, Income Support or Working Families Tax Credit you can claim refunds for the transport costs of going into hospital (including antenatal visits).

Rights for Pregnant Women

If you are working you have the right to take off time for antenatal appointments, you also are allowed to take 26 weeks maternity leave. If you have worked for your employer for longer than a year they may extend the amount of maternity leave you can take.

For All Pregnant Women

When you are pregnant and for a year after you have given birth you can get free prescriptions and dental care, you will need to fill in a FW8 form to qualify for this, which you can get from your doctor or midwife.

Child Benefit

This is payable to all parents, either to the mother or the father, it does not depend upon National Insurance contributions or income. You can get this if your child is under 16, or under 19 and in full time education. You get £16.05 a week for your first child and £10.75 a week for any following children.

The person who claims the child benefit will automatically receive Home Responsibilities Protection while their child is under 16. Home Responsibilities Protection reduces the number of NI contributions you need to have to qualify for a state pension, so it is important that it is the parent staying at home that has child benefit in his/her name.

Child Tax Credit

This is a benefit payable to all families with children under 16 (or up to the age of 18 if in full time education), it is paid to the main carer and is composed of two elements. The family element is payable to any family that qualifies, the baby element is paid to any family with a child under a year and the child element is paid out for each child, at a higher rate if the child has disabilities.

Working Tax Credit

This is payable to people working more than 16 hours a week. The element particulary relevant to parents with ME/CFS is that you can get help towards childcare costs if (as a couple) one of you works 16 hours or more a week and the other receives a disability benifit. Your child must be under 15 years old to qualify.

You can get up to a maximum of 70p for every £1 you pay out in childcare costs. There is a limit of £135 per week for one child and £200 for two or more. This means the most you can get in your childcare element is £94.50 (£135 at 70p in the £1) if you have one child, or £140 (£200 at 70p in the £1) if you have two or more children.

Cheap Formula Milk

You may be entitled to reduced price formula milk for a child under the age of one if you are on a low income.

More information about benefits can be found of the Department of Social Services web site at: http://www.dss.gov.uk/