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Hiya, im 17yo and 19 weeks pregnant, i stopped working at the start of my pregnancy because i had really bad sickness constantly which hasnt passed yet so im not working. I live with the baby's dad at his mums house and he works full time. I was just wondering what i can claim, how and when? Thanks :) x

Hi Reagan congratulations on ur pregnancy. Im pretty sure you probably wouldnt be able to claim anything yourself as you are only 17 and you are classed as living with your partner as a couple your boyfriend should be able to claim working tax for you both and when the baby is born you will b entitled to child tax credit. your best bet is to ring the inland revenue and explain your situation to them. When you are 25 weeks pregnant your midwife will give you a form to fill in to claim your health in pregnancy grant which is £190 and then at 29 weeks you will need to go to your local job centre and ask them for a sure start maternity grant form to claim £500 take it to your midwife to sign. Hope this helps good luck. Amy x 

Hiya, I thought both of you had to be working to be entitled to working tax credit?

Hi Jacqueline in answer to your question i dont work but my husband does, he works 40 hours a week. We are entitled to working tax and child tax credit it all depends on how much u earn we av 2 daughters and another due in 6 days. Amy x

Hiya,

If you have children already then either or both of you have to work to be eligible for Workign tax credits. If you dont have children I think you have to be over 25 and work more than 30 hours per week. There is an online calculator which will help you determine if you MAY be entitled to tax credits before the baby is born it would be worth doing that.

With regards to the Sure start grant - if you are not on any qualifying benefits or in receipt of CTC then it is unlikely you will get the grant BEFORE the baby is born.  visit direct.gov and download the form from there, they will tell you what you need to ensure you can claim the sure start grant.  You do have until 3 months after the baby is born to claim it, so it may be better to wait until after the baby is born if you dont meet the criteria now.

At the moment, if you are off sick from work you should be able to claim Employment Support Allowance (ESA) which is the new form of Incapcity Benefit.  Again, direct.gov have some information on this.  This will involve receiving sick notes from your dr and then sending them into DWP.  This is roughly £70 a week and depends on NI credits etc - I think that although you are 17 you should be able to claim ESA as an individual (as your partner works)  the other option is JSA, Job seekers allowance, which you could try and claim as a young person (and an individual) , as being pregnant doesnt make you incapable of work until nearer your due date (and only then for 2 weeks post delivery!).

My first port of call for you would be to visit direct.gov and see what help is there for you. AS you are a young person, there may be additional help available.  You may also be entitlted to materntiy Allowance if not maternity pay from 29 weeks, and if you are not entitled to maternity allowance then you may get incapcity benifit (ESA).

Good luck! Jill, kayleigh 12, Nico 6 and 32 week very large bump! x