Maternity Allowance Test Period  

Does anyone know if DWP has relaxed the Test Period rules for Maternity Allowance due to Covid 19? I have a client who is a self employed hairdresser and is expecting on 15 June. Normally you need to have worked 26 weeks of the 66 weeks before the due date to qualify for MA. She has only worked about 21 weeks due to the Lockdowns, but would have worked well over 26 weeks if it were not for the Lockdowns.

It is likely they should be fine as most breaks in self-employment are still treated as being periods of self-employment.

See the following links for more on this:

https://www.gov.uk/hmrc-internal-manuals/national-insurance-manual/nim20700

Para. 62521 here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/965137/dmgch62.pdf#page=13

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1978/1689/schedule/2

Great, thanks Charles