Self Employed Fathers

Hi,

As I am about to become a father for the first time I have been looking into various aspects...joy of joys.

Something I came across, as a self employed web developer, I am not entitled to any form of SPP...I know I am self employed and Statory Paternity Pay is a PAYE element.

But if I was a self employed lady I would get some form of Maternity Benefits.

Does anyone know why this anomaly exists?

Have sent various letter to various people and all I get is I am not entitled to SPP, as I am not employed...Seems somepeople can't read questions!!!!

Dads do you get it

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Thanks for that, but once again I must have written something down badly.

I know as a self employed person I am not entitled to SPP.

My question is why as a self employed person I am not entitled to "self-employed Paternity benefit, cash give out, freebie or whatever you want to call it"?

When pregnant self employed ladies are entitled to a form of Maternity pay/leave/benefit

Your body hasn't gone through nine months of torture and while yes, some of us men do have breasts, they aren't going to feed anyone. Women need maternity leave, men don't.

I see what you are saying as it means you cannot have time off to support your partner like an employed man can. It seems very unfair to me but as employed men only get a very small amount of paternity pay anyway then I suspect that they just don't even consider it for self employed men. Maybe you should start a petition or something - I would sign it.
Sorry I can't be more help or advise of some money you can get but I know of nothing.

I also expect it is in relation to the National Insurance payments that are made. I have not worked self employed myself, but I believe that you only pay a very small amount of NI (£2.20 a week) in comparison to an employee (% of salary both by employee and employer, over £100 a month in my case). It is the NI that pays for Statutory Paternity Pay, Statutory Sick Pay and so on, so this is why you are not entitled.

NI Payments have very little to do with it, being that a lady would get maternity pay/money/grant whatever it is called for self employed mothers.

Plus self emplyed persons can pay as much or as little based on their profits.

And maybe women do go through all the hassle and pain...but I did not make the rules regarding men and paternity pay/leave.

If we are going to have such things, then they should not be discriminatory...

From the HMRC website regarding Maternity Allowance which is what self employed women can claim.

"Women who are not entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay from their employer, or are self-employed, may be able to receive Maternity Allowance. This is usually paid for 26 weeks. The earliest payment can start is 11 weeks before the baby is due. To get this benefit you must have been employed or self-employed for at least 26 weeks in the 66 week period ending with the week before your expected week of confinement.

In addition, your earnings on average must be at least equal to the Maternity Allowance Threshold of £30.00 a week. Contributions must be paid, at the latest, before the end of the second tax year after the year in which they were due. If you are not sure whether you have paid enough contributions, contact your nearest Jobcentre Plus, or, in Northern Ireland, social security office."

Obviously it is harder for a woman to work at the end of the pregnancy and they can't easily go straight back to work.
I hear what you are saying about there being a level of unfairness and I don't know how a self-employed person pays themself but I would assume you could pay yourself while on paternity leave, if you have sufficient money. As it is only payable for two weeks it does seem silly not to have SPP paid to self-employed. Employees are only entitled to SPP if they earn a certain amount, so I am sure it is NI related. At the end of the day I guess it is one benefit of being employed, although a consideration that has to be taken into account when choosing to go self-employed, although probably the furthest thing from most people's minds when considering the change to being SE.

My husband and I are self employed and both pay NI contributions. I will receive Maternity Allowance, but he cannot receive Satutory Paternity Pay Obviously it would be nice for him to be entitled to the same beneifit as employed fathers, and it seems unfair that he is not.

SPP may not seem much, but in this current financial climate it would make a big difference to a small business owner who will have to 'shut up shop' in order to take any time off, leaving us with no income. (He has worked 7 days a week since May to try and plan ahead, but consumers just aren't spending as much right now)

I have to have a c section in 3 weeks time and have no one else to look after our young son whilst I'm in hospital, so he'll have to close, and we'll have to be income-less until I come out of hospital and am able to cope with a 22 month old (not easy when I won't be able to pick him up)and a baby.

Its not just about time for Daddy to bond with Baby but also that we mums need essential physical support....

Me and my hubbie were talking abouthtis last night. We were havin gone of our reminissing moments about when our daughter was born and how he took only 2 weeks of work but was not paid for this luxary and how he got one o fhis mates ot run his business fo rhim fo rthis period and how it cost him a fortune for the luxary of bein gable to saty at home with me, his new daughter and our 2 year old son. He paid his mate £150 a week as his mate refused to take the full wage as he felt he was taking money away from a new-born baby that he was going ot get the joy of watching grow up as well. I got maternity pay as well as the other payments that mothers are entitled too. I ended up givin gmy hubbie some of my maternity pay just to help him with his business. Any way it was reported the other week that fathers are not taking there allowed paternity leave so why can't the goverment give self-employed fathers paternaity pay even if it is only a week or 2 leave that htey take at least they are getting something. My hubbie was told and I will check the letter as he still has soemwhere. That appartently a self-empployed mother has to take leave by law and the materbuty pay we receive covers a very small amount of the pay we loss due ot having a baby were as fathers can continue doing htere work after having a baby at home as the new baby is not dependant on the father. It is the mother that will do most f the owrk if not all the work if they decided to nuture there baby. Pathetic I know and what happens if the mother is not nutureing ther baby they can go back to work after 6 first 6 weeks were as a father is expecting to return after only 14 days

Unfortunately I think it's just a case of nothing you can do. We have our own business and so for us it was a case of either hubby going to work and me coping on my own OR him staying home to help and no money coming in for that period of time. I think there are many of others in the same boat and like it or not it probably wont change.
With our first baby he missed 7 WORKING days, with our second he missed 3 WORKING days and with our third he missed 2 WORKING days and then a few days a couple of weeks after that as we were moving house.
I guess you have to budget so you can make do financially around that time.

im self employed on a low income and cannot save enough to take a decent amount of time off to care for my partner. as a father i find it disgusting that the government wont help me for a week or so with the same benefits that any inemployed person gets.

my advice for anyone in my situation is simply to close down your business, become unemployed due to 'work drying up' and claim the standard benefits. after 2 weeks just return to work. make sure you tell the council and return to normal. I hate doing things this way but unfortunately our government does not always provide for us despite our taxes and NI contributions.

Maybe because you're not the one whose conceiving. The only thing you can do is to support your partner.

Its really frustating - I've been employed for the last 15 years and paid loads of NI but earlier this year I took the decision to step out on my own. Despite all the earlier contributions they don't seem to count for anything and, as far as I can work out, I'm not entitled to anything (at a time when, frankly, I need to work harder than normal to get the business off the ground). If anyone knows different please shout!