# HELP: Adoption Pay for self employed



## KJB1978 (Nov 23, 2010)

We were officially matched yesterday and LO is due home in a few weeks time.

I am self employed and am planning on taking the full year off on adoption leave.  I got the matching certificate today and have spent the last hour being fobbed off and transfered to one department after another and nobody knows who I have to speak to or where I have to go to get this started.

Has anybody been through this before?

Thanks
KJB


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## custard (Jan 20, 2006)

I was under the impression that as self-employed people, we aren't entitled to adoption pay of any sort.  Sorry!
It's due to change slightly in 2014 or thereabouts, when maternity allowance (which is paid to self-employed people who pay class 2 National Insurance contributions, or are self-employed and have a small earnings exemption certificate) will get an adoption equivalent. But currently as far as I am aware, self-employed people have no adoption allowance or leave entitlement.


I would be delighted to discover that I am wrong, since we're at approval panel next week and I too am self-employed. But this has been the information I've found while researching my own situation post-placement.


Hope that's of some help.
J x


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## custard (Jan 20, 2006)

Here's a link to the eligibility page for Adoption pay from the Government website: https://www.gov.uk/statutory-adoption-pay/eligibility

You'll see it only talks about being employed by your current employer. No mention of self-employment. 

/links


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## snapdragon (Jun 27, 2011)

I don't know if you have a partner but if you are not entitled they might be. As I wasn't working I obviously wasn't entitled so my husband has taken the adoption leave. Doesn't help with finances of course.


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## KJB1978 (Nov 23, 2010)

Thanks everyone!

After 3 frustrating days it turns out that if i were pregnant and self employed I would be eligible for £135 a week maternity allowance but the government in all their wisdom said the cost of setting up adoption allowance for self employed people outweighed the number of people who would need it so basically I get nothing.

I am not allowed to leave LO with anyone until he is legally ours (min 6 months) so am very very nervous on how we are going to afford it without the allowance we had budgeted on (following talks with HMRC and CAB back in 2012 who said we would get it)

I was so cross I wrote to my MP asking her to petition this.

Grrrrrrr!!!!


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## PEJ (Jun 6, 2011)

Hi, 
I am also self-employed and so is my DH we have searched and searched and we are not entitled to anything. We would be if we were self-emplyed and had birth children. It is really unfair and most SW have no idea about it. I am also putting a letter together to our MP. Lets keep one another updated on this if anything ever changes.


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## custard (Jan 20, 2006)

I'm fairly sure that this is one of the adoption changes that was announced before Christmas. They plan to equalise the arrangements (adoption v maternity) in 2014. We had just written a letter to our MP about it when it was announced.


No good for us, but will help some people in the future, I'm sure.


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## Mummy DIY Diva (Feb 18, 2012)

That is rubbish we prove ourselves so much in order to be parents yet get treated like second class citizens with things like this


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## KJB1978 (Nov 23, 2010)

My MP has written back saying she is shocked to find out such a thing could still be allowed to happen and has taken my details down and wants to meet with me to discuss it further.  At least that is something I guess!

Im so angry as it has taken off the shine of what should have been an amazing few week of excitement.


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## ferness (Jan 12, 2011)

The discrepancies between adoption pay and maternity pay are so unfair. Setting aside all the many reasons why, on a purely economic level we are saving the state huge amounts in care costs rather than adding to the burden on the state by having birth children! 

At least it has now been recognised but it's still quite a while until the changes will be implemented. I wrote to govt when they announced they would be equalising the situation to ask when and have just had a reply saying 2015! I am employed so really shocked to hear about the far worse situation for those of you who are self employed. Really well done for taking it up with your MP and getting them to pressure the govt.

For me, if I can't return to work after adoption leave (eg due to childs needs - more likely with adoption than birth child) I would be required to repay the occupational adoption pay I received (over and above state funded statutory pay) which would for me be £2000 more than if I was on maternity leave because of the difference between the first 6 weeks statutory maternity pay (90% of pay) and statutory adoption pay which is the same flat rate throughout. Luckily for me my (public sector) employer have said they will treat adoption same as maternity on this issue but that won't be the case for everyone. It's blatantly unfair!


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