Nursing mother any Benefits?

dereko1969

Registered User
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posting this for a friend, don't have all the details.

woman made redundant during pregnancy so couldn't get maternity pay, is now a nursing mother so can't seek employment at present, are there any benefits/allowances she can claim/apply for?
 
Was she not entitled to maternity benefit? This can be based on the prsi paid 2 years (I think) prior to the claim e.g. I am on maternity leave this year so 2006 is the year taken into account. Out of interest why can't she work if she is a nursing mother? There are some rules about being entitled to time off work to breastfeed/express breastmilk. How old is the baby? I am a nursing mother too but I am on maternity leave at present. I don't think she will be entitled to anything as she is not actively seeking employment.
 
Was she not entitled to maternity benefit? This can be based on the prsi paid 2 years (I think) prior to the claim

Possibly, but do you have to be in employment on the day before your maternity leave starts?
 
Possibly, but do you have to be in employment on the day before your maternity leave starts?
Yes. But presumably she was?
woman made redundant during pregnancy so couldn't get maternity pay, is now a nursing mother so can't seek employment at present, are there any benefits/allowances she can claim/apply for?
Is it legal for a woman on maternity leave to be made redundant? I thought not but could be wrong. NERA ([broken link removed]) should be able to say for sure.

Update: just found this:
But - as the original poster says they don't have all the details so this may or may not be relevant here...
 
she wasn't on maternity leave when made redundant, i think she may have been 16 weeks gone but i'm not sure. it was a voluntary redundancy as far as i know. i'll try and get more details.
 
Sorry - I misread the original post and read "during maternity leave" for "during pregancy". My previous post is irrelevant so.

Obviously she is entitled to the usual Child Benefit, Early Childcare Supplement. If she is a single parent or her means are small then she may qualify for some sort of means tested allowance payment. Otherwise I can't think of any non means tested PRSI linked benefits to which she might be entitled. If she is in serious trouble then the Community Welfare Office may be able to help on an emergency basis. Her Public Health Nurse and www.citizensinformation.ie may also be able to advise. She may be entitled to some tax back by filing a P50 claim with Revenue (form available from www.revenue.ie).
 
If her spouse/partner is employed more than 19 hours a week, Family Income Supplement might apply. See www.welfare.ie for details of earning limits. Not entitled to Jobseeker's Benefit/Allowance unless she's job seeking or available. she will retain her entitlements to Illness Benefit if she qualifys based on her 2006 contributions/credits (39 minimum).