paying stamps and what constitutes a break

just want to know if when chnging jobs with a week between finishing one and starting another this constitutes a break in your paymentof stamp. my wife having returned form the u.k has been working for about 3 months and paying stamps is not starting another job with a week between the 2, we plan to start a family as soon as possible but would need her to get maternity pay, if not from employer then at least the state.to qualify you have to have paid 39 weeks of connsecitive stamps. so do we have to start over again with the stamps?

cheers

There's no reference to consecutive PRSI payments in the Maternity Benefit guidelines on the Dept of Social Welfare site.

Here's what it says:
have at least 39 weeks PRSI paid in the 12 months before the first day of her maternity leave
or at least 39 weeks PRSI paid since first starting work and at least 39 weeks PRSI paid or credited in the Relevant Tax Year or in the year following the Relevant Tax Year
or at least 26 weeks PRSI paid in the Relevant Tax Year and at least 26 weeks PRSI paid in the Tax Year prior to the Relevant Tax Year

The relevant tax year for 2007 is 2005, the relevant tax year for 2008 will be 2006.

Your wife must also be in employment immediately prior to commencement of maternity leave.

If your wife is unemployed for one week between jobs she could make a claim for Jobseeker's benefit and get a credited contribution.

Payment of PRSI is not connected to payment from the employer while on maternity leave - that will be in the conditions of employment or contract which your wife will get from her new employer. As you will see from other threads round here, quite a few employers do not pay staff while on maternity leave.

"or at least 26 weeks PRSI paid in the Relevant Tax Year and at least 26 weeks PRSI paid in the Tax Year prior to the Relevant Tax Year

The relevant tax year for 2007 is 2005, the relevant tax year for 2008 will be 2006."

That i didn't know gipimann. My wife was in fulltime employement for 10 years until end of August 06. Went self employed since and handed in her '06 tax returns in September via accountant. Stll no assessment done, as they mislayed the file but have been assured its been worked on. I am eager to do the return as it would ensure her entitlement for maternity benefit next year. However, going by the statement above, she would have paid 26 weeks prsi in 06 and 26weeks in 05, so i needed worry anyway...Is this correct?? I emailed the maternity benefit section of social welfare but am still awaiting a reply...

eddie, the 26+26 applies to employees only. Here are the qualifying conditions for self-employed applicants:

self-employed claimant must

• be self-employed in accordance with the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 1993, as amended
  and
• have 52 qualifying PRSI contributions paid in the Relevant Tax Year
  or
• have 52 qualifying contributions paid in the Tax Year prior to the Relevant Tax Year
  or
• have 52 qualifying contributions paid in the Tax Year following to the Relevant Tax Year.
  and
• have her expected date of confinement certified by a registered medical practitioner.

From these conditions, it appears that if your wife paid 52 contributions (classes A, E, H or S) in the year 2005 (the year before the relevant tax year), she may qualify. I'd wait for the email from Mat. Benefit section just to be sure though!

There may be a delay in receiving a reply from the section at this time, because there is a lot of work to do on existing claims to apply the recent budget changes (announced in December, apply from January!).

Thanks gipimann. Saw that myself this morning as well. I didn't envisage any issues anyway as her assessment for 2006 is due, but the lateness of it(probably wont get it now till january) puts a bit of doubt in my mind!!!

My wifes returns for 2006(sept to Dec) came back as a loss so no prsi payable for those few months. Therefore not enough stamps for for 2006 to allow her maternity benefit for July of this year. Her 2007 returns(when we sort it out with our accountant) should however enable her to get this benefit but i have a query on what the person at the south east tax office for self employed did. She said she will de-register my wife and that she should claim her returns under my pps as we are jointly assessed(i'm PAYE). As i dont have my p60, it will be a few weeks before i can go to the accountant. By de-registering my wife, will this have any implications to her claiming maternity benefit when the time comes????