Written Question·Department for Work and Pensions·UIN 60534

Maternity Allowance: Universal Credit

Tabled: 17 June 2025
Answered: 25 June 2025

Question

Claire Hanna

Social Democratic & Labour PartyBelfast South and Mid Down

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of treating Maternity Allowance as earned income for the purposes of calculating Universal Credit.

Answer

Sir Stephen Timms
No assessment is planned. Universal Credit treats Maternity Allowance in the same way as legacy means-tested benefits, such as Income Support or Income Based Jobseeker’s Allowance, in that it is taken fully into account. Whilst we keep all policies under ...

This is an extract from the Parliament API. Search the full answer on Parliament.uk (UIN 60534) →