When do i get maternity certificate

If your address changes, contact us so we can update our records. If you miscarry or your baby is stillborn, you can continue to use your certificate for free NHS prescriptions until it expires. You may need to pay NHS dental charges. The expiry date on your certificate is based on the due date or date of birth provided by your midwife or doctor.

If you have a maternity exemption certificate, you can check if it's still valid or will expire soon.

You currently have JavaScript disabled in your web browser, please enable JavaScript to view our website as intended. Here are the instructions of how to enable JavaScript in your browser. Skip to main content Skip to footer. Maternity exemption certificates. Get a digital maternity exemption certificate With our online maternity exemption service you could get your certificate straight away if you have an email address.

We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. You can change your cookie settings at any time. This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.

To view this licence, visit nationalarchives. Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. Doctors or registered midwives must issue form MAT B1 free of charge to their pregnant patients for whom they provide clinical care. Complete the MAT B1 in ink. Use only MAT B1s that contain a unique certificate number. If you were in insurable self-employment before starting insurable employment as an employee and have Class S PRSI contributions these may help you qualify for Maternity Benefit.

Ask your doctor for a certificate that confirms when your baby is due. Give this certificate to your employer. When you apply for Maternity Benefit, include the MB2 certificate from your employer. If your employee wishes to take the minimum 2 week period of maternity leave prior to the birth of her baby, she should commence her maternity leave on the Monday prior to the week in which her baby is due.

When you apply for Maternity Benefit, include the MB3 form from your doctor. If you are self-employed or not currently employed, your doctor must complete this form after your 24th week of pregnancy. If you pay tax, you will have to pay tax on Maternity Benefit. If you have dependants, you may be able to get a higher rate of Maternity Benefit. When you apply, your rate of Maternity Benefit excluding increases for dependants is compared to the rate of Illness Benefit including increases for dependants that would be paid to you if you were absent from work through illness.

The higher of the two rates is paid to you. Maternity Benefit is paid directly into your bank or building society current or deposit account. It cannot be paid into a mortgage account. Your employer may continue to pay you in full when you are on maternity leave. They may require you to have your Maternity Benefit paid to them, and you can choose to do this. In the case of a premature birth, Maternity Benefit is payable for an extra period after the end of 26 weeks.

The additional period will commence at the end of the standard 26 week period of paid maternity leave. The additional period to be added will be the number of weeks from the baby's actual date of birth up to two weeks before the expected date of confinement which would have been the 37th week of the pregnancy, at which point the current entitlement to 26 weeks leave and benefit would normally begin.

If your baby is born prematurely before your maternity leave is due to start , you should inform Maternity Benefit Section enclosing written confirmation from your doctor of your PPS number, the date your baby was born and your original due date.

Dealing with the loss of a baby can be a difficult and devastating time for parents and families. If you experience a stillbirth or miscarriage any time after the 24th week of pregnancy that is, from the beginning of the 25th week or where your child has a birth weight of at least grammes, you are entitled to 26 weeks of maternity leave if you are covered by social insurance PRSI.

To apply for Maternity Benefit after a stillbirth or miscarriage, you send a letter from your doctor with the Maternity Benefit application form to the Maternity Benefit Section at the department. A MAT B1 form, also known as the Maternity Certificate, is a form from the government providing medical evidence of pregnancy and the baby's due date.

Your midwife or doctor should give you your MATB1 form when you reach your 20 week mark or soon after when you have your routine appointment. They cannot issue the form any earlier than this.