Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 32
32
Reclassify Maternity Allowance as earned income for Universal Credit to support self-employed women.
Recommendation
The Department for Work and Pensions should review funding for Universal Credit and reclassify Maternity Allowance so that it is not treated as “unearned income” for the purposes of Universal Credit, so that when self-employed women access it, their Universal Credit is not reduced. (Recommendation, Paragraph 128)
Government Response
A response document is linked to this report, dated 27 January 2026. Response attribution to this recommendation has not been verified. Read the response document ↗