To feel penalised for being a single parent.

[trappedinsuburbia]

Ok, I am single and have 2 dc, I am currently on maternity leave and am taking the additional 3 months unpaid and I have claimed income support for 1 month to cover this period. I am going back to work in less than 2 weeks to will have claimed for 6 weeks altogether.

So far whilst being on maternity leave I have had tax credits request all bank statements, wage slips etc, no probs off they went, all fine.

When I first claimed income support, before I even knew if it had been awarded or not, I had a home visit from someone from benefits, again all fine, I could only show what bank statements etc I had as the others were with the people at income support, the person visiting confirmed that I was to receive income support.

Comes in yesterday and there is a letter waiting for me telling me to attend an interview at the jobcentre to check my entitlement to benefits and to bring these magical fucking bank statements.

AIBU to be getting a little tired of this and think its getting a bit intrusive. Is this normal!!

Of course i'll go and produce said bank statements from months before I even claimed so they can see i've spirited my millions away into an off shore account !!

There's some real fucking nasty arseholes out on here tonight aren't there? This sort of shit makes me want to leave MN for good. You sound like a load of fucking Daily Mail readers.

You're entitled to claim income support until your child is 5 as a single parent. And this includes being employed but in unpaid work. There are loads of reasons why a single parent might not be able to return straight to work once maternity pay is up. And even if that reason is just because she wants an extra few weeks with her baby so fucking what? It's a few weeks out of your precious tax payers money.

I claimed IS while on mat leave as I'd fled a violent relationship a few days before giving birth, moved to a safe house, had the ex find me and give me months of hell abuse threats to kidnap the baby, before eventually fucking off with another woman leaving me completely alone financially and emotionally to bring up a baby. I lost so much weight I was down to nothing and I just needed some time to sort life out for me and this baby, headspace, luckily I was allowed that time, I went back to work in the end too. You've no idea what goes on in people's lives and the chances are to be a single parent with a small baby you've had a rough time of it.

Op I hope you don't take it to heart as I hope you don't take the checks to heart, you'll be back at work before you know it and things will be simpler then.

So in one thread we have people defending that horrible White Dee woman and her lifestyle, yet the OP of this thread takes a few extra weeks off to spend with her new baby before returning to work and paying taxes and she gets abused. That's just screwed up.

YABU to say you are being penalised but I do get the frustration at feeling intruded upon.

Some of you especially those who are single parents should be ashamed. It really hard being a single parent especially when the nrp is a waste of space, and despite popular opinion most women don't purposely put themselves in that situation.

If a single parent was on a zero hours contract, or had to take unpaid leave from work for a sick child, in theory she would also be able to claim benefits to cover that period of not earning.

Midnite I'm on that thread. I don't see people 'defending' her lifestyle at all. I'm not suprised at the reaction on this thread though.

Why should I be ashamed pyjama I am fully aware of how hard it is and my daughters dad has nothing to do with her emotionally or financially. I was lucky that I had a job to go back to and I would have felt terrible taking any benefits that I didn't have to.

If my DD is sick, I don't get paid for my sick time even though I have contracted hours but I try and save some money in case I'm ever in that position again, which I was several times when my daughter was ill, unfortunately at that point I wasn't entitled to any help because you don't even get SSP when it's your children that are unwell, I scraped by going without in order to provide for her so to say I should be ashamed is a joke.

I'm not ashamed of my beliefs, I don't think anyone should receive benefits unless it's absolutely necessary. I'm not saying that it isn't necessary for the OP but if it's not then I think it's wrong.

Flame me as you like for my post, my opinions here won't change.

Goodness me!

I do have a thick skin dont worry!
I was just asking if this repeated checking of the same information was normal as I felt it wasn't.
Obviously has descended into a benefits bashing thread.
They can look at anything they want, maybe they can get me some maintenance while they're at it (holds breath waiting).
Im off for some cuddles with my baby, maybe ill feed her a liquidised greggs sausage roll and fruit shoot while im at it

People who have flamed the op should be ashamed because they have no idea what she may have been through or whether she is vulnerable so jumping on her over a lousy few quid before she goes back to work is pathetic.

As for only claiming what you need, well, a lot of single parents in work will receive working tax credits, child tax credits, a massive lump up to 70% towards childcare costs. Which will add up to a lot more than the income support. So either way it will unlikely cost the tax payer anymore. And SMP isn't much so that will be getting bumped up by tax credits, so by your reckoning single parents should go back to work when their babies are a few weeks old so as to keep the cost to the taxpayer down. So not only does the child lose out on having two parents. They also lose out on a precious extra few weeks with mum, fuck that for a game. Children of single and especially lone parents are already at a disadvantage, a few weeks could set the mother in good stead for years ahead at work.

And good for those who have never claimed anything, give yourselves a big blue Peter badge, but I promise you it won't get you anywhere, it might hurt when you fall off your high horse.

Pyjamaramadrama hope your ok now.

Oh and when I was a single parent I didn't claim my milk tokens or maternity grant, do I get a big proud shiny sticker for keeping the cost to the taxpayers down?

I am thank you trapped and my extra few weeks off was a god send.

I can't help but rant there are people who have stayed intentionally unemployed for years, fathers that never pay a penny and here on a parenting forum people begrudge a woman a few extra weeks at home with her baby. Makes me

TrappedinSurbubia . ANY mention of Benefits brings them all out like a rash. I literally would take no notice of them. Espeically considering they've probably all claimed Child Benefit at some time

I know, they must be perfect!
Honestly not worth getting het up over, I dont anyway.

Haha so true.

Child benefit, state education for an unlimited amount of children, NHS, just giving birth and maternity care costs a bomb.

If you've had 4 children you'll have cost the taxpayer a hell of a lot more than someone with one who claimed 6 weeks income support.

I have already said I receive tax credits and housing benefit. I also receive child benefit. I am not a benefit basher but I do try my fucking hardest to reduce the amount I claim as much as I can.

If I fall on hard times I won't be ashamed to claim every benefit I'm entitled too but I won't claim just because I can.

You should be like that lady off the britass empire OP and keep your baby in a drawer at work.

Ignore them.

I would take them if I could, think it would scare the shit out of them though!

Going back to the original question, if they really investigate everyone so much its pretty inefficient, I am providing information that has already been provided a few times, now that is a waste of money and resources no?

I find it odd they came to your house OP I've never heard of that unless an investigation is taking place. Could your ex have reported you out of spite?

I seem to remember jumping through hoops when I claimed IS, in fact I seem to remember that it took so many weeks to process that I'd actually returned to work by the time it went through as I remember living on very little for a while.

I think that they make it difficult due to lengthy paperwork and probably a bit to put people off doing it just for the sake of doing it.

They never said it was an investigation it just seemed like a random check, they did write to tell me, the guy was really laid back, I just thought it odd as they would already have had all my bank statements, wage slips etc from putting my claim in for IS.
I find it odd that ive to go in for what appears to be another spot check? Interview when ive not long had someone out checking at the house.
I dont think ex would report me and theres nothing to report me for, hes not really malicious just kind of cant be arsed with us type.
There's plenty of people on exs side mind you friends and family that don't really like me so perhaps someone has reported me, but for what, he's certainly not here and everyone knows that.

Yes ive been living on very little as well, I last got smp just before Christmas and never got awarded IS until mid Feb, so will be asking about that, I wasnt going to bother questioning it but I may as well when im there.