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Money for lone parents - may I ask the stupid questions

11 replies

needmoreenergy · 16/02/2010 11:46

I am a mum to a baby and expecting second in May, so in May 2010 will have one 18 month old and one new born.
Currently employed 4 days per week and for reasons I won't go into about to be a single parent (before baby 2 is born).
Access rights for the father of my children are not in dispute although we have not spoken about child maintenance etc.
I am doing some serious sums about what I could afford rentwise on my salary alone once I move out (which will be asap so I am ready for baby 2).
Here is my stupid question.
If I cannot afford alone to pay for 2 x nursery and rent on my new place (where it will be just me and my 2 babies) and I have to give up my job, where do I go to find out about what (if any) financial help I am entitled to for rent/food etc. If I can afford to continue working how are any benefits based on my salary alone calculated and where do I go for advice on that? I have no savings in my own name whatsoever (only overdrafts!!) so will be starting from my basic and very modest monthly income.
Thanks

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
messymissy · 16/02/2010 11:57

Child Tax credits - you need to call them and change your status claim from joint to single - do this asap as yours should increase a lot as a lone parent - mine did.

Housing Benefit - you need to contact your local counsil for the forms.

Council Tax benefit - tell them straight away that you are the only adult and you get 25% discount, then make a claim with the council for council tax relief.

Income Support and/or child care costs - via the job centre, you have to phone first and go through a 45min telephone interview then go to your local job centre with evidence to support your claim. If you get more than £62 in maintenance from your ex you wont get income support.

maintenance from your ex - legally he only has to give you 15% of take home pay for one child, not too sure how much for 2.

Just doing all this myself so will dig out the numbers and post them after I've made DD's Lunch!!!

good luck

needmoreenergy · 16/02/2010 11:59

that is fantastically helpful messymissy thank you so much

OP posts:
messymissy · 16/02/2010 13:29

you are welcome. will dig out the numbers if you need them - clearing up jelly at the moment!

lilacclaire · 16/02/2010 15:50

Also try www.entitledto.com it will let you know roughly how much in benefits you are entitled to.

needmoreenergy · 16/02/2010 17:02

lilacclaire this is a brilliant website thanks so much for your help - and also to you messymissy, I have been looking at the HMRC credits page this afternoon. thanks

OP posts:
Mongolia · 16/02/2010 18:36

DO NOT GIVE UP YOUR JOB (sorry for the capitals, but really, you are in a much better position as working lone parent than as a lone parent in benefits, for now and for the future, as you will need to go back to work eventually (when your youngest is 7) and the bigger the gap in your CV the more difficult to get a job.

If you are working for more than 16 hrs you are entitled to working tax credits and if in a low salary, you may even get up to 80% of your nursery costs covered by it. If you are working more than 30 hrs, you get an extra bonus of about £700 a year.

If still it's difficult to cope with expenses, you can apply for a reduction in council tax, and even for help to pay your rent (the amount you get or if you get it depends on your income).

As a non working lone parent you will only get £64.20 of income support a week, £53 aprox per child on child tax credits, and the £20 of child benefit that everyone gets. (you will be getting these anyway if you are working) Maintenance payments are deducted from the £63.20 so, for example, if your ex pays £40 a week for the children, you will only get £24.20 of income support, if he pays more than £64 per week, you get nothing. And trust me on this, living on £64.20 a week it's very very difficult even if they are paying your rent.

I found the Job Centre very useful. I know that you already have a job, but they were GREAT to point me in the direction of people who could help me sort child maintenance, improve my job prospects, etc. Initially I contacted them because I wanted to apply for a reduction of council tax, but definitively got more than I expected, not in the financial side of the things but in terms of surviving as a single parent, even in terms of finding support groups to help me handle life as a single parent.

Good luck!

HanBanan · 18/02/2010 08:39

The citizen's advice bureau are a great start too - they can give you numbers to call anonomously to find out where you stand. And they will give you all the info for where you have to go to get the relevant benefits/tax credits etc etc

HanBanan · 18/02/2010 08:42

They have a website www.citizensadvice.org.uk
which will tell you where you can meet someone in your local area

mrsmharket · 22/02/2010 10:43

get things in writing as well sweeteheart, things might well be amicable now but once you start dating again (and you will eventually ) the situation might well get slightly mucky xx

samjd · 22/02/2010 17:25

I thought that as of April this year maintenance payments will not be taken into account when on income support or JSA is this right?

mrsmharket · 23/02/2010 11:37

possibly but it's worth checking

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