Income support £15 a week?

[bitsnbobs]

I have recently become a single parent and am getting totally confused with what I am entitled to.
I work part-time under 16hrs (minimum wage) and receive child tax credits. I have applied for child maintenance but they have not contacted him yet so I have recieved no payment. I found out today that I will recieve £15 a week income suppport. Is this correct?
I don't know if financially I will be better off working over 16hrs a week as I have been told I will only get 2.5 hrs a day free childcare for ds2.
I have got all the usual bills to pay plus rent and half the mortgage (its a shared ownership property). I went onto entitledto.com and it said I should be getting nearer £100 p/w so I am now totally confused and just want to know whether IS are right before I phone them to check.

hi,
entitledto is usually quite accurate. but that £100 won't be income support as i think the highest level is £58 and thats not working any hours. a £100 would be all your benefits added together, inc. child benefit, working tax credit and child tax credit.
i would also advice going to see both a Lone Parent Adviser at the Jobcentre, and someone at the Citizens Advice Bureau.
With Lone parent benefit, it comes in bits and bobs. so you should get Child Tax Credit, Income Support, probably Working Tax Credit, and Child Benefit.
You are also probably entitled to Healthy Start vouchers depending on the age of your child. don't know the website, do a Healthy Start google search.
you can often get up to 80% childcare paid as a lone parent.
Im not an expert! this is just bits i know. please do go and see someone professional to make sure.

The figure for IS is probably right. If you weren't working it would be £57, but obviously as you are, this cancels out some of your income support.

You would be better of working 16 hours, as then you'd qualify for WTC aswell as CTC, and the amount of WTC you'd get would more than pay for your childcare and it would top up your wages.

Try putting the figures for 16 hours a week into entitled to and see what it says.

Maebee is correct, IS is around £58 a week and not a £100.

Can you increase your hours to 16 so that you can claim WTC for some extra income - you would also then be entitled to help with childcare.

Any IS would be taken off you when the CAS are able to claim maintenance as it goes to the government to cover your benefits and you can only keep £10 of it. If your working and not claiming IS you get to get all of the maintenance.

Thanks for advice. I spoke to IS today and they said because of my job I can only get £15 per week. However they based it on the hours (previous payslips) that I did before I was on my own.

I will definately try and up my hours and speak to the loneparent advisor about childcare and working tax credits.

Thanks