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Benefits and financial help for single parents

Useful information on the range of benefits and financial help available to single and lone parents including child maintenance and working benefits.


Discuss benefits and financial help for single parents on our forums, right now! Or, post a comment below.

The cost of bringing up a child can seem quite daunting especially if you are on your own. However, in addition to the baby benefits available to all new parents, there is a support system in place that is specifically designed to provide financial help for single or lone parents.

Income support

Income support is available to those over the age of 16 who are unable to work full time and as a consequence have insufficient funds to live on. If you are a lone parent, work less than 16 hours a week (an average) and have savings under £16,000 you may be eligible to receive this benefit.

The amount you receive is dependent on your individual circumstances and will be calculated based on factors such as your age, your average earnings and the number of dependent children you have. However, regardless of the amount you are granted, if you are eligible for income support you will also receive free prescriptions and dental care, housing and council tax benefits as well as free school meals for your children.

Child Maintenance

Under UK law, both parents are equally responsible for providing financial support for their child regardless of whether they actively contribute to the child's upbringing. This means that if you are raising your child alone, you are entitled to claim child maintenance payments from the non-residential parent. The amount that you will receive is means-tested and will be based on a percentage of his or her income.

The child support agency (CSA) can help to calculate and collect child maintenance support from non-residential parents who live in the UK or work abroad for a UK based employer. The CSA will become involved in this process when either parent asks for assistance or when the parent with care claims income support.

There is also help available for lone parents whose ex-partner has moved abroad as Britain has an arrangement with over 100 countries that allows a parent living in one country to claim maintenance from an ex-partner who lives in another

For more information on child maintenance visit www.csa.gov.uk.

Child Maintenance Premium

You are likely to be eligible for the child maintenance premium if you have sole care of your child and are in receipt of Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance. This benefit allows you to keep up to £10 per week of any maintenance payments you receive for your children.

Lone Parent Benefits Run-on

If the following statements apply to you, you may be eligible for Lone Parents Benefit Run-on.
  • You have been receiving Income Support, Minimum Income Guarantee or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance continually for at least 26 weeks.


  • You have you been a lone parent for those 26 weeks.


  • You have increased your working hours so that you are now working at least 16 hours a week or you are now working full-time in a job that you expect to last for at least 5 weeks.
If you are going back to work, lone parents benefit run-on provides you with financial help to tide you over until you are paid from your new job.

It is important to be aware that if you are going back to work or increasing your hours at an existing job, you must inform the department from which you receive benefits at once.

Visit the official government website (www.direct.gov.uk) for further information on the benefits available for lone parents.


Author : Lucy MacLauchlan

Your Comments

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Hi,i am a 26 year old single mum to a 5 year old i work full time as a assistant manager which gives me hardly any time to spare to share with my son so when my son started pointing out that he never sees me i looked into cutting my hours but was so shocked by my discovery.I am so angry and disgusted with this goverment and how they work out benefits i couldnt believe that if i was to sit on my bottom all day and make no life for myself and my son i would get exactly the same amount as what i do now working 40 hours a week,its no wonder there are so many young mums nowadays getting pregnant to sponge all the benefits.how do the goverment expect these people to go to work when they are offering them the exact same money to do what they like everyday.I would of thought that if you worked more you would recieve more but as i found out this is not the case the more you worked the less they helped you out.i just cant seem to get my head around it so basically i could work halve the amount of hours i do now but would recieve the same amount of money because tax credits will replace the amount by wot i had cut down by.not much of an incentive to get people to work is it especially the ones who actually want to like me its rediculous
added by akindele [Thu 3rd Jul 2008 @ 08:52:01]
Hi, I wonder if I could have some advice. My girlfriend has 2 children with a man who has not ever paid for them and he lives in abroad in Sweden for 4 years but we dont know where he is, although we have phone numbers. My partner has been on income support for quite a few years and we have just very recently had a baby together. Her ex partner left her in rent arears with her housing assocation and I paid this off. We have had three solictors try and get her tenancy reinstated with no success as the housing association ignores letters to them. The housing association will not let me live in that address because my partner and her ex are registered there and they are known tresspassers although technically they should of changed that. Although we are together, I live elsewhere in another london borough, what will be the situation regarding my child and paying for her? I have read someones comments below saying they have two kids and one with someone else and they see him as the sole earner so stop her income support. Does this happen when the man lives with his child or will it happen anyway even when they dont live together and is one expected to pay for chidren that dont belong to him? I am still with mine although not living together so this is very confusing? If I don't live there and pay rent elsewhere what would happen? Although I will supply everything my baby needs it seems that the decent man gets punished for doing the right thing? I do not see why I should pay for children that are not mine? So if you are together, not living together - is this still seen as together? I wonder if someone could give advice on my problem?
added by Ash2008 [Wed 18th Jun 2008 @ 08:42:42]
hi im 16 years old and i am nearly 34 weeks pregnant im a single mum and i would like to know what type of benefits i am able to get and roughly how much will i get
added by gemgem1234 [Mon 9th Jun 2008 @ 08:41:45]
Ladies, forget any benefits from the goverment as all they seem to do is look after those people who choose not to work. I myself am single and just like Vix I pay a mortgage and work full time. I have written to the PM with regards to this because I have paid my taxes all my life and now when i need help they just push us to one side and they do not seem to realise that it is us people that have been funding the goverment for soo long. I could quite easy go on beneifits tomorrow and it would cost the govermemt about 45k to pay me a weekly wage and also pay for my housing benefits...... it's about time someone looked into this as it is not fair on us single mums to suffer when we are still paying our tax contributions each year.

You will get child benefit £17.00 per week
Tax Credits (that's if work less that 16 hrs a week - highly unlikely when you have a mortgage to pay)
I am entitled to £12.00 a week child care??? my child care costs will be £770.00 a month so that just a big joke.
CSA - Ladies go get what you are entitled to from the farther as this is about the only thing that is going to save you.

All the best to all you single mums and I am sure we will all find a way to get through this.

p.s i am fighting for us to get more help and I have heard back from the PM and my case has been put forward to the HM Revenue... fingers crossed.
added by deborah1976 [Mon 12th May 2008 @ 09:03:58]
Does anyone know what benifits I can claim for with my own house. I'm a single person and in my 2nd trimester. I work full time and pay a mortgage. I can only find info about being unemployed and if you live in rented accomodation. I intend to take 26 weeks maternity leave but I won't be able to even cover my mortgage payments with the basic SMP. What else can i claim. Vix
added by russellvix [Tue 6th May 2008 @ 12:11:18]
I also need advice on this subject. I have 3 children, my baby's father and I are in a relationship but I live on my own, we do not live together, however, I am not with the father of my first two children and do not know his whereabouts.

I recently applied for income support and was advised to do so as a lone parent. I've waited and have been messed around by them for 3 long months; only for them to turn around and say that I am not entitled to income support as I have a partner. They said, even though we don't live together it's seen as an income coming in for myself. I explained to them that my partner is only supporting 'his' child and I cannot expect him to support my other two and that I don't work and don't have an income coming in. I also explained that he supports the child by providing clothes etc, not by giving money to me.

I intend to appeal against this decision but I need advice.
added by Mel19 [Mon 21st Apr 2008 @ 08:40:10]
This is to both sam & tami
this bit is to samhamer, can your partner not claim through the inland revenue for your maternity pay, usually thats where employers can claim through, you can still get working tax credits maybe & you will will get child benefit & child tax credits. its not as much money as you get while working but it gets you through, i would look into things more even phone to see what help yous can get when your on maternity pay there is always a few options, phone your local job centre & ask them about it, they are really good for infromation.

this is to Tami30, if you dont want to move in with your partner the now then thats fine, am the same situation as you but i have a 8month baby the now, i get my housing & council tax paid for me. also i get my child benefit & child tax & working tax which you will be entitled to everyone who has a baby is entitled to it, if your working more than 16 hours you will get working tax but if not you can be entitled to income support & the childs father will help with you so dont worry , you will get help with things. so go to your local council & ask for about gettin ghousing & tax benefit the now get it done asap cause its a pain at times, you need to send like what income you get every month & so so & go to your local job centre to see about gettin you r child tax forms & everything they are good with helping you with things, hope this helps.
added by lol86 [Thu 13th Mar 2008 @ 08:35:45]
My partner and I have just found out we are expecting but unfortunately this has come at a bad financial time, I work for my partner who is self employed and we can't afford to pay me maternity pay out of the company. My partneronly takes home £300 per week. What financial help can we get?
added by Samhamer [Wed 12th Mar 2008 @ 08:36:03]
My babies father and i have not been together very long and have decided that although i am carrying his baby it is too soon for us to move in together! I want to know if i live on my own do i have to claim single parent benefit to get housing benefit or can i just say that he is paying me maintenance?
added by Tami30 [Wed 20th Feb 2008 @ 08:41:32]
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