Parenting 

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If you're a single parent and working...

The Maternity Alliance bring you up to date on what you're entitled to

‘Single parent’, ‘lone parent’, or ‘one parent family’ are all terms which are used to describe you if you are bringing up a child or children on your own. You might be divorced, separated, widowed or never have married.If you are unmarried but living with a partner you will be seen as a couple, not a single parent, and any benefits you can receive will take your partner’s income into account.

I'm going to be a single parent soon. What can I claim when I leave work?

Before your baby is born:
If you have been working and paying National Insurance you will be able to get Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) or Maternity Allowance (MA) when you stop work. You will probably not be able to get Income Support until your baby is born. This is because the SMP or MA you receive is higher than the Income Support allowance for a single pregnant woman.

Once your baby is born:

• You should tell the Benefits Agency immediately, as they will increase the amount of Income Support that you get
• You should apply for Child Benefit (£15.00 a week for your first child, £10.00 for other children. Increasing from April 2001 to £15.50 for the first child and to £10.35 for subsequent children.)
• Your income will now be below the allowance for a single parent with a baby, so you should also apply for Income Support
• When your SMP or MA finishes you should inform the social security office, as your Income Support will have to be increased to make up the difference
• If you go back to work for more than 16 hours a week see the next question

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