Single parent and not working

Will I be able to keep the maintenance payments?
If you are on Income Support you will keep up to £10 a week of the maintenance before it starts to affect your benefit. If the maintenance is more than your benefit plus £10 you will come off Income Support altogether. (If your maintenance was worked out under old rules which applied before 3 March 2003, ('old rules') you will not be able to keep £10 a week; all your maintenance will reduce your benefit).

If you go back to work for at least 16 hours a week after receiving Income Support and getting child support under the old rules you can apply for a Child Maintenance Bonus, which is a tax-free lump sum of up to £1,000 based on the amount of maintenance you have been receiving while on benefit.

Maintenance does not affect any tax credits you are receiving but it will taken into account (after the first £15 a week) if you claim Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit.

What if the father stops paying maintenance?
If you are receiving Income Support then child support maintenance will usually be paid to the CSA. This way, if the father stops making maintenance payments for any reason, or pays a reduced amount, you will still be paid your full benefit. If the father stops making payments, the Child Support Agency should take action against him, such as taking the money straight out of his wages.

Will I have to pay my rent and Council Tax out of the weekly Income Support?
No, you can apply for Housing Benefit to help with most or all of your rent. You will be eligible for maximum Housing Benefit but this may not be the same as the rent you actually pay - it depends on average rents in the area, your age and family size. While you are pregnant, if you are under 25 the amount is based on the rent you would pay for a room in a shared house but if you are 25 or over it is based on being in your own flat. Once you have had your baby and become a single parent the amount is based on being in your own flat even if you are under 25.

Are there any grants available to buy things for the baby?
If you receive Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, or Child Tax Credit of more than the family element, you can claim a maternity grant of £500. More than the family element means more than about £10.50 a week if you do not have a baby under one (but you already have an older child), or more than about £21.00 a week if you have had your baby. If you are not sure whether you qualify, you can seek advice from a Citizens' Advice Bureau, an independent advice agency or from the Working Families helpline.

You can claim this payment from the Jobcentre, from 11 weeks before the baby is due and up to three months after the baby is born. If you are not eligible for one of the qualifying benefits until you become a single parent, remember to claim the maternity grant within three months of your baby's birth.