If you're a single parent and working

'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 you will probably be able to get Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) or Maternity Allowance (MA) when you go on maternity leave. If these benefits are less than £59.15 a week (rate from April 07-08) you may also be entitled to Income Support on top. If you already get Child Tax Credit for older children, you may be able to claim a Sure Start Maternity Grant (£500 to help you with the costs of a new baby) once you are 29 weeks pregnant. You claim this from the Jobcentre. To get it you need to have Child Tax Credit of more than the family element (more than £10.50 a week if your children are all over one; more than £21 a week if you have children under one).

Once your baby is born:

  • You should apply for Child Benefit (£18.10 a week for your first child, £12.10 for other children, from April 2007-08.)
  • You should apply for Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit, or if you already claim tax credits, inform the Tax Credit Office that you have had a new baby
  • If you have not already claimed it and may now be entitled, claim the Sure Start Maternity Grant from the Jobcentre. You need to have Child Tax Credit of more than the family element (more than £21 a week), but make sure you claim within three months of the baby's birth even if you don't yet know your tax credit award
  • When your SMP or MA finishes you can claim Income Support as a single parent. You have a further three months of unpaid maternity leave, but it is up to you when or if you go back. You should tell the Tax Credit Office if your SMP/MA stops and you do not go back to work (or work for less than 16 hours), as your Working Tax Credit will end.
  • If you go back to work for more than 16 hours a week see the next question.

I want to return to my job after I have the baby. Will I only be able to claim Child Benefit?

  • If you work less than 16 hours a week you can earn up to £20 a week (after tax and NI) and still receive full Income Support. Any money earned over £20 will be deducted from your benefit. You cannot get Working Tax Credit but if you are on Income Support you will get maximum Child Tax Credit.
  • If you work 16 hours or more a week you cannot claim Income Support, but you may qualify for Working Tax Credit. You should let the Tax Credit Office know if you go back to work, and tell them how many hours a week you are doing. Any maintenance you get is not taken into account when you make a claim for tax credits.
  • If you are on a low income (including your tax credits) you may get help with your rent and council tax by applying for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit from the local authority.

What happens about child maintenance if I'm working?

To arrange child maintenance if you are working, not on Income Support, and have no maintenance agreement, contact the regional Child Support Agency Centre for your area, or you may be able to apply online instead. Child maintenance will not affect your tax credits, but it will be taken into account (after the first £15 a week) if you claim Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Benefit.

If you are on Income Support or decide to claim it when your SMP/MA stops, you are currently treated as applying to the Child Support Agency. You may be able to refuse to co-operate, but unless you have a good reason, this could reduce your benefit.

Once maintenance is being paid, you keep up to £10 a week and the rest will come off your Income Support(if your maintenance is calculated under rules from before 3 March 2003, it will all come off your benefit).

Child Support Agency (CSA)
PO Box 55, Brierley Hill, West Midlands, DY5 1YL
Tel: 0845 7133133 (calls charged at local rate)
www.csa.gov.uk

Help with childcare costs

Working Tax Credit (WTC) can include help with the cost of childcare if:

  • you are a single parent working at least 16 hours a week and
  • you pay for registered or approved childcare (eg a childminder, nursery, playscheme or out-of-school club) and
  • you qualify for WTC.

WTC can help with up to 80 per cent of your childcare costs up to a maximum cost of £175 for one child or £300 for two or more children (called the childcare element of WTC). This means that the childcare element is worth up to £140 a week (one child) or £240 a week (two or more children).

If you apply for Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit, an allowance for registered or approved childcare costs will be used when your earnings are taken into account. If you use informal childcare, there is no help for childcare costs.

Other help available

While you are pregnant and for a year after birth:

  • Free NHS dental treatment
  • Free prescriptions

While you are receiving Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance:

  • Free NHS dental treatment
  • Free prescriptions
  • Healthy Start help (vouchers for milk, fruit and vegetables) whilst you are pregnant and until your child is 4
  • Help with fares to hospital
  • Free school meals for your child
  • Extra money in prolonged cold weather (cold weather payments)
  • A discretionary Community Care Grant to help in certain circumstances, such as buying equipment for a disabled child, or setting up home after you have left a hostel, a violent relationship, a mother and baby home or local authority care
  • A discretionary Budgeting Loan if you need something essential that you can't afford to buy. This has to be repaid.

Some of this help is also available if you get tax credits and you are on a low income, especially if you work less than 16 hours a week. You should seek advice if you need help with these costs and are not sure if you qualify.

For more advice and information

One Parent Families
255 Kentish Town Road,
London NW5 2LX
Tel: 0800 018 5026

www.oneparentfamilies.org.uk
Free information on a whole range of issues.

One Parent Families Scotland
13 Gayfield Square,
Edinburgh, EH1 3NX
Helpline: 0808 801 0323.
www.oneparentfamiliesscotland.org.uk

Gingerbread
307 Borough High Street
London SE1 1JH
Tel: 0800 018 4318
www.gingerbread.org.uk
Free advice on a range of issues, plus local self-help groups offering services to lone parents and their children, including advice, information, holidays and outings.

Gingerbread Northern Ireland
www.gingerbreadni.org.uk
Helpline: 0808 808 8090

Citizen's Advice Bureau
Look in the phone book to find the nearest one or go to www.citizensadvice.org.uk. They can give advice and help on a range of issues which affect lone parents, including housing, welfare rights, family and employment.

Tax Credits
Tax Credits Helpline: 0845 300 3900
For more information about working parents' rights see the Working Families website, www.workingfamilies.org.uk.
Or contact the helpline: 0800 013 0313
1-3 Berry Street
London EC1V 0AA