'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.

To claim many of the benefits described here you will have to make a claim. Usually you start a claim by phoning the relevant agency (Jobcentre Plus, Tax Credit Office).

I am unemployed and pregnant with my first child. What can I claim?
If you are less than 29 weeks pregnant you should sign on as unemployed at the Jobcentre and claim Jobseeker's Allowance - just as if you were not pregnant. You have to show that you are actively seeking work. If your pregnancy makes you incapable of work then you should claim Incapacity Benefit or Income Support instead.

Once you are 29 weeks pregnant you may be able to claim:

• Statutory Maternity Pay from your ex-employer if you were still employed in the 15th week before your baby is due, OR
• Maternity Allowance if you are not entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay and you have worked for at least 26 weeks in the 66 weeks before the week your baby is due, OR
• Incapacity Benefit if you are not entitled to Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance but you have worked in the last three years or so OR
• Income Support, either on its own if you are not entitled to anything else, or on top of other benefits if they are paid at less than the rate of Income Support. If you are entitled, you can carry on getting Income Support when your baby is born.

Income Support for single parents
Income Support is a weekly benefit that tops up any other income you have to a set amount which is considered enough for you to live on:

• You must be unemployed or working less than 16 hours a week
• You do not have to 'sign on' as available for work
• You can continue getting Income Support as a single parent until your child is 16
• You cannot get it if you have savings of £16,000 (this does not include the value of your home)
• If you have savings of £6,000 or more, £1 will be deducted from your weekly benefit for every £250 over £6,000

Income Support is usually paid into your bank or building society account. Once you are getting Income Support you may be entitled to other benefits such as the £500 Sure Start maternity grant, help with the costs of milk, fruit and vegetables, free vitamins and help with hospital fares. You will also continue to be entitled to free prescriptions, NHS dental treatment and sight tests whilst on Income Support, even if it is more than a year since you gave birth.

How much Income Support will I get?
How much you get depends on your age and what other money you have coming in. If you have no other money coming in you will get the maximum amount. Depending on your age, you may be entitled to more money once you have your baby, so make sure you let the Jobcentre know when your baby is born.

• If you are aged 18-24 (and this is your first baby), Income Support will top up your income to £46.85 per week while you are pregnant and £59.15 when your baby is born.
  If you are 25 or over (and this is your first baby), Income Support will top up your income to £59.15 per week. This will not change once your baby is born.

These rates apply from April 2007 - April 2008.

Tax Credits

When your baby is born you will be able to claim Child Tax Credit, or extra Child Tax Credit if you are already claiming. If you get Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance, and you worked 16 hours a week before your maternity leave, you may also be able to claim Working Tax Credit for as long as you get these payments. You should contact the Tax Credit Office to claim or report the birth of a child.

Will the Child Support Agency contact me?
When you make a claim for Income Support, you are treated as making a claim for child support from the baby's other parent, unless you opt out. You can decide to opt out (and so not give information about the father) if you want to. If this is because you believe that if you claim child support there would be a risk of harm or undue distress to you or your baby, your benefit will not be reduced. (This is sometimes referred to as good cause). The claim for child support is to the CSA (Child Support Agency), but the Jobcentre make decisions about whether you have good cause. If the Jobcentre do not think that there is a risk of harm or undue distress, they will usually decide to reduce your benefit by 40 per cent.

What if I have good reason not to have any contact with the father?
Jobcentre Plus make decisions about whether there is harm or undue distress. Examples would be fear of violence, rape or sexual abuse. Worrying about disruptive demands for contact with the child, or your own desire not to have any further contact with the father, would not normally be considered good cause, but it might be if you could show that you or your child would be caused significant upset or there would be a severe effect on mental or physical health, for example. The Jobcentre should also consider the welfare of any children who might be affected by reducing your benefit, although this will not normally prevent a reduction unless there are specific circumstances, eg disability.

If you are concerned about any of the forms you have to complete, you can get advice from your local Citizens' Advice Bureau or an independent advice centre.

The Child Support Agency will not pass on your address to the father and paying maintenance does not give him any legal rights over the baby. The father would have to go to court if he wanted contact with the child (beyond what you are prepared to agree). If you need legal help contact your local Citizens' Advice Bureau or a solicitor who specialises in family work.

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.

I don't want to leave my child. Do I have to go for an interview about going to work?
During your claim for Income Support, you will be invited to regular interviews about helping you find work. If you do not take part without a good reason, your benefit will be reduced. A good reason could include not understanding the request, difficulties with transport, or your child being ill. If you are not sure whether you have a good reason, you should seek advice from a Citizens' Advice Bureau, independent advice agency or the Working Families helpline.

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
This is the helpline of the Tax Credit Office.

For more information about parents' rights see the Working Families website, www.workingfamilies.org.uk, or ring our helpline: 0800 013 0313

Working Families
1-3 Berry Street
London EC1V 0AA