The Maternity Alliance gets you up to date with the benefits you can claim

‘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 fill out a claim form. You can pick up the claim forms at your local social security office or at some post offices. You should claim as soon as you become entitled to the benefit, or within three months at the latest, otherwise you may lose some of the benefit.

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:

• Maternity Allowance - if you have worked for at least 26 weeks in the 66 weeks before the week your baby is due, OR
• Incapacity Benefit or Income Support if you are not entitled to any maternity benefits
• Statutory Maternity Pay from your ex-employer, OR
• Income Support - this is the main benefit for single parents

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 and your child or children 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 until your child is 16 (or 19 in some cases)
• You cannot get it if you have savings of £8,000 (this does not include the value of your home)
• If you have savings of £3,000 or more, £1 will be deducted from your weekly benefit for every £250 over £3,000 that you have

Income Support is paid weekly either directly into your bank account, or by giro, or by a book of orders you can cash at the Post Office. Once you are getting Income Support you may be entitled to other benefits such as the £200 Sure Start maternity grant (£300 if your baby is due on or after 3/12/00), free milk and vitamins, and help with hospital fares. (see last page) - Link to another page?

Once you have your baby, the amount of Income Support that you can claim will go up, so you should let the Benefits Agency know your baby's date of birth as soon as possible.

How much Income Support will I get?
How much you get depends on your age and the size of your family and what other money you have coming in. If you have no other money coming in you will get the maximum amount.

• If you are aged 18-24 (and this is your first baby), Income Support will top up your income to £41.35 per week while you are pregnant and £93.05 per week 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 £ 52.20 per week while you are pregnant and £ 93.05 per week when your baby is born

Will the Child Support Agency contact me?
When you make a claim for Income Support, part of the form asks you to authorise a maintenance application against the father. Alternatively you can declare that you believe you should be exempt because if you claim maintenance there would be a risk of harm or undue distress to you or your baby. (This is sometimes referred to as "good cause"). You do not have to decide straight away - you can tear off that part of the form and return it within 14 days of making your benefit claim.

I have good reason not to have any contact with the father.
The Child Support Agency takes a narrow view of "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 normally not be considered "good cause".
If you are concerned about which part of the form to sign you should get advice first from your local Citizens' Advice Bureau, as local Child Support officers may make different decisions.
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.
If you decide not to apply for maintenance and the Child Support Agency does not accept that you had "good cause", they can reduce your benefit for up to three years, renewable for another three.

Will I be able to keep the maintenance payments?
If you are on Income Support your weekly benefit will be reduced by the amount of the maintenance you receive. If the maintenance is more than your benefit you will come off Income Support altogether.
If you go back to work for at least 16 hours a week after receiving Income Support 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.

What if the father stops paying maintenance?
You can choose to have the maintenance paid directly to you, through someone else (a relative, for example), or through the Child Support Agency. If you are receiving Income Support it is probably a good idea to ask for the maintenance to be paid directly from the Child Support Agency to your social security office, because if the father stopped making maintenance payments for any reason you would still be paid your full benefit. If the maintenance is paid directly to you or through someone else and the father stops making payments, the Child Support Agency can 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, Working Families Tax Credit or Disabled Person's Tax Credit and you do not have savings over £600, you can claim a maternity grant of £300 (From April 2002 the grant will increase to £500). The payment is reduced by £1 for every £1 of savings over £500.

You can claim this payment from the Benefits Agency, 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 a New Deal interview about going to work?
Under the government scheme called the New Deal for Lone Parents, if you are on Income Support you will be invited for an interview about helping you find work once your youngest child reaches school age. It is not compulsory to take part in this scheme. If you would like to take part before your child reaches school age, contact your local Jobcentre.

For more information about working parents’ rights see the Maternity Alliance website.

Or contact The Maternity Alliance office:
45 Beech Street
London EC2P 2LX
Information line l 020 7588 8582