Is a single mothers benifits enough

Becles

IS was not enough to live on when I was a single parent a few years back.

I was refused help with my mortgage until 39 weeks had passed, and I didn't claim council tax benefit as nobody told me about it, so I didn't know it existed.

I got around £115 a week for me and two children, plus milk tokens and free prescriptions. I didn't claim school dinners, as the eldest prefers packed lunches.

My mortgage was £405 a month, and my council tax was £86 a month. The IS just about covered that. I then used a credit card to pay for the utility bills, food etc., which was worrying as knew I had no means of paying it back and was just racking up debts.

I couldn't sell the house, as my ex had gone AWOL and his name was on the deeds/mortgage. The council refused to home me, as I was already homed, and they said they would only step in if I got repossessed.

Luckily I managed to get a job within a few months, so everything worked out ok.

It's always bothered me that there isn't as much help for women who get abandoned by a partner but live in their own home. I was always intending to go back to work, but having enough money to live on would have made those few months so much easier.

novelli

I think the basic figure per week for a single parent with one child is £110, then they should get full CT and HB, so it £110 for food/bills/etc. Which i think is plenty to live off if you are careful. Theres also then 72 child benefit once a month.

it all depends how good people are at managing their money, its easy to live off that amount if you are not extravagant and dont buy things you dont need, chat on phone for ages etc etc.

I dont know the figures, but ive often heard people say that they would be no better off working, whether this is tru or not i dont know.

sambo31

Okay i thought i would add to this as i have just came off benefits as my kids now age 12 and 14 are sensible enough to stay at home and i was sick of being labled for being on benefits plus i was skint all the time lol.

I was having to really count the pennies and when anything broke down in the house i was having to resort to provident etc.

I am now working 22.5 hrs a wk @ £5.94 a week and get £130 a wk before tax which they have messed up at the moment and have paid over £180 in tax but thats another story :rolleyes: and i get £148 working and child tax then i get my £30.20 child benefit, and out of that i have to pay out.

full rent £236 per month.
£69 per month council tax i get single person discount.
free school meals have now stopped so my kids have pack lunches which costs me about £15 a week.

plus the usual bills i had before aswell as the social fund loan i had before i started work which they have stated they want nearly £20 per week so to be honest i'm not really that much better off working but feel better in myself but can really understand why some mothers dont want to work.

RubyShoes

Remember those figures include payments for childcare costs.
But, go and input that exact scenario into www.entitledto.com, or go to hmrc.gov.uk and do a search for 'do I qualify' and it should be the 5th or 6th link down... hold on, ill post a link...
https://www.taxcredits.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/Qualify/DIQHousehold.aspx

tsstss7

moonrakermagpie wrote: »

Hi there,

Could I ask a general question.

A single mother with one three year old.

Her only income is her benifits, she is getting all of her rent paid and council tax, and is receiving all of her other benifits. she has no other income other than a sub from us now and then (that she does not need to pay back, this amounts to around £20 a month.

She does not have a car and does not spend money on bus fairs, or holidays or going out or anything really other than "living"

The question is - should she be able to live reasonably well or is her benifits only just enough to survive on.

Many thanks

Steve

#
Hi Steve

In my opinion it isn't - I was on IS for about 3 years and was desperate for my DS to get to the age where I could realistically go back to work full time as every year I was getting more and more worse off (things breaking and needing to be replaced, DS growing up and becoming more expensive to clothe, school trips getting more frequent and more expensive).

I ran up debts with the only CC card companies that would have me (not many of those when you are on IS) and no I did not have a holiday or any luxuries in that time - in fact I've still only had 1 family holiday with my DS in the last 5 years as I've been working to pay back the debt's I've incurred over the years on IS.

That said I was i nhte worst position of single mums in the UK as I only had one child so didn't get much in the way of extra benefits for children but also had all the responsibilities that having children brings - sure I can live without heating and healthy food but my child sure as **** isn't going to.

Whatever the local concencus is on whether we are actully allowed to exist or not. Yes I chose to be a SAHM on IS and suffer for a few years but my DS is a happy well adjusted and well looked after child because of it and I would put my child first in this always and certainly don't have any regrets there.

As to all those holier than thou "get out to work" parents (single or not) I know plenty of single mums on benefits who subside them with free childcare when the school closes at the last minute due to floods and are take their children in during the school holidays when they are left to roam the streets!

Sorry rant over !!!

ps yes they could penalise her for the cash gifts if they are regular (and I'm sure some people on here know that they are always on the look out for benefit cheats as they think everyone is doing it!!) probably best to keep your subsides to stuff like days out etc where you aren't actually giving her cash !!

DaisyFlower

In response to the original post, benefits should cover bare living expenses in order that they dont become a lifestyle choice otherwise lots more people would choose not to work.

If you total it up using approx £400 housing benefit, £80 council tax, £200 income support, £200 tax credits, £40 school dinner benefits, £20 free dental/prescription, £10 food vouchers - its probably more than some people actually get paid for working.

aaroncaz

this is for single parents, cheaper hols:

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/hurdweb/helphols/index.html

Nicifer_noonoo

After my mortgage, utility bills, train fares to and from work and all other expenses are paid, I'm in exactly the same position and I work full time and receive no benefits. It is hard, but do-able.

dobbie82

PasturesNew wrote: »

Blimey! Really ....
For a minimum wage job???
Nobody can "earn" that much, so they'd be LOADS better off.
If your figures are right... let's see as this thread develops.

Although it is difficult to work out as there is no simple calculator to chuck numbers into to give quick answers.

benefits are waaaay to high. we are worse off being together.

When I was off work in 2005 after not going back to work after maternity leave when I had my 1st son my boyfriend was earning £360 a week before tax (a high wage according to the council.. yeah right) so about £280 take home? We got £40 ish in tax credits and I think child benefit was about 16 a week.

so total joint income about £340. Rent was 125 a week, council tax £25 a week plus all bills on top etc... needless to say we had to borrow money to pay the rent for the year which will take another 4 years to pay off!

Now we have another son, boyfriends wage is now £400 a week so about £306ish take home, tax credits are now £90, child benefit £28? though I get £112 maternity benefit.

so total just about covers what I would get if i was a single mum.

My boyfriend works away for very long periods and rarely spends more than 1 night every 6-8 weeks at home, so it is terribly tempting to claim that I am a single mum as I would have the £500 or so in benefits and my boyfriend would have his wage.

But I am afraid I have principles and would not claim unless I had to which is why I went nuts at the benfits people when they said we couldnt have any help when my 1st son was born, I though the idea was you pay your NI contributions and when you are in genuine need you would get help... obviously not!

benefits should cover rent, electric etc, but i'd like to know how the single mum's at baby clinic are affording bringing their babies with designer clothes. I would have to think twice before spending £25 on shoes for myself, I would never dream on spending it on a pair of baby nike trainers!

angie_baby

This post is not agaist the OP.

Sorry but some of the posts on here make my blood boil.

Its absolute bollox that a single parent on benifits can afford holidays, etc. Benifits should be so you can just live - not as others have said live it up. Why should others have to work and spend time away from there family so we can pay for these people?

Yes, help people, we all have !!!!!! luck at times but i can honestly not see a reason why a single parent cannot work? Yes there are cases where thus is not true, ie Disabled child, etc But the Tax Creds made it easier for parents so they could afford childcare.

I take pride in the fact that i know when i buy something for my son, i have earnt it. When we go on holiday i know we deserve it as we have worked hard all year.

Benifits are ment to be a stop gap not a lifestyle.