Advice and Entitlements for Lone Parents

If you have suddenly found yourself a single mum, the reality can be frightening. Even if your former partner is helping you out financially and is a good dad, being on your own with responsibility for a child or children can be frightening.

Investigating Flexible Work

Having a decent work/life balance is important, especially if you're on your own. One way to make things easier for you and your children is to investigate the possibility of flexible working. You can either work term-time, part-time or flexi-hours, when you work late some nights and have days off in lieu.

Parents with children under age 6 or disabled children under age 18 who have worked continuously for a firm for 26 weeks or more have the statutory right to ask for flexible working hours under new laws. But your employer can turn you down if he or she has sound business reasons why this would not make sense.

Improving Your Qualifications

Some newly single mums decide to return to education in order to eventually get a better and higher-paying job. If you decide to take this route, you may qualify for a grant to help with childcare costs while you are studying. Three such schemes are the Learner Support Fund, the Parents' Learning Allowance and the Childcare Grant Package.

Single parents can also get help with childcare while they are working under various programmes. Ask your local tax or benefits office for advice about which entitlements you can get.

Top Five Financial Tips for Single Mums

• If you have custody of the children, in most cases you will have the right to continue living in your own home. For more advice on how to do this, contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau or speak to Shelter on 0808 800 444.

• If you just split up from your partner, there is a good chance that you are entitled to new or increased child benefits and tax credits. The first step in finding out about these entitlements is to phone your local tax or benefits office for advice, and to tell them about your change of circumstance.

• The Child Support Agency, or CSA, will help you to make and finalise child support payments form your partner, if the two of you have been unable to come to an amicable agreement on your own. Their national hotline is 08457 133 133. Make sure you are getting Child Benefit for every child you are taking care of, as well as Child Tax Credit. This could affect other benefits you may be entitled to.

• ChildCareLink is a government agency that will tell you about registered childcare providers in your area free of charge. Call them on 0800 96 02 96. As part of the New Deal for Lone Parents, or NDLP, you may get help with childcare, call the Tax Credits Helpline on 0845 300 3900 to learn more. You may also want to see if you qualify for Working Tax Credit, formerly Working Families Tax Credit, to help defray childcare costs.

• You will get a 25 percent discount off your Council Tax if you are the only adult member of your household. Contact your local authority's Council Tax department. For additional questions, you may want to ring the free Lone Parent Helpline, run by One Parent Families/Gingerbread, on 0800 018 5026.

Splitting up is never easy, and although it can be hard you need to make sure all financial matters are taken care of. Good advice means closing joint accounts, getting a court order, if needed, to prevent your ex from disposing of joint assets and making or altering a will – very important when children are involved. You will also need to change things that are in both names, such as utilities, cancel all joint credit cards and keep abreast of your housing rights.

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