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.
All employees who have worked continuously for a firm for 26 weeks or more have the statutory right to ask for flexible working hours. But your employer can turn you down if he or she has sound business reasons why this would not make sense.
Working Parent Support Checker
See what financial support a working parent could be entitled to, from free childcare hours and tax-free childcare to Child Benefit and Universal Credit help.
Try our Working Parent Support Checker free, here on this site →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.
Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.
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 Maintenance Service (CMS) will help you to make and finalise child support payments from your partner, if the two of you have been unable to come to an amicable agreement on your own. 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.
- The Family Information Service will tell you about registered childcare providers in your area free of charge through your local council. As part of the New Deal for Lone Parents, or NDLP, you may get help with childcare, contact HMRC or your local Jobcentre Plus to learn more. You may also want to see if you qualify for Universal Credit to help with 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 contact Gingerbread for support.
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.
Child tax credits
Income support
Working tax
Disability for him self
as we have split custody and I'm struggling with finance and I don't know what I'm entitled to can someone give me advice or tell me what I can claim/entilted to and I am working 30 hours a week but can't work anymore than that! Thanks
I am in the process of splitting from my husband and need to know what benefits I would be entitiled to as I want to keep my home.
Lisa
Ask A Working Mum a question
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