I’m a single parent, what financial help is available?

Parenting can be tough, even when there’s a team of two wrangling your kids through life. Doing it alone is often tougher. And although it comes with its own joys, there can be more financial strife involved.

Handily, there is a lot of help available, even if tracking it down can prove tricky sometimes. Alongside standard government benefits, “there’s all these little things that aren’t well-known, that you might not have heard about, that you could be entitled to,” explains Rebecca Routledge, head of content at Money Wellness.

Here’s how to bolster your finances as a solo caregiver…

Benefits are the best place to start

Before you head directly to Gov.uk, pop your details into a comprehensive online benefits calculator. Money Wellness has one, as does financial support charity Turn2Us. “The benefits system can be quite difficult to navigate and to work out exactly what you are entitled to,” says Routledge. “If you enter all your details, the calculator is going to tell you every single thing you might be entitled to.” That could be Universal Credit, Child Benefit, Free Childcare for Working Parents or more niche benefits, like social tariffs or legal aid for paying court costs.

With child benefit payments, only one parent can claim it, even if childcare is split evenly, so you need to “nominate one parent to claim it”. But you can claim it for every child under 16, or under 20 if they’re in full-time education.

“If there’s no other adults in your house, you probably should be getting the single person reduction on your council tax – usually 25% off, and you might even get a bigger reduction depending on your income,” says Routledge. “For certain single parents, if you’re a widow, there’s something called Widowed Parent’s Allowance.” Certain eligibility criteria are required.

Some people on universal credit or who are on a low income, might also be able to access social tariffs. “You might get a lower rate on your broadband and phone or on your water bill,” explains Routledge. “It is much cheaper and it’s not a lesser service.” Similarly, a “benefits calculator will tell you if you can get any support from your energy company”.

“If single parents are really struggling with the essentials, all councils have a pot of money called the Household Support Fund,” adds Routledge. “It’s there to help people living with the high cost of living.”

She says to check whether your child is entitled to free school meals too. “Do that through your local council,” or check with the school. “If you’re eligible for free school meals, then your child will also likely get free school trips and things like that as well.”

Community and charity grants

Depending on where you live and your situation, there might be local grants to apply for. “If your child has a certain long-term health condition, there might be grants available from charities who support people with particular health conditions,” says Routledge, who recommends checking out Turn2Us which has a grants search on its website. “You can put in your details, your situation, and it’ll see if you match up with any grants.”

Child maintenance

A core consideration after splitting from the person you had children with, is deciding who is going to pay for what, moving forwards. “That’s the key thing, making sure, if at all possible, that you and the other parent are paying their fair share. That’s not always easy. I appreciate that. The best way is if you can come to an amicable agreement,” says Routledge.

Gov.uk has a child maintenance calculator which can help you work out a reasonable system. “If not, the child maintenance service will do it for you,” says Routledge. “It’s the responsibility of both parents to support that child, so you should make sure the other parent is contributing where you can.” Child maintenance stops on August 31, on or after your child’s 16th birthday, or when your child turns 20, as long as they remain in approved education or training.

Debt relief

Single or not, debt can become a problem. “If you’re finding that you’re using credit to pay for essentials, just to get by, it’s probably time to speak to a debt professional,” warns Routledge.

They may be able to negotiate with lenders to reduce repayments, or “a lot of single parents will qualify for a debt relief order just because they tend to be on a lower income and tend to have less disposable income after they’ve covered all the essentials,” says Routledge. “With a debt relief order, your debts get frozen for a year, so you don’t make any payments towards those, any creditors stop chasing you for those debts. If your financial situation doesn’t improve during those 12 months, those debts get written off and you get a fresh financial start.”

Don’t hesitate to ask for help

“Speak to someone,” says Routledge. Just because you’re parenting alone doesn’t mean you are completely alone. “People can be struggling for months, if not years, before they reach out.”

Organisations like Citizens Advice and the single parent family charity Gingerbread are there to help, beyond the financials.