What is a single mother with 1 child entitled to??
Single mothers are true all-rounders. They often take care of children, household and finances alone. However, mothers often get into financial difficulties because they cannot find a job with the children or because they cannot work due to the insufficient care possibilities for the child. However, there are some financial aids that single mothers should know about and use according to their possibilities.
Topics of the article
Maternity benefit
During pregnancy, employment is prohibited from a certain point in time in order to protect mother and child. Maternity leave usually begins 6 weeks before the expected date of delivery and ends 8 weeks after the birth. During this time, the income of the single parent must still be secured. During a certain period before, during and after the birth she is entitled to maternity benefit, if she is insured by law. The single parent should inform herself about further requirements and the amount of the payment at the health insurance company.
Parental allowance
Single parents are also entitled to parental allowance for 14 months after the birth parental allowance to compensate for the lack of income. The amount of parental allowance depends on the amount of income received before the birth.
Advance child support
Many single parents receive only irregular support or no support at all from the separated parent, even if he or she is obligated to pay child support. In these cases, there is a Right to receive the advance on child support, independent of the income level of the single parent.
Since 01. As of July 2017, children are even entitled to parental allowance up to the age of 18. Under certain conditions, a single mother can receive an advance payment from the youth welfare office after the age of 18.
children from 0 to 5 years receive 154 euros per month, from 6 to 11 years 205 euros and from 12 to 18 years 273 euros. Child benefit is paid from birth. Can, under certain conditions, even after the age of 18. child allowance can be paid from the age of six.
A special feature is to be considered if the single parent receives support for the child from the other parent. He can then deduct half of the child support from the alimony. In the case single parents receive in the end only half of the child allowance.
Child supplement
The Child supplement single mothers can, under certain conditions, receive child benefit in addition to the child allowance. However, the single parent must have have a monthly gross income of at least 600 euros and may not exceed a certain maximum income. Complicated calculations are required.
In addition, the sum of the income and the child supplement must be so high that there is no longer any entitlement to social welfare or unemployment benefit 2. The amount of the child supplement depends on income. Depending on the assets of the person concerned. It is initially granted for six months.
Relief amount
The Relief amount for single parents is a tax help. Of the annual income, an amount equal to 1.908 euros are deducted. If there are several children, the amount increases by 240 euros each time.
To be able to claim the relief amount, the single parent must be entitled to child benefit for the child living wholly or predominantly in their household. If the single mother is in income tax bracket 2, the relief amount can already be taken into account when deducting income tax.
Unemployment benefit
Many single parents are not able to work or to earn an income that covers the costs of living, for example because they are discriminated against by employers due to their children or because there are no sufficient care facilities for the children.
Although there is a legal right to care for children under the age of 3, there is often a lack of free daycare places. These mothers should seek advice from the employment agency and register as job seekers. Calculations are then made, taking into account the personal circumstances, to determine whether unemployment benefits will be paid and, if so, how much.
Unemployment benefit 2 may also be considered as a basic security benefit.
Social benefit
Children of single mothers who receive unemployment benefit 2 and are themselves not yet capable of working are entitled to Social benefits to ensure their basic security. Income, such as child support and child maintenance, is taken into account. The social allowance covers the cost of living on a flat-rate basis. Additional needs can also be claimed. Social assistance also covers costs of living. To enable a decent life. It is granted if incapable persons do not live with a capable person, i.e. also in the case of children who live with a single parent who is not capable of working.
Since the requirements for receiving social benefits are difficult to understand, social counseling should be used.
Housing allowance
Single mothers with a low income and low assets have a Entitlement to housing benefit. This can be used as a rent subsidy or as a subsidy for the cost of owner-occupied housing. Children living in the household may also be entitled to housing allowance.
The responsible Housing allowance authority provides information on the further conditions for entitlement to housing allowance and the amount of allowance that can be paid. The application must also be submitted there, which is initially approved for one year.
Home help in case of illness
If a single mother falls ill herself and has to go to hospital or cannot look after the child at home because of the illness, she is entitled to household help if the child is not yet 12 years old.
leave of absence in case of illness of the child
If the child, and not the single parent, is ill, the mother may take up to 20 days off from work. It is amed that there is statutory health insurance, the child is not yet 12 years old and the need to care for the child is documented by a medical certificate.
Mother-child cure
Single parents can take advantage of a mother-child cure, the costs of which are largely covered by the health insurance. However, co-payments are common.
The cure usually lasts 21 days and is used for rehabilitation, preventive care or therapy. Should a child be cared for at home during the period Entitlement to a family carer. There are special therapy services for single parents.
Information should be obtained from the family doctor, pediatrician, the Muttergenesungswerk or the state associations of the Verein Alleinerziehder Mutter und Vater (Association of Single Mothers and Fathers). The entitlement to the cure is certified by the doctor.
Credits and bank loans
For single parents who do not work full time and receive only a low income, it can be difficult to obtain a loan from the bank. In most cases, banks also only grant loans from 1.000 euros and above all check the creditworthiness and collateral of their borrowers.
If it is only a short financial bottleneck that you want to bridge, special online loans offer the possibility to borrow money for a few days. In case of money shortage, however, the first step should always lead to family and friends, and even after that, one should carefully check the conditions of short-term loans to be able to ensure timely repayment.
Conclusion
Single mothers still face many financial disadvantages in society. A lot needs to change on a political level so that these mothers and their children can get out of the poverty trap.
Still, there is already a lot of financial help available to help single moms get by, at least a little bit, in their lives. Mothers, with the help of the appropriate agencies, should carefully examine what entitlements they and their children have in order to take advantage of them to the fullest extent possible. Many of the counseling centers offer counseling sessions free of charge. Can address the overall individual situation.
The option of resorting to credit or short-term loans in an emergency is only serious if other options such as friends and family are out of the question and repayment is also ared. In principle, all other means should be checked beforehand to avoid indebtedness.
I am not a lawyer and this text is expressly NOT to be construed as legal advice. All information is for informational purposes only. The information published here has been verified exclusively by me and not by lawyers or authorities and may contain errors. The information is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice or counsel of a lawyer or public official. If I have given incorrect, misleading or incomplete information here, I would be grateful for a friendly hint at any time.