# Newly Single mother of 2 - help needed



## Patsy2 (4 Jun 2009)

Hi

New to this,don't know where to start, sorry if it's jumbled.

My partner (now ex) moved out 2 weeks ago, no going back now. I don't have the first clue of what to do or claim for! I have two kids 5 and 3 yrs my partner told me he will pay me €100 a week. My working hours were reduced 3 weeks ago - i've yet to go to the welfare office as my passport is out of date and waiting on new drivers licence as bag was stolen little while ago.  Our rent is paid for June now -€1000 per month, i really don't see how I can pay this at all! Am I going to have to move house? I don't want to go to welfare office not knowing anything, so any help would be much appreciated.  I am 28 have worked since i've left school at 17 bar my maternity leaves and am firstly embarrassed and secondly scared.
Bank accounts in joint names - obviously that's being sorted
Bills, esb, gas - in his name - do I ring these companies and get it changed to my name? or does he have to do it as the account holder?
What do I say to the social welfare? Do I wait until I have these things in my name? If I do what in the name of god am I going to live on?

Thanks in advance.


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## samanthajane (4 Jun 2009)

Sorry to hear of your troubles. 

The first thing you need to do is go and see the welfare office, dont wait for your passport/driving licence. And you can go to see or call the CIB as they will have all the info you need as well. 

Welfarite ( i hope that's his name ) is like a walking book on all you can and cant do regarding the social. He's very good and usually responds to everyone he can. 

You might want to add a bit more information as well. Like are you married? I'm pretty sure that if you are married you have to be seperated for 3 months before you can claim a benfit like loan parents ( if your earnings are below the limit ) I think this is the same for rent allowance as well. 

Add in what your wages are aswell, that way people will have more of an idea what you could might be able to claim. I can think of FIS for one but again this would depend on your income at present. The limit for a parent with 2 children is €590 a week. The differnence between this and your income you will recieve 60%. 

Dont be embarrassed or scared, you have worked for 11 years and you are fully entitled to ask and recieve help now that you need it. 

You can ring the esb, and get the accounts changed into your names that shouldn't be a problem. 

The main issue i would see at the moment for you is keeping a roof over your head. Is there anyway that your ex partner can help at all with this. I would still go to the social asap as claims can take a while to process.


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## Welfarite (4 Jun 2009)

Patsy2, don't be embarassed or ashamed, loads of people are in the same situation and it's not your fault! You won't be able to claim One-parent Family Payment until you have been separated three months but you might have an entitlement to Family Income Supplement, based on what you earn and how many hours you work. 

Also, if you not working for a minimum of three days in any six (Mon-Sat incl) (you say your hours have been reduced?) you could claim Jobseeker's Benefit. Call to the local Citizen's Information Centre or to the Information Officer (local SW offcie) and chat to them. There are also a number of websites that are very inforamtive, can't think of them right now but other posters might!

EDIT: Adding this as my post crossed with SJ's! Yes, I said three months but that is if you are married. So, if you aren't, then you can claim OPFP straight away, of course. As SJ says, don't wait. Do it immediately. Rent Supplement is dependant of income.


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## Patsy2 (4 Jun 2009)

Thanks Samanthajane and Welfarite for your replies, much appreciated.

No, thankfully not married, so don't have that to worry about too.

Reduced working hours = 3 days a week, mon thurs and sat.

Citizens information were helpful, the lady was trying to explain to me what I should receive, although she mentioned something like comparing the Jobseekers and FIS payment to see which i'm better off on and came to her own conclusion it would probably be the FIS payment ( though this totally went over my head! ) she did say though until we came to an agreement of what he was going to help me with until my application was in with the social then she couldn't say for sure and to ring back when we sorted something.

So i bit the bullet and rang him asking him to come to the house tonight to talk about this - he said no - but he did say he would "help me with whatever just until I get my my social sorted" which is a relief of sorts I suppose, but could anyone tell me if I will have to move? The rent at the minute is €1000 pm and someone at work told me today that I would have to find somewhere cheaper as they only pay a certain amount for you, but I was under the illusion that I wouldn't qualify for rent allowance as i'm in employment??

Am very confused, thinking i'm going to have to move home to the North again but I really don't want to, and both the kids are happy at school and have their lives here too!

Thanks again


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## samanthajane (4 Jun 2009)

In regards to rent allowance with all the new changes that have gone on i wouldn't really know the best way to advise you. 

The best bet is to go to the social welfare and ask them. Since you are only working 3 days i week i would imagine you would recieve some sort of payment, weather that would be enough to be able to pay the full 1000 you will olny know when you are receiving all of what you can claim. 

From the top of my head full lone parents for 2 children is €250. You can earn 148.50 before the full amount is effected. After 148.50 every euro you earn 50 cent will be taken away from the €250. 

Child maintanence isn't assessed for lone parents ( I always thought it was but was corrected) and not for FIS, but it will be assessed for rent allowance. 


Very quick example for you as a rough guide. 

You work 3 days a week @ €10 an hour so weekly wage approx €240 ( not going to go into tax, prsi only a very rough example )

you get maintenance of €100  a week ( only assessed for rent allowance ) 

so you should in theory get €204 appox each week in loan parents. 

wages €240, Loan Parents €204 .....total €444. 

Fis limit €590...so €590-€444 = 146. 

60%of 146 = €87. 

so total income

wages         240
Loan parent  204
Fis                87
Maintenance  100

total pw         631         


You will also be entitled to fuel allowance ( when it starts in september again ) and the back to education allowance for your children.


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## D8Lady (4 Jun 2009)

I am sorry to hear of your troubles. 

Just regardiing these 2 statements: 

"partner told me he will pay me €100 a week."
"help me with whatever just until I get my my social sorted"
I presume he is the father of the children (sorry if that sounds bad), if so, no matter what has happened between you two, he still has his responsibilities for his children. 

You can apply to a district court to have a child maintenance order put in place. If necessary, this can be taken from his pay at source. 

Do a search on it here, its been raised a few times before.


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## samanthajane (4 Jun 2009)

D8Lady said:


> I am sorry to hear of your troubles.
> 
> Just regardiing these 2 statements:
> 
> ...


 
I dont think the op would need to go down the court route unless the ex partner doesn't follow through with the €100 a week maintenance. 

I think the €100 is what he said he could provide in respects to maintenance, and he has said untill she has sorted out her other claims he would help out in regards to the rent on the property.


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## Black Sheep (5 Jun 2009)

I think E100 would be considered very low maintenance for 2 children if this were to end up in court.
A negotiated agreement would be a better option if this is possible. Use the court as a last resort
As a previous poster has said he has equal responsibility with you to the children. Any maintenance should be paid through a bank (as a written record is available). Do not deal in cash transactions


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## newcomer (5 Jun 2009)

Hi pasty, so sorry to hear of your situation. You get 950 a mth rent allowance as far i know, but wit recent budget may of been reduced. I was receving it for a while & to be honest it's not worth your while working & claiming it. . . .they only allow you to earn 100 then every euro you earn after that they stop in your rent allowance & you can't claim your FIS either. This was the situation for me 3 years ago, & im not aware that anything has changed (for the better). . . .i ended up leaving my job of 12yrs as i was at loss working. 

So sorry again about your situation, hope all works out for you, Good luck.


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## Sue Ellen (5 Jun 2009)

Hi Patsy,

Very sorry to hear of your break-up and financial problems.

You may be able to get some advice from these websites

www.citizensinformation.ie

www.welfare.ie

Hope you can get things sorted for yourself and the children.


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## samanthajane (5 Jun 2009)

Black Sheep said:


> I think E100 would be considered very low maintenance for 2 children if this were to end up in court.


 
I dont see how you can state this since the op hasn't said a word about her ex partner's financial situation. 

He has agreed to pay maintenance and to also help out while she is sorting out what she is and isn't entitled to and to have these claims processed. To me it doesn't sound like he is trying to pay as little as possible. Maybe this is all he can afford at present. 


quote from newcomer ( i dont know how to multi quote )   "they only allow you to earn 100 then every euro you earn after that they stop in your rent allowance & you can't claim your FIS either."

I dont understand where your coming from. Why wouldn't she be entitled to claim FIS?


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## gipimann (5 Jun 2009)

I think what newcomer was saying is that for Rent Supplement, all income is assessed, including wages, maintenance (though there are some disregards for both) and FIS.   Depending on the total income, there may be no entitlement to Rent Supplement.


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## newcomer (5 Jun 2009)

Thank you gipmann, thats exactly what i was trying to say. Patsy incomes of wages, maintenance, FIS & OPF(altho OPF is not fully assessed they do take it into account as an income of which she has to pay a small fortune towards the rent) will make her way over the limit & she won't be entitlled to a cent for rent. I sat for an hr with my SWO & then when to see a lovely man in citizens advise who told me that my best option was to give up working. . . like pasty i was to proud or whatever you want to call it to claim fully off the state, i wanted to keep working & try & pay my way but they made it impossible for me. This wasn't today or yesterday when this happened to me, this was 3/nearly 4 yrs ago in the height of the boom . . . .as i said before i can't imagine that things have changed for the better.


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## samanthajane (5 Jun 2009)

I agree with you about the rent, it's crazy the way they work it out. 

But in regards to the FIS she is only working 3 days a week. So i cant imagine her wages being that much that she would go over the limit. 

She has already spoken to the CIB and they said FIS was her best option. 

It was the "& you can't claim your FIS either." 

I must of picked it up wrong to me it sounded you were saying because she wouldn't get rent allowance she wouldn't be entitled to FIS. 

It probably would be better for her to give up work, would make more financial sense.....which sounds impossible but oh so true. Lets hope it will change soon.


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## Welfarite (5 Jun 2009)

samanthajane said:


> It probably would be better for her to give up work, would make more financial sense.....which sounds impossible but oh so true.


 
...or reduce hours even further to increase FIS? You'd need to work it out exactly though. Anyway, maybe we're confusing things too much as Patsy sounds like she has a lot to take in and handle. Maybe if we do this in steps, Patsy?

STEP ONE: Apply for OFP through SW local office, get forms for FIS.
STEP TWO: Apply for FIS, checking with SW that it is more beneficial to claim FIS than JB for the days you're not working.
STEP THREE: Apply for Rent Supplement through CWO at local Health Centre

Part of the OFP investigation will entail examining the maintenance arrangements (child maintenance makes no difference anyhow)


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## samanthajane (5 Jun 2009)

Just to add to what welfarite said, incase OP didn't know. You have to be working a minimum of 19 hours per week to get FIS in the first place.


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## newcomer (5 Jun 2009)

Sorry that was me doing all the confusing. Newcomer. . tut tut.
Welfarite seems to know his onions on this subject, even thought i claimed myself for awhile its still a mystery to me.

Good luck pasty, hope all works out.


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## sophia (20 Jun 2009)

hi, im in the same boat as patsy, and am applying for my lone parents, also does anyone know if i can apply for FIS as well as lone parents, i work 20hrs a wk? An if my lone parents is granted would my parents' electricity an phone deductions be affected by this??? (as im back livin in my parents)


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## gipimann (21 Jun 2009)

Yes, you can apply for FIS and One Parent Family Payment.

Have a look here -  Household Benefits Package for the rules on the Household Benefits Package.


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