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Being a single mother is a pretty scary and daunting experience, and it’s not something a lot of Australian women look forward to. However, it is a reality for some women, and it’s important that these women understand that they have support and help, and they have options to allow them to get through this process.
If this applies to you then it is important that you try to understand exactly what support and help you are entitled to, as well as the best ways of going about applying for it. Money is always a concern for single parents, and this is even more important in a post-COVID world. So you need to make sure you are focused on getting the help and financial support you need as a single mother in 2020 and beyond.
Government Support
So one of the first places to start with this is to make sure you understand what the Australian government can offer you, and start to work on getting the support you need. Here are some of the key benefits available to single mothers right now.
- Parenting Payment
The Parenting Payment benefit is for primary caregivers who pass the income and residency test. If you work or receive child benefit you could see a drop in the amount you get, and there are a few caveats when it comes to claiming this benefit, and this depends upon the age of your youngest child, as well as whether or not you have a partner.
- Family Tax Benefit Part A and B
The Family Tax Benefit is split into two parts, A and B, and this is dependent upon your household income. Part A pays you benefits per child, and Part B pays you per household. This can be an invaluable way of claiming more benefits to help you as a single parent.
- Child Care Subsidy
The cost of childcare is something that can mount up very quickly and this is something you can ease slightly by making use of the government’s child care subsidy. This is dependent upon paid work, study, volunteer work, self-employment, and having a child under the age of 13.
- Rent Assistance
Rent can be one of the most crippling parts of life as a single mother, and any help you can get with this is invaluable. Try to make use of the housing assistance that Centrelink can offer, and this is something that can really help single mothers who are earning low income.
Child Support
Child support is always essential for any single mother, and the Department of Human Services can assess the child support payments you are eligible for. Obviously, the ideal solution is making sure you sort these payments out privately with your ex, but this is not always possible for a lot of couples. In the event you can’t do this, you should make sure you get the Child Support Agency to take care of this for you. This money can prove to be invaluable when it comes to helping look after your child and gain a little more financial comfort.
Legal Aid
You have a lot of legal services and legal aid that you can make the most of when it comes to making the best of this right now. Finding plenty of legal services that can support women’s aid and single mothers is really important. Make sure you check out Melbourne family lawyers so that you can find the best possible legal aid that is pretty much tailored to your needs. There are a lot of things that you can benefit from in this regard, and you need to make sure you focus on what it takes to find the perfect legal aid to serve your needs as a single mother looking for financial support and guidance right now.
Centrelink Support
Centrelink is one of the most essential resources that single mothers can use to help them gain more benefits. Yes, Centrelink can be stressful, and there are often queues out the door, but it can be one of the most essential places to gain support as a single mother these days. There are a lot of possible benefits you can claim from Centrelink, including Family Tax Benefits, Child Care Benefits, ParentsNext, Crisis Payment, and many more. Now, we understand that this can get a little overwhelming, so one of the best things you can do to expedite the process and make your applications easier and faster, is to get online. Download the Centrelink app for your smartphone, and get the ball rolling today.
Pensions and Concessions
Make sure you look into other benefits that you can make the most of as a single mother as well, and these include pensions and concession cards, issued to those receiving child benefit. Now, these cards are great as they offer a number of excellent benefits that you can make the most of right now, and these benefits include school fees, educational supplements, prescriptions, energy bills, public transport and more. These are so important for saving you valuable cents on a daily basis, and easing the burden on your bank balance. See how many of these benefits you can make the most of right now, and try to maximise your benefits today by taking advantage of these as much as possible.
Dental Care
Dental is a crucial part of maintaining health and hygiene, and this is something you need to work on as much as you can. There are a lot of costs involved in dental care, but as a single mother there are also benefits that you can make the most of moving forwards. A Child Benefit Dental Schedule is one of the best ways of ensuring your child gets access to the best quality dental work they can, and this is something used throughout Australia that single mothers can benefit from in a big way.
These are a few of the core benefits you could be entitled to as a single mother in modern day Australia. It will, of course, depend upon your situation in terms of income, child support and the age of your child. Make sure you look into these ideas that can help you to ease the burden of being a single mother by giving your bank balance a bit more of a break.