Checklist: parenting alone

• Introduction
• Income supports
• Legal information
• Tax relief
• Other supports for people parenting alone
• Other sources of information

Introduction

If you are parenting alone, you can use the lists and links below to find details of your entitlements and the main services available.

Income supports

 

General information	Specific social welfare payments
Getting a social welfare payment	Social welfare payments for children and families One Parent Family payment Jobseeker's Transitional payment Back to Work Family Dividend Claiming an extra half-rate social welfare payment Working Family Payment Claiming for a child dependent Signing on for the first time
Benefits and entitlements relating to pregnancy, birth and children	Pregnancy and social welfare payments Health and Safety Benefit Antenatal visits and appointments Antenatal classes Maternity leave Maternity Benefit Adoptive leave Adoptive Benefit Parent's leave Parent's Benefit Parental leave Child Benefit
Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme	Getting an interim payment Exceptional Needs and Urgent Needs Payments
Income supports for widows and widowers	Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Non-Contributory) Pension Widowed or Surviving Civil Partner Grant
Housing-related supports	Rent Supplement Rental Accommodation Scheme Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) Local authority housing
Health-related entitlements	Medical card GP visit card GP visit cards for children under 6

 

Legal information

 

General information	Specific information on aspects of family law
Breakdown of a relationship	Legal options following marital breakdown Getting a divorce in Ireland Judicial separation Separation agreements Family mediation for separating couples Factors considered by a court in a separation/divorce/dissolution Separation and divorce: children Maintenance orders and agreements Guardianship status of fathers Presumption of paternity Safety orders, protection orders and barring orders Civil Legal Advice and Legal Aid International child abduction
Cohabiting people (people who live together in a committed relationship, but who are not married or in a civil partnership)	Legal guardianship and cohabiting couples Access to children and cohabiting couples Custody of children and cohabiting couples
Property law	Property rights of cohabiting couples Property rights and the breakdown of a relationship Family and shared homes

 

Tax relief

 

General information	Specific information about taxation
Introduction to income tax credits and reliefs	Single Person Child Carer Credit Incapacitated Child Tax Credit One-parent family tax credits and reliefs Separation and divorce and income tax credits and reliefs Maintenance and tax Rent Tax Credit

 

Childcare and education supports

General information	Specific information about childcare and education
Supports for children   Help with childcare costs	Parents and education Financial help with going to school National Childcare Scheme
Going back to education and training	Back to Education Programme Back to Education Allowance Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme Social welfare payments and the student grant

 

Going back to work

General information	Specific information about employment supports and returning to work
Employment schemes	Back to Work Enterprise Allowance Short-term Enterprise Allowance Community Employment Rural Social Scheme Tús JobsPlus Work Placement Programme
Returning to work	Part-time work Self employment

Other supports for people parenting alone

 

General information	Specific information about extra social welfare benefits
Extra social welfare benefits	Free travel Household Benefits Package Fuel Allowance Diet and Heating Supplements Exceptional and Urgent Needs Payment Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance

Other sources of information

 

State agencies	Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) Tusla, the Child and Family Agency Family Mediation Service Legal Aid Board Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC)
Voluntary agencies	Treoir One Family