Money & Benefits

Whether you are full time employed, staying home, on a benefit or have savings - I’d be surprised if there is any SoloMum who didn’t lose at least a couple of nights sleep over money. Not to mention the SoloMums who are sole providers (you deserve another round of applause!).

Here, you’ll find:

• Information on Work & Income options, so you know what support is out there and how to access it.

• Get across child support and find out what you are entitled to or what you might have to pay

• Dig into resources and find tips and tricks to get smart with money

• Insights on commonly asked questions.

Because financial peace of mind isn’t about having it all. It’s about having enough clarity and confidence to finally sleep through the night.

General insights & most common questions

• Is child support counted as income for the Sole Parent Support benefit?

  Short answer: yes

But you usually don’t receive it directly. If you’re on the Sole Parent Support benefit, child support your ex pays through IRD goes straight to the government to offset the cost of your benefit, not into your bank account. You normally won’t see that money yourself. In some cases, if the assessed child support is more than your benefit, you might receive the difference.

If you’re not on Sole Parent Support, IRD passes the child support payments directly to you.

Small hacks from others:

• Sell old toys to buy new ones, sell baby stuff for immediate income

• Buy brand shoes on sale and sell after worn - you might come out with little costs

• Buy toys on sale to stock up for kids birthdays, Christmas etc. throughout the year.

More to come soon.

Please reach out if you have any hacks or insights we can add for other mums.