One Parent Family Payment

Mommy05

Hi everyone,
I applied for my one parent family payment on the 5th of nov and Im still waiting for a response. I was getting maternity benefit until last week and I am not returning to work. Right now I have no income. I know I can apply for supplementary welfare allowance while I am waiting but will this slow down the process of my one parent family payment? I have enough saved to live on for 4-6 weeks. What is the average waiting time for the payment?
Also I read that I am entitled to half maternity benefit while receiving one parent family payment. I am just wondering are they good at paying the arrears or does it take a long time to get it ?
Thanks in advance for all your help.

Francescoli

Mommy05 wrote: »

Hi everyone,
I applied for my one parent family payment on the 5th of nov and Im still waiting for a response. I was getting maternity benefit until last week and I am not returning to work. Right now I have no income. I know I can apply for supplementary welfare allowance while I am waiting but will this slow down the process of my one parent family payment? I have enough saved to live on for 4-6 weeks. What is the average waiting time for the payment?
Also I read that I am entitled to half maternity benefit while receiving one parent family payment. I am just wondering are they good at paying the arrears or does it take a long time to get it ?
Thanks in advance for all your help.

getting supplementary welfare allowance wont slow down the process,so you should call to them if you have no other income.
I'm not sure what you mean by half maternity benefit?you said at the start of the post you have received MAT and that last 26weeks?

bubbles3

hi i'm the same my maternity leave expired in APRIL, i havent retunred to work yet because of illness, my daughter was born in nov but i didnt know i had to apply for one parent, so in feb i was told i had to apply, i applied in feb but i havent received it yet, how long does it normally take and will it be back dated from nov or from when i applied. just seems like such a long wait.

lil old me

Hi Ladies. Some info from my own experience Hope this helps. I Had my daughter in OCT 2010. I was on maternity leave from work and was not sure if I was entitled to apply for OPF. IN januaRY 2011 i |Applied stating I didnt think I qualified before then. In May 2011 I was granted one parent family and told that I would be paid the arrears in due course. I had to wait until Sept for the money that I was owed then. Also Beacuse you were recieving Maternity Benrfit you will only be entitled to half rate OPF for the time you were getting that this.

bubbles3

lil old me wrote: »

Hi Ladies. Some info from my own experience Hope this helps. I Had my daughter in OCT 2010. I was on maternity leave from work and was not sure if I was entitled to apply for OPF. IN januaRY 2011 i |Applied stating I didnt think I qualified before then. In May 2011 I was granted one parent family and told that I would be paid the arrears in due course. I had to wait until Sept for the money that I was owed then. Also Beacuse you were recieving Maternity Benrfit you will only be entitled to half rate OPF for the time you were getting that this.

Thank you for ur reply how much do u get for one parent family ? Thank u

LegacyUser

bubbles3 wrote: »

Thank you for ur reply how much do u get for one parent family ? Thank u

Hi all since applying for one parent family in feb 2012 my daughter was born nov 2011 I was just awarded one parent family payment I was on illness benefit after my maternity leave because I was unfit to work, I received my first weekly payment last week of one parent, will I be backed a half rate of one parent as I was getting full 260 maternity a week. As think normally get half maternity and full one parent, I'd be grateful for advise. As I need to pay back parents who where helping me out.

Gringo180

Apologies for digging uo an old thread. But you hardly get backdated lone parents even if you were in receipt of maternity benefit do you? As in backdated from the birth of the child?

orchidsrpretty

Gringo180 wrote: »

Apologies for digging uo an old thread. But you hardly get backdated lone parents even if you were in receipt of maternity benefit do you? As in backdated from the birth of the child?[/quote

If you are entitled to it you do.

Gringo180

orchidsrpretty wrote: »

Gringo180 wrote: »

Apologies for digging uo an old thread. But you hardly get backdated lone parents even if you were in receipt of maternity benefit do you? As in backdated from the birth of the child?[/quote

If you are entitled to it you do.

How do you know if your entitled to it? Is it to do with contributions?

splinter65

Gringo180 wrote: »

orchidsrpretty wrote: »

How do you know if your entitled to it? Is it to do with contributions?

One parent family is means tested nothing to do with contributions.
Maternity Benefit is all to do with contributions.
Anything that says “benefit” is contributions, everything else is means tested.
You’re entitled to OPFP if you’re parenting alone and you pass the means test.
If you’re on Maternity Benefit and also entitled to OPFP then you will get your OPFP and 1/2 rate Maternity Benefit for the duration of the Maternity Benefit.

Gringo180

splinter65 wrote: »

Gringo180 wrote: »

One parent family is means tested nothing to do with contributions.
Maternity Benefit is all to do with contributions.
Anything that says “benefit” is contributions, everything else is means tested.
You’re entitled to OPFP if you’re parenting alone and you pass the means test.
If you’re on Maternity Benefit and also entitled to OPFP then you will get your OPFP and 1/2 rate Maternity Benefit for the duration of the Maternity Benefit.

Thanks.