Going from 1single parent to couple..

danfaz4000

Ok basically i have a 4year old daughter
and currently recieveing single parent allowance...
and live in a place which costs 700euros
but only recieve rent allowance of 100euros a week
so i have to pay extra 300 myself towards the rent..
and i have recently been getting back with the father of my child
as he's been in england working away...and now i want him to move in
and claim as a couple,but i wouldnt know how to go about this and
also worried that it will affect my claim and also stop my money for a couple of weeks and would also like to know how much money i would recieve and also ahow much rent allowance i would recieve...he's been working in the uk for the last 2years and now doesnt have a job due to him being in construction..
please can somebody help because i want to get this sorted as soon as possible and dont know which route to go..thank you..

MariMel

The rent allowance limits you can claim as a one parent family is the same as if you were a couple with a child. So I cant see the amount of rent allowance you receive increasing. In fact the amount you will have to pay might increase as couples pay more than a single person.

You will lose your one parent family payment and probably change is job seekers.
And your partner would be classed as a dependant adult, not at a full adult rate.
But he would have to satisfy the habitual residence part as your claim will now be means tested. I stand corrected on any of this.

My advice would be to go into your local citizens information centre. They are a wealth of information, as they are also very helpful on the phoneline too.
It can be good to find out from them so when you next go into your social welfare office so you are prepared.

danfaz4000

thanks for the reply..
im not sure how much you know about this but
when i first rented 4yrs a go i used to recieve
171euros a week rent allowance now i only recieve 100euros a week and
im still in the same property..im in cork..do you think this is right because
i dont see how i can rent somewhere with 2bedrooms in cork for anywhere near for 5 to 6 hundred euros as where i am is 700 and and extra 300a month is quite alot plus electric bills of 160every 2months.surely they cant expect me to pay more towards the rent when my boyfriend moves in..do you think theirs anyway i could try and get anymore rent allowance than i get because i wouldnt want to complain and have to move as my daughter in in school here and im very settled where i am...how much do you think we will recieve as a couple as he is the father of my daughter...

mrsbyrne

danfaz4000 wrote: »

thanks for the reply..
im not sure how much you know about this but
when i first rented 4yrs a go i used to recieve
171euros a week rent allowance now i only recieve 100euros a week and
im still in the same property..im in cork..do you think this is right because
i dont see how i can rent somewhere with 2bedrooms in cork for anywhere near for 5 to 6 hundred euros as where i am is 700 and and extra 300a month is quite alot plus electric bills of 160every 2months.surely they cant expect me to pay more towards the rent when my boyfriend moves in..do you think theirs anyway i could try and get anymore rent allowance than i get because i wouldnt want to complain and have to move as my daughter in in school here and im very settled where i am...how much do you think we will recieve as a couple as he is the father of my daughter...

If your boyfriend moves in with you and he hasnt got a job you can apply for JSA and if you fulfill all the criteria and after the means test you might get €342 per week as a family.
you can look for accomodation in cork up to a value of €700 per month and the minimum contribution you will make as a couple will be €35 per week but is likely to be more.

ShaShaBear

The way they see it is there are two persons fit to work in the household, so naturally there is greater opportunity for two of you to make money than just the one. You can go onto Jobseekers and claim for yourself and two dependants. As far as housing goes, you may just need to bite the bullet and settle for accomodation at a lower standard than what you might be used to. I cant speak for your specific area, but there are plenty of very decent two and even three bedroom houses in Cork for under 600 per month. Everyone's rent allowance decreased this year but there are options in every county, even though they might not be ideal.