The Federal government made it clear that they wanted to stop the welfare mom culture and get single mothers back to work. To that end, they reduced welfare for single mothers and implemented programs and policies to reward single mothers for working. If you are a working single mother, there many options available to help defray costs. Help for single moms is still out there, it just may not be as obvious to the general public.
Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
The government allows employers to offer a dependent care flexible spending account as a benefit. The benefit works by taking child care monies out of the paycheck prior to taking out taxes. The worker then must claim the money through the Human Resources department by showing receipt of payment for qualifying childcare expenses.
This provides help for single moms, and all families, by offering a savings equal to the end of year tax rate on that portion of their income allotted to childcare expenses. However, if all the monies that were put aside in the fund are not claimed, they are not reimbursed to the employee. Therefore, one has to be careful only to allot the exact or less amount that one intends to spend on childcare for the year into these accounts.
Tax Time
One of the biggest areas where a single mother can benefit is around tax time. If she was employed throughout the year, she can file as a head of household, earning a lower tax rate, and may even qualify for an earned income credit and
To be eligible as a single mother, one has to have earned income during the year, but beneath a particular level. This credit can add thousands to your tax refund and is a form of government-sponsored support for working mothers. It can even be chosen to show up directly in your paycheck the following year, instead of waiting for the end of year to file and receive the benefit.
Other Help For Single Moms
The Department of Social Services has the most information on where else to get help for single moms. They can provide assistance with qualifying and getting into programs like food stamps medical assistance, child support enforcement, and child care subsidies.
For housing, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) offers programs for low-income people in the form of vouchers, section 8s, or first-time homebuyer programs.
In addition, the Federal government gives out help for single moms in the form of education grants and loans to help them obtain new skills and get into the job market. Filling out a FAFSA and applying to a college or university that will look through the programs to see if you qualify can locate these.
