Who is considered a single mother? Single mother: determination by law

Today it is not uncommon to meet a mother who is raising her child alone. For various reasons, a woman takes the burden of raising a child without the help of his father. For example, when the father left the family or the mother did not want him to participate in the life of a common child, or she is a widow. There are many reasons, but who is officially considered a single mother?

Who is a single mother?

Single mother (or single) belongs to the following category of women:

• having given birth to a child without creating a marriage or after three hundred days after an official divorce;
• whose former spouse challenged his paternity, until 300 days after the divorce;
• without a marriage, passed the adoption procedure (possibly extremely rare, usually adoption is approved by a married couple).

If one of the conditions is met, a woman is issued a single mother’s certificate confirming her status (form No. 25). The child will have a dash in the “father” field in the birth certificate if the mother does not want to write it in her own words.

Single mother but not single

Above, we have examined who is considered a single mother, but there are situations in which a mother completely copes with raising a child alone, but does not appear to be lonely. Are not recognized as loners:

• a divorced woman with a child, but not receiving child support payments (for certain reasons);
• giving birth within 300 days from the moment the marriage was divorced / declared invalid (registry offices register the former spouse as the father of the child, even if they are not biological relatives);
• women whose children have officially established paternity (voluntarily or in court), even if the biological father does not live with the children;
• widow;
• widow, when less than three hundred days have passed since the day of the death of the spouse (the registry office enters the deceased spouse in the column “father”);
• the mother of the child when the father is deprived of parental rights.

In all these cases, the woman does not have the status of a single mother, the definition of which is described above.

Rights Features

Because of its status, every woman raising a child alone receives certain exclusive rights that must be known in order to successfully apply them in practice.

1. Every single mother has the right to receive all benefits existing for this group. As a rule, they are larger in size than ordinary mothers. For accurate information, a woman needs to get into the social protection and guardianship of the population at the place of registration (not residence!).
2. A low-income single mother has the right to receive additional regional payments.
3. If a single mother marries, then absolutely all payments, benefits, rights remain with her. They are lost in the case when the spouse adopts a child.
4. A working “loner” has the right to an extraordinary vacation at any time necessary for her.
5. A woman has the right to refuse overtime or night work. This type of activity is impossible without its written voluntary consent.
6. She also has the right to a shortened working day, which is agreed in advance with the authorities and fixed in writing.
7. A single mother has the right to take a written refusal from the employer who refused her employment, and apply to the court with him (only if she is sure that the work was refused because of her single mother status).
8. In the event of poor or unsuitable living conditions, a woman has the right to queue for improvement of housing conditions or the provision of new ones.
9. A child of a single mother is taken to kindergarten without waiting in line, and a single mother receives either a discount (50-70%) or full state support for its payment.
10. When a child enters school, he has the right to free food (1-2 times a day).
11. A child of a single mother receives a set of textbooks, necessary for studying at this school, for free.
12. A woman can get a ticket to the health complex (fully or partially paid).
13. A single mother can receive medicines from the list (the list must be asked in the clinic where the child is assigned) for free, and on expensive drugs has the right to receive a discount in the region of 50%.
14. In the clinic, a child from an incomplete family visits the massage therapy room for free.

All these rights of a single mother in Russia are enshrined in law, not a single body or organization can violate them. In case of violation, a single mother can go to court.

Documents for obtaining status

To consolidate the status of a single mother, a woman needs to fill out and submit certain documents:

1. Application for the status of a “single mother”.
2. Upon receipt of a child’s birth certificate, where the column “father” is not filled in / there is a dash (or it is written down from the words of a woman), the mother fills out a certificate of form No. 25.

These documents are carried by a single mother or sent by mail to the Department of Social Protection Services (Social Security Administration) at the place of registration. After their processing, a woman is assigned the status of a “single mother” and certain benefits are assigned.

Benefits for single mothers

All women who are considered single mothers are entitled to receive increased child support benefits. Their size must be clarified in the department of USZN, to which the beneficiary belongs by registration. Benefit List:

1. A one-time allowance for those who are registered in the antenatal clinic for pregnancy up to a period of 12 weeks.
2. Maternity allowance.
3. One-time maternity allowance (issued and issued after childbirth).
4. A monthly allowance for caring for a child until they reach 1.5 years.
5. The allowance for the care of a child from 1.5 to 3 years.
6. Monthly allowance for a child until they are 16 years old.
7. Single regional supplement for single mothers.

Documents for registration of benefits

List of documents required to assign single mother benefits:

1. Application for the recognition of a woman as a single mother, written in the USZN at the place of registration.
2. Birth certificate of a child.
3. A stamp on the child’s certificate of citizenship (placed on the passport office).
4. Certificate of family composition from the Housing Office (confirmation of the cohabitation of mother and child).
5. Certificate of a single mother (form No. 25).
6. Certificate of income (mother’s work book or certificate from the employment service, which indicates whether the woman is registered or not).
7. Mother's passport.

Photocopies must be made from all of these documents. The passport must contain a page with a photo of a single mother, a page with a residence permit, a page with marital status, a page where the child is recorded. The woman takes the entire package of documents to the social welfare department at the place of her registration.

Benefits Provided

The Law on Single Mothers provides certain benefits for women with this status:

• Increased childcare allowance (every month), which does not depend on family income.
• Additional amount to the monthly allowance up to 1.5 years (hereinafter up to 3 years).
• Material assistance for a child every year (about 300-400 rubles).
• A single mother (Labor Code of the Russian Federation - source) cannot be dismissed from work on the initiative of the leadership until her child is 14 years old. In the event of the complete liquidation of the company / enterprise where it is registered as an employee, they are required to provide a new workplace. The same implies the end of a fixed-term contract.
• A sick leave certificate for caring for a sick child (up to 14 years old) is paid for a longer period than others.
• The employer is obliged, at the request of a single mother, to provide her with an additional 14-day leave without maintenance, which she is entitled to use along with the main or at any time she needs.
• Employers have no right to refuse single mother work; in case of refusal, she can go to court.
• For single-parent families, local government agencies can arrange sales (children's items, hygiene products, toys, etc. at affordable prices).
• Double tax deduction.

This list should be known to every single mother and be able to appeal to him in any situation. Such women are legally protected from all sides, therefore it is always necessary to resort to legal measures.

Subsidies for single mothers

The issue of subsidies has some difficulties that every single mother needs to know. Determining the purpose of subsidies takes place carefully and, as a rule, for a long time. By itself, the status of a single mother deprives a woman of any subsidies, since she receives increased benefits and payments from the state, enjoys great benefits. But if the total family income does not exceed the established minimum, then a single mother can receive a subsidy to compensate for utility bills.

To apply for a subsidy (or find out if it should be), a woman should contact the social welfare department in the place of residence of a poor family for information. Be sure to bring along the latest receipts with receipts for payment of the communal sphere, confirming the absence of debt for this family in this area. Next, the employee of social management will calculate the entire family income and receive a coefficient for each family member (also for children). For this, all sources of family income are added up: salaries, pensions, allowances, scholarships, and are divided into each family member. If the resulting coefficient is lower than the norm established by the state, then the single mother receives approval for this subsidy on utility bills.

Documents for subsidies

For the initial registration and further receipt of the subsidy, a single mother must provide the social security authorities with a package with the following documents:

1. Certificate of ownership of the dwelling.
2. Mother's passport.
3. Birth certificate of the child or all children, if there are several.
4. Paid receipts confirming the absence of debt for utilities for the last six months.
5. Application for the appointment of subsidies (usually filled out when transferring a package of documents).

Inquiries for subsidies

1. Certificate of sources of income for all family members over the past six months.
2. A certificate in which all family members are written from the Housing Office (issued in the absence of debt for utilities, all who are registered in the apartment / house are listed).
3. A certificate from social protection indicating all benefits received by a woman.
4. Salary certificate for the last six months (if a woman is unemployed or does not officially work, then a certificate from the employment service about the availability and amount of unemployment benefits received ).

Federal programs

The family of a single mother falls within the framework of the federal program that implements assistance to young families to improve or acquire housing. The subsidy provides for a single mother and her child to receive (one) living space with a total area of ​​42 square meters. meter. A subsidy is granted subject to the following conditions:

• the woman did not reach the age of 35.
• has a valid single mother status.
• she is solvent.
• is the waiting list for preferential housing.

But, unfortunately, citizens (including single mothers) who are eligible for an apartment are waiting for more than one five-year period. In modern Russia, a long time has come to an end on the distribution of gratuitous housing. As a result, “state support” for single mothers often stays on paper. But in practice, this again turns into paperwork, standing in lines, “pressure” on the letter of the law.

Use state protection

Remember that all women who are considered a single mother are a special category of citizens who have received special help and support from the state in our country. Do not neglect this and make full use (as much as possible) for yourself and your child. After all, a single mother is a definition prescribed by law in normative legal acts.

Conclusion

This article describes everything that any single mother needs to know. But do not forget that the laws and regulations are changing, so before collecting any documents, find out the exact information from the social protection authorities and the registry office. Take the lists of necessary documents and carefully form packages on them that you will take for registration of status or benefits.