After opening the letter from Nav, she was left sitting like a big question mark. The politicians had announced that single parents would get more money. Marianne Lundeby was delighted. – I thought, well, this helps in an increasingly financially demanding everyday life. It didn’t turn out that way. Feeling cheated The government promised that the state budget would be fairer for single parents. NOK 490 million was set aside to increase child benefit for single parents, by NOK 5,000 a year from 1 March this year. But Marianne Lundeby in Tønsberg loses money on the increase. Since extended child benefit counts as income, she and several others lose another benefit. The letter from Nav with the decision that Marianne Lundeby loses the right to contribution advances, a benefit that has been important to her. Photo: Philip Hofgaard / news Lundeby is alone with one child and works 100 per cent. For the past five years, her income has been low enough for her to receive the contribution advance benefit. Now Nav thinks she earns too much. Marianne Lundeby feels cheated. She does not earn a penny more than before. – Either someone has had a bad day at work, or someone is lying, she says with frustration. Loses money Contribution advance is, according to Nav, a needs-tested benefit. If the annual income is higher than NOK 563,200, the right to receive it ceases. – What I am reacting to is that I am deprived of the contribution advance I had. I do not accept that politicians do that, and at the same time say that they should give increased support to single parents. Marianne Lundeby feels deceived by the politicians who promised that single parents would be better off financially. Photo: Philip Hofgaard / news When Lundeby loses this money, she is left with a total of NOK 407 less than she did before the extended child benefit increased. – For some it is certainly not much and I can envy them, but for me as a single parent it is enough to make a difference. She is used to providing for herself and her child, but price increases on all levels are well felt. – The last thing I need now is for politicians to make moves that worsen my situation. She receives support from Kristine S. Wulfsberg at Senja, who is also losing money on the extended child benefit. Kristine Wulfsberg is frustrated and distraught that the benefit she receives from Nav is being reduced as a result of increased child benefit for single parents. Photo: Private – With an arrangement that is fronted as a better arrangement, I experience getting less. There is both frustration and a little despair now. Wulfsberg says that in a time of price increases and interest rate hikes, every penny counts. – Enormous pressure The Single Parents’ Association has received a lot of feedback from several single parents who are now losing the same benefit, the contribution advance. – There has been enormous pressure. We normally have a number of inquiries on our helpline. But last week it exploded, says Cathrine Austrheim, leader of the Single Parents’ Association. Cathrine Austrheim is leader of the Single Parents’ Association. Photo: The Single Parents’ Association She estimates that they have spoken to around 120 worried single parents in the last week alone. Loss of the benefit has major consequences for those who are hardest hit, says Austrheim. Nav does not have figures on how many women now lose or have this benefit reduced. – You get a little frustrated, because it feels like you’re giving with one hand and taking with the other. She does not know whether the politicians have been clear about what they have done. – We choose to believe that this has happened by mistake. The Single Parents’ Association believes that the income limit for receiving contribution advances must be increased, or that the extended child benefit be removed from the calculation of income. Will find a solution It was never the intention that single parents should end up worse off, says Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe. – This was supposed to be a boost for a group that needed it very badly, she says. Kjersti Toppe, Minister for Children and Families (Sp). Photo: Tom Balgaard The proposal for an increase in child benefit for single parents was a result of the budget negotiations with SV. There was never an impact assessment, explains Toppe. The minister says that this has been a boost for all single parents, but apologizes to those who have come out worse. She says her ministry is working to find solutions. – It was actually a historic boost for child benefit for single parents, so we have to sort this out.
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Single parents were supposed to get more – but the politicians gave Marianne less – news Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
