I am a stay-at-home mum with two children, aged 4 years and 9 months. My husband earns £60k annually but taking home £40k due to taxes, national insurance and pension, and as a result, we are not entitled to child benefit. Despite his income, we live frugally and budget down to the last penny. The rising cost of living due to inflation is a constant worry for us and other stay at home parents in the same situation.

The current policy does not consider the financial realities faced by families like ours. It fails to acknowledge that while one parent works outside the home, the other is performing equally valuable work by raising our children at home instead of paying for childcare.

According to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), in 2020 there were approximately 1.9 million women in the UK who were economically inactive because they were looking after their family or home - many of whom may be in similar situations as ours (ONS, 2020).

We propose that child benefits should be extended regardless of a partner’s income when one parent chooses to stay at home full-time with their children. This would provide much-needed financial relief for families like ours who are struggling despite seemingly high household incomes.

Please sign this petition if you believe that all parents should have access to child benefits regardless of their partner's earnings!