Closed petition: Remove Universal Credit ‘Take-home Pay’ deductions for lone parent households

Closed on 26 May 2025

As a lone parent household I am continually fighting to keep myself and my children out of poverty, but no matter how much I work, my earnings are capped by universal credit deductions. I feel that removing the deductions would allow me to work my family out of poverty.

Lone parent households make up around 16% of all UK households. Single parent employment in the UK has fallen since 2019. In 2019-20, after housing costs, 45% of single parents were in relative poverty, compared to 22% of parents in a couple and 49% of children in single parent households were in relative poverty.

The impact on child health and wellbeing of poverty is well documented. We think that removing the current universal credit take-home pay deductions for lone parent households could give them the opportunity to work themselves out of poverty.