FAMILY BENEFITS

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 66, Issue 5596, 24 March 1943, Page 2

FAMILY BENEFITS

UNDER SOCIAL SECURITY A correspondent writes: “How much can a man earn for a week, including the family benefit? I have six children under the age of 16 years. I understand that if I were earning £5 5s a week I would be entitled to 6s a week for each child. If this is so I should be entitled to earn £7 Is a week including the child allowance.” The Social Security Department explain that the maximum family benefit is 4s for each child, plus a cost of living bonus of 2s a week for each child. The cost of living bonus is not pay•able unless a family benefit is drawn.

An earned income of £5 5s was allowed without prejudice to family benefits. Thus a man with six dependent children and earning £5 5s a week would be entitled to £1 4s a week in family benefit, making a total of £6 9s. In addition, he would receive 12s a week in cost of living bonuses for the children, bringing his total income up to £7 Is.' Other men with similar families, earning between £5 5s and £6 9s, would receive family benefits sufficient to bring their income up to £6 9s; they would also receive cost of living bonuses at a flat rate of 2s a week for each child, a total of 12s.

Thus a man who earned £6 8s would receive Is family benefit and 12s cost of living bonus, while a man who earned £6 9s would receive no family benefit and therefore no cost of living bonus.