Four in five families hit by 'flawed' Universal Credit childcare rules are single mums, a charity warns today.

Some 35,680 single mums in England faced paying up-front for childcare while claiming the six-in-one benefit last August – 79% of all families who claimed childcare.

That compared to just 1,080 single dads and fewer than 10,000 couples, Save The Children found.

The charity claims this "discrimination" could explode further once Universal Credit is fully rolled out in 2024 – by which time an estimated 500,000 people will be claiming childcare costs.

And it comes as the Mirror campaigns to remove the two-child limit on Universal Credit and raise child benefit by £5 a week as part of our Give Me Five campaign. 

Becca Lyon, the charity's Head of UK Child Poverty, said: "As a society, we believe women should have the same opportunities to work as men.

"But not only are women already shouldering most of the burden of childcare, they’re now being unfairly penalised by a system which makes it even more difficult for them to go back work.

"Mums tell us they have taken out loans to pay for childcare or that they’ve had to turn down better paid jobs or more hours because under Universal Credit parents have to wait a month to get the support they’re entitled to.

"Not only does this new system unfairly disadvantage women, it could also undermine the whole point of Universal Credit – to help more parents into work and boost their pay."

Save The Children obtained the figures using a Freedom of Information request to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Parents on Universal Credit can claim up to 85% of the cost of childcare, to a cap of £646 per month, for each child under 16.

But they must pay up-front and claim the costs back later, which leaves parents facing four-figure bills.

DWP figures show 45,330 households on Universal Credit in total were claiming childcare costs in August 2019. Of those, the vast majority were single mums, Save The Children found.

The charity claimed the single mums on Universal Credit faced paying more than £38million between them last August – as the average cost of full-time care for a one-year-old is £1,084.

But Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey defended the two-child limit and the childcare payments system yesterday, telling MPs: "We need to be making sure people are paying according to their salary – as opposed to practices of simply giving grants up front."

Days ago single mum Nichola Salvato, 48, from Brighton, won permission to fight a judicial review against the rules forcing up-front payment for childcare.

Her High Court claim alleges the childcare rule is unlawful, discrimination and breaches the European Convention on Human Rights.

But Ms Coffey said claimants could access help through a Flexible Support Fund.

Labour's shadow employment minister Mike Amesbury called on Ms Coffey to lift the two-child limit on Universal Credit, which bars benefits for third and subsequent children born after 2017.

He said: "Will the minister have a strong word with the Chancellor and end this pernicious policy in this week’s Budget?

"And why not support the Daily Mirror’s campaign of ‘Give Me Five’ while the minister is at it?"

But she said the two-child limit "ensures fairness" between claimants and other workers adding: "Child benefit continues to be paid for all children as well as an additional amount for any disabled children. I think he’s hitting the wrong note here, as is the Mirror."

A DWP spokesman said: “Working parents can get more than £1,100 a month for childcare through Universal Credit, and help is available with any up-front costs.

“Those who want to know if they are eligible for help with childcare should visit www.understandinguniversalcredit.gov.uk.”

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