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The Cost of a Child in 2017 - New report

21 Aug 2017 - 12:00 by helen.walker

The Child Poverty Action Group have launched their The Cost of a Child in 2017 report which has found that inflation and the benefit freeze are making it more and more difficult for families to afford the costs associated with raising a child. Between 2012 and 2019, benefits will have risen by just 3% while prices are projected to have risen by 12%.

The report calculates the cost of raising a child in the UK based on the minimum income standard (MIS). MIS is the income needed to give children an acceptable minimum living standard as defined by the public. It is calculated with reference to a basket of goods and services that the general public specifies as necessary to meet family needs. Years of austerity have reduced public expectations of what constitutes essential spending, but the report shows many families still face a big gap between what they need for a no-frills living standard and their income. 

The report also found that: 

- The basic cost of a child from birth to age 18, excluding housing, childcare and council tax, is £75,436 for a couple family, and £102,627 for a lone-parent family
- Couples who both work full time on the ‘national living wage’ are 13% short of the income needed to give their children a minimum living standard (compared with 12% last year)
- Lone parents are 18% short when working full time on the ‘national living wage’, and 14% short when working full time for the median wage
- In non-working households, couple families are 42% short, and lone parents are 40% short
- The cost of raising children is rising but, for the first time in decades, support for families is not keeping pace.

You can visit the CPAG website for a copy of the full report.

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