It's claimed lone parents are being forced to decide to pay their rent or to turn their heating on.
OneFamily, which represents single parent families, has said government commitments to increase the back-to-school allowance by €100 doesn't go far enough.
It comes as a new survey from the Irish League of Credit Unions found 1 in 3 families are going into debt to pay for back-to-school costs.
CEO of OneFamily, Karen Kiernan, says the allowance isn't sustainable for many lone parents because of the rising cost of living:
"We literally are working with people who are trying to decide, do I pay the my rent to keep a roof over my head? Or do I leave my electricity bill go or how much can I afford to eat? You know, is there somewhere I can get additional food because people are making terribly difficult choices."
