A mum-of-three secretly lived with her partner for six years while cheating taxpayers out of nearly £50,000 by claiming to be a single parent.
Serbia Khatun, 30, will not be pursued for compensation and will continue having £22 per week deducted from her current benefits.
At that rate it will take 42 years to repay the money.
Primary school lunchtime supervisor Khatun, of Cambridge Gardens, Kingston-upon-Thames now receives working tax credits.
She pleaded guilty to three counts of dishonestly failing to disclose to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) that she was sharing a common household with her partner.
Khatun claimed income support; housing benefit and council tax benefit totalling £48,479 between May 2008 and June 2014.
Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court heard the DWP, acting on a tip-off, raided her council flat where they found a man still in bed.
His clothing was in wardrobes and cupboards and the man - the father of Khatun’s two youngest children - had written her an anniversary card celebrating “seven years” together.
The court heard she fled an abusive first marriage in Tower Hamlets and moved across London, where she was housed by the council.
She claims her second partner no longer lives with her and has on-off contact with his two children.
Recorder Richard Prior told Khatun: “You have made a full facts plea to serious counts of dishonesty sustained over six years, causing considerable loss to the public purse.
“Your conduct was so serious so as to pass the custodial threshold, fully meriting a custodial sentence.
“However, you have an unhappy history, you pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and there is evidence you are of positive good character.
“Your dishonest conduct is very serious and there must be a significant penal element.”
Khatun received thirty weeks imprisonment, suspended for twelve months and was ordered to perform 250 hours community service work.
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