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Signing on for the first time in 15 years...
Conor_3
Posts: 6,944 Forumite
I drive lorries for an agency. Well thanks to the downturn in the economy and the price of diesel, hauliers are now parking wagons up instead of putting agency drivers in. Work has dried up so much that it looks like I might have to sign on. I've done 2 weeks work in the last 2 months and its getting a bit tight now. I've resisted the temptation to sign until now even though I know I should've really.
All my NICs are up to date as up to 5/4 as I was also self employed so was paying Class 2 even though not paying anything through PAYE. Wife works, earning around £150 a week. We also claim WTC.
Here's where I'm confused.
I assume I claim contributions based JSA and that I only claim for myself and not for the kids as well? Due to the sporadic nature of the agency work I understand that if I do a day in a week on the agency, I fill in an earnings form and that if I do over 16hrs a week I sign off then back on again once its finished due to the 16hr rule.
Also the WTC and this is where the confusion is mainly based.. This years award is based on last years income which is looking like it's going to be a lot less than last year unless it picks up but that's not a problem - I can update them near Xmas if needs be. Do I tell them I'm claiming JSA or not bearing in mind that I can get work out of the blue? Take for example this week - I got a phone call at 2pm yesterday to go in last night and there's probably going to be nothing for the rest of the week but I could end up doing a full/part week next week which will take me over 40 hours.
Basically, I'm £200 a month short of what I need to meet the bills. Fortunately when I closed my company down it had a few thousand quid in it which is now in my ISA so it's not desperate at the moment but having being bankrupt 8 years ago, I've got a psychological thing about not touching that.
All my NICs are up to date as up to 5/4 as I was also self employed so was paying Class 2 even though not paying anything through PAYE. Wife works, earning around £150 a week. We also claim WTC.
Here's where I'm confused.
I assume I claim contributions based JSA and that I only claim for myself and not for the kids as well? Due to the sporadic nature of the agency work I understand that if I do a day in a week on the agency, I fill in an earnings form and that if I do over 16hrs a week I sign off then back on again once its finished due to the 16hr rule.
Also the WTC and this is where the confusion is mainly based.. This years award is based on last years income which is looking like it's going to be a lot less than last year unless it picks up but that's not a problem - I can update them near Xmas if needs be. Do I tell them I'm claiming JSA or not bearing in mind that I can get work out of the blue? Take for example this week - I got a phone call at 2pm yesterday to go in last night and there's probably going to be nothing for the rest of the week but I could end up doing a full/part week next week which will take me over 40 hours.
Basically, I'm £200 a month short of what I need to meet the bills. Fortunately when I closed my company down it had a few thousand quid in it which is now in my ISA so it's not desperate at the moment but having being bankrupt 8 years ago, I've got a psychological thing about not touching that.
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Comments
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You cannot claim Contribution based JSA if you have only been paying class 2 National Insurance contributions in recent years.0
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Ah well...no point claiming income based with the wifes' earnings. Have been paying Class 4 NIC as the company always ran at a taxable profit (sole trader) plus I've paid a bit through PAYE however the PAYE has been sporadic with only a 3 month constant period in the last 2 financial years.
I'll just have to dip into the funds which was actually there to make sure I could still pay myself in the Jan-Mar period which is usually dead but which I ended up working this year. I'm just living up to the tight Yorkshireman image at the moment. I have the "if I'm not earning I can't spend" mentality even though the money is there.
I think the boredom of being sat around is worst though. I don't do sitting around doing not a lot very well.0 -
As you have paid some PAYE you may still qualify, so I think the best thing to do would be to put in a claim and see what happens.0
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What happen to the Thousands in the bank You mentioned in your early post?0
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What happen to the Thousands in the bank You mentioned in your early post?
It's still there but it's only £3k which ain't a lot. Your point? I built that up by still only paying myself £150 a week out of my business when it was earning more. And yes, I did declare the gross income of the business when filling in returns before people start.0 -
So are you back at work now Conor?Gone ... or have I?0
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