The MSE Forum will be undergoing some maintenance this evening. As a result, some users may experience temporary performance issues. Please use the Site Feedback board to report anything major. Thank you for your patience.

Part Time & what benefits i am entitled to.

slenderkitten
slenderkitten Posts: 1,031
Name Dropper First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Post
Forumite
edited 6 November 2012 at 5:24PM in Benefits & tax credits
Hi

I am not working and normally look for full time 30+ hours, i am well aware of the working tax credit entitlement for full time workers. I have numerous agencies calling me up about this that and the other job only that its part time hours.

I just wanted to see what kind actual take home pay/benefit would i physically have. I dont understand maths so please be easy with me.

I live by myself and have no kids, i live in council flat and get full JSA (£71), Housing Benefit (£70 rent) and Council Tax Benefit (£12), i get the 25% single persons discount on my council tax. I cant drive, therefore use the bus if the job was not local i.e. walking distance meaning £4 return trip.

Could someone please give me an example of 10 & 15/6 hours working day on minimum wage i'm 34, how much money i would get and if i get any help with busfare, I had asked the job centre several times over the years to explain it but i still don't get it, as i said i am crap with maths.

Thanks
My Signature is MY OWN!!

Comments

  • fannyadams
    fannyadams Posts: 1,739
    Photogenic Name Dropper First Anniversary First Post
    Forumite
    http://www.turn2us.org.uk/benefits_search.aspx
    click on the link and it'll take you to a benefits calculator
    just input the numbers it asks for and then it'll tell you what you can claim
    HTH
    FA
    x
    just in case you need to know:
    HWTHMBO - He Who Thinks He Must Be Obeyed
    DS#1 - my twenty-year-old son
    DS#2 - my teenaged son
    Barkin Things - my two rescued/retired greyhounds
  • HappyMJ
    HappyMJ Posts: 21,115
    Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    Hi

    I am not working and normally look for full time 30+ hours, i am well aware of the working tax credit entitlement for full time workers. I have numerous agencies calling me up about this that and the other job only that its part time hours.

    I just wanted to see what kind actual take home pay/benefit would i physically have. I dont understand maths so please be easy with me.

    I live by myself and have no kids, i live in council flat and get full JSA (£71), Housing Benefit (£70 rent) and Council Tax Benefit (£12), i get the 25% single persons discount on my council tax. I cant drive, therefore use the bus if the job was not local i.e. walking distance meaning £4 return trip.

    Could someone please give me an example of 16 hours working day how much money i would get and if i get any help with busfare, I had asked the job centre several times over the years to explain it but i still don't get it, as i said i am crap with maths.

    Thanks
    No kids then you must work 30+ hours per week to get working tax credits. ....but it doesn't matter too much as you get housing and council tax benefit in any case and any working tax credit you would have got by working more than 30 hours would have been taken from your housing and council tax benefit claim leaving you virtually no better off anyway.

    You won't get help with bus fares.
    :footie:
    :p Regular savers earn 6% interest (HSBC, First Direct, M&S) :p Loans cost 2.9% per year (Nationwide) = FREE money. :p
  • fannyadams wrote: »
    http://www.turn2us.org.uk/benefits_search.aspx
    click on the link and it'll take you to a benefits calculator
    just input the numbers it asks for and then it'll tell you what you can claim
    HTH
    FA
    x

    hi i cannot use this as it asks for things i cannot give as i have never done part time work before. this is why i just wanted someone to explain it to me, using 10 hours and 16/15 hours examples on minimum wage as i'm 34.
    My Signature is MY OWN!!
  • BigAunty
    BigAunty Posts: 8,310
    Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    hi i cannot use this as it asks for things i cannot give as i have never done part time work before. this is why i just wanted someone to explain it to me, using 10 hours and 16/15 hours examples on minimum wage as i'm 34.

    Not sure what fields you are struggling with - you should be able to model various fictitious scenarios, including 10 hours and 16 hours at the NMW which is currently £6.19 an hour, so enter a gross weekly income of £61.90 or £99.04.

    It will take into account any tax (nothing or nominal amount at that low level of employment income) and confirm the council tax and housing benefit you would receive.

    Being 'better off' in part time employment generally only applies to those with dependents because of tax credits or those who receive Disability Living Allowance because it's not means tested.
  • HappyMJ
    HappyMJ Posts: 21,115
    Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    hi i cannot use this as it asks for things i cannot give as i have never done part time work before. this is why i just wanted someone to explain it to me, using 10 hours and 16/15 hours examples on minimum wage as i'm 34.
    You won't be much better off at all as the marginal deduction rate is 0% on the first £5 then 100% on the next £71 then 85% on the remainder until you have no benefit left.

    Basically you get to keep £5 for yourself first then after you have earnt £76 (about 12.5 hours with no extra money at all as opposed to benefits) in a week you get about 60 pence per hour after tax and NI and benefit deductions at minimum wages. Less your £4 a day travel costs means you will always be worse off if you work less than 7.5 hours in a day.
    :footie:
    :p Regular savers earn 6% interest (HSBC, First Direct, M&S) :p Loans cost 2.9% per year (Nationwide) = FREE money. :p
  • HappyMJ wrote: »
    You won't be much better off at all as the marginal deduction rate is 0% on the first £5 then 100% on the next £71 then 85% on the remainder until you have no benefit left.

    Basically you get to keep £5 for yourself first then after you have earnt £76 (about 12.5 hours with no extra money at all as opposed to benefits) in a week you get about 60 pence per hour after tax and NI and benefit deductions at minimum wages. Less your £4 a day travel costs means you will always be worse off if you work less than 7.5 hours in a day.

    they have explained this but it makes NO sense to me, do you mean that whaterver you earn they take away your benefit or do you mean whatever you earn they ask you to pay that in to them and be left with the equivalent of benefit money?

    as for the other response, it was asking about how much my taxes are etc, i cant give that infor as i havent worked in this tax year.

    from what i gather here, it isn't worth me working at all, as i wont get help with bus fare and i would only earn the equivalent to jsa, and pay a small portion for rent and tax but the hb and ctb would cover the rest?
    My Signature is MY OWN!!
  • Dunroamin
    Dunroamin Posts: 16,908 Forumite
    they have explained this but it makes NO sense to me, do you mean that whaterver you earn they take away your benefit or do you mean whatever you earn they ask you to pay that in to them and be left with the equivalent of benefit money?

    as for the other response, it was asking about how much my taxes are etc, i cant give that infor as i havent worked in this tax year.

    from what i gather here, it isn't worth me working at all, as i wont get help with bus fare and i would only earn the equivalent to jsa, and pay a small portion for rent and tax but the hb and ctb would cover the rest?

    If you haven't worked,you won't have paid any income tax.

    Bear in mind that the longer you're unemployed, the harder it will be to get another job. It could be worth working part time for this reason alone, even if you're not much better off in the short term.
  • pebbles88
    pebbles88 Posts: 1,464
    First Post First Anniversary Combo Breaker
    Forumite
    when you have had better off calculations done at the jobcentre, have you asked them to explain the parts you don't understand in more detail? as tbh, it'll be the exact same info that we give you on here.

    as has been said, if you work under 16 hours, and still decide to claim JSA (as you can then get your national insurance stamp paid by them, as you wouldn't do so through your work due to low hours/wage) then you'll only be £5 a week better off as anything over that will be deducted from your JSA before it's paid to you.

    your housing/council tax benefit would stay same again due to working under 16 hours.

    even considering the above, it would be good to have a think about some part time work, again because the longer you are away from the labour market, the less attractive you seem to employers. Poss even voluntary work, gives you something to do, gets you back into 'working' mode, and make new friends/contacts.

    in regards to travel fares, you may be able to get weekly/monthly tickets which are generally lower costs than paying each day.

    HTH, x
    Please be nice to all moneysavers!
    Dance like nobody's watching; love like you've never been hurt. Sing like nobody's listening; live like it's heaven on earth."
    Big big thanks to Niddy, sorely missed from these boards..best cybersupport ever!!
  • HappyMJ
    HappyMJ Posts: 21,115
    Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    pebbles88 wrote: »
    when you have had better off calculations done at the jobcentre, have you asked them to explain the parts you don't understand in more detail? as tbh, it'll be the exact same info that we give you on here.

    as has been said, if you work under 16 hours, and still decide to claim JSA (as you can then get your national insurance stamp paid by them, as you wouldn't do so through your work due to low hours/wage) then you'll only be £5 a week better off as anything over that will be deducted from your JSA before it's paid to you.

    your housing/council tax benefit would stay same again due to working under 16 hours.

    even considering the above, it would be good to have a think about some part time work, again because the longer you are away from the labour market, the less attractive you seem to employers. Poss even voluntary work, gives you something to do, gets you back into 'working' mode, and make new friends/contacts.

    in regards to travel fares, you may be able to get weekly/monthly tickets which are generally lower costs than paying each day.

    HTH, x
    Housing and council tax benefit will still be reduced by a total of 85 pence in the pound on anything earnt over £76 per week (assuming over 25 and single no kids). The hours worked do not matter. If someone worked 15 hours at £6.19 per hour they would take home £92.85 per week. The JSA would be reduced to zero and the housing and council tax benefit reduced by £14.33 per week so they would be £7.50 a week better off but if this represents 2 days of work costing £4 a day in bus fares then they would be 50 pence a week worse off.
    :footie:
    :p Regular savers earn 6% interest (HSBC, First Direct, M&S) :p Loans cost 2.9% per year (Nationwide) = FREE money. :p
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.4K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.9K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.6K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 607K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.8K Life & Family
  • 247.4K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards