part time work and jobseekers allowance

im getting jobseekers allowance and a part time job has come up which could lead to more work.. but it doesnt pay enough for me to live on... if i can still claim jobseekers allowance while doing this job then ill be okay to do it and hope that it leads to more hours quickly and/or ill still be looking for another part time job...

the job is a lot less than 16 hours a week and pays about £70 per week before tax... which im guessing will work out about the same as my dole money!

will i still be able to claim jsa? if so, will i get a reduction? does anyone know how much ill get?

im trying to work out if its worth taking? and how much i could make between the job and the jsa to keep me going until i can get more hours or another job...

can anyone advise?

thanks
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  • wallofbeans
    wallofbeans Posts: 1,390
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    i think ive found some reliable info saying that the money i earn is deducted pound for pound from my jsa although they let you off the first £5... so it looks like ill end up with a fiver a week from the jobcentre..

    unless the hours im working are taken into consideration too..?

    its a crazy system coz its pushing me to not take the job! ill be working but making hardly anything more than doing nothing and signing on!
  • Oldernotwiser
    Oldernotwiser Posts: 37,425 Forumite
    As long as you're not worst off you've nothing to lose. You could get another part time job to go with it and it will also look better on your CV than being unemployed. It must be better to be independent than to live on benefits.
  • Fran
    Fran Posts: 11,281
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    The important thing is the hours - as soon as you work 16 hours or more your JSA will stop. £5 will be disregarded then the rest taken £ for £ from JSA. If you are below the tax threshold you won't pay tax or can claim it back.

    Direct.gov - Tax etc. info.
    Torgwen.......... :) ...........
  • Fran wrote: »
    The important thing is the hours - as soon as you work 16 hours or more your JSA will stop. £5 will be disregarded then the rest taken £ for £ from JSA. If you are below the tax threshold you won't pay tax or can claim it back.

    Direct.gov - Tax etc. info.

    I wont be working 16 hours. This job is for 3 or 4 hours a week at the most.

    Does that make a difference to how much JSA I can still get though? I thought they take it pound for pound after that first £5 so if im earning more than my JSA pays the £5 is all i get... or is that wrong? i hope so!
  • I wont be working 16 hours. This job is for 3 or 4 hours a week at the most.

    Does that make a difference to how much JSA I can still get though? I thought they take it pound for pound after that first £5 so if im earning more than my JSA pays the £5 is all i get... or is that wrong? i hope so!

    What on earth will you be doing that pays £17 -20 per hour? If you have those sort of skills you should have no need to be unemployed. Why on earth shouldn't you work such a short time rather than claim benefits? I really don't see what you're worried about!
  • Fran
    Fran Posts: 11,281
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    I wont be working 16 hours. This job is for 3 or 4 hours a week at the most.

    Does that make a difference to how much JSA I can still get though? I thought they take it pound for pound after that first £5 so if im earning more than my JSA pays the £5 is all i get... or is that wrong? i hope so!
    As I understand it if you earn under JSA amount then £5 of it would not be counted so you would be £5 better off from JSA, but once you are earning more than JSA amount there is no JSA so the whole lot is taken off and you would be better off by the amount you have earned.
    Torgwen.......... :) ...........
  • What on earth will you be doing that pays £17 -20 per hour? If you have those sort of skills you should have no need to be unemployed. Why on earth shouldn't you work such a short time rather than claim benefits? I really don't see what you're worried about!

    this is the problem. i can earn good rates of pay but not get regular work or regular work that pays enough per week. i am either doing freelance stuff on and off, and yes that pays well if you can get the work regularly but that is very hard to do and if you only get one job every few months it doesnt work out paying very well!

    this is paying well for the hours available (im offically working 4 hours a week but it also involves a lot of out of hours planning and research which doesnt officialy count but is expected as part of the job).. these are still all the hours available so ill need to have something esle to back it up... £70 a week before tax isnt a great wage!
  • Fran wrote: »
    As I understand it if you earn under JSA amount then £5 of it would not be counted so you would be £5 better off from JSA, but once you are earning more than JSA amount there is no JSA so the whole lot is taken off and you would be better off by the amount you have earned.

    thanks.. that's what i wanted to confirm :)
  • Savvy_Sue
    Savvy_Sue Posts: 45,936
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    BUT you'll be out there, adding to your cv, which DOES make getting the next job easier, in any field of work I would have thought.

    Plus £5 is £5, which on a low wage must be worth more than it is if you're on a high wage, IYSWIM.

    Have you put some figures into the entitled to website? You might find there are other things you can claim on a low income, although things like Housing Benefit and Council Tax benefit can become a nightmare if your income fluctuates ...
    Signature removed for peace of mind
  • wallofbeans
    wallofbeans Posts: 1,390
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    Savvy_Sue wrote: »
    BUT you'll be out there, adding to your cv, which DOES make getting the next job easier, in any field of work I would have thought.

    Plus £5 is £5, which on a low wage must be worth more than it is if you're on a high wage, IYSWIM.

    Have you put some figures into the entitled to website? You might find there are other things you can claim on a low income, although things like Housing Benefit and Council Tax benefit can become a nightmare if your income fluctuates ...

    thanks!

    thats a handy website to know about... but there's no other benefit i can get (and yes, claiming housing benefit etc is a nightmare when occassionaly doing freelance short term jobs - the JC isnt set up for it at all as I found out a few years ago when i was briefly claiming)...

    im trying to find another part time job to help out... im not qualified for anything outside my field so im looking at low hourly wage stuff which they dont hire me for coz they say im over qualified!
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