Unemployment: Dole to go up £60 a month in budget

LumpyCustard_2

KimYeovil wrote: »

Rubbish. £280 per month 'not possible'? Nonsense. Many workers have less than that (once traveling expenses are included.)

No, not rubbish. This is my budget, a single person living alone with only JSA as income, and a fairly frugal one at that:

Council Tax: £97
Home insurance: £11.50
Gas: £38
Electricity: £26
Water: £12.50
Phone+broadband: £24
Food: £100

The above alone comes to £309, and that's without mortgage/rent costs which most people have (I paid off my mortgage already so I don't), which you won't get anything for if you have savings over 16K.

I've not included motoring; even if you're not using a car much without a job, you still have insurance, tax and maintenance to pay. I'm sure there a lot of other incidentals which I have to find the money for too.

Anyway, after years paying more than this every month in national insurance let alone income tax, I'll only get this for six months. It's better than having nothing, but it doesn't go very far.

Have you tried it yourself, Kim?

Chris2685

KimYeovil wrote: »

So she was earning nearly 16K per annum, not 12K.

But I'm not convinced that JSA will be going up from £280 per month to £345 per month.



Rubbish. £280 per month 'not possible'? Nonsense. Many workers have less than that (once traveling expenses are included.)

I wish. I don't know exactly how it is worked out, but I remember that it was something like 12k gross per annum.
30x52 = 1560

1560x£6 (not sure exactly how much she was earning, but must have been more than that to be 12k(£7.70 with a bit of basic maths)) = £9360

So where did you pull the 16k figure from??

MrDT

LumpyCustard wrote: »

No, not rubbish. This is my budget, a single person living alone with only JSA as income, and a fairly frugal one at that:

I scan read your previous post and assumed you wouldn't be paying rent/mortgage and council tax (professional dolies don't), in which case living on the benefits would be a doddle as a single person.

You seem to have made a simple mistake - instead of "take take take" all your life you actually bought a house, paid into the system, paid off the mortgage, worked hard, probably have over 16k in savings etc. Obviously you deserve to be punished for this selfish behaviour.

JayScottGreenspan

Source:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/advice/money/2009/04/20/redundancy-payouts-to-get-boost-in-budget-115875-21291300/

The latest proposals are part of a £100million package for workers hit by the credit crunch. Although the details are still to be finalised, it is also understood job seekers' allowance, which currently stands at £64.30 a week, will go up.

Close.

For those doubting the lure of benefits, check this site out:
http://www.entitledto.co.uk
Depending on council tax and housing costs, you get about £12k if you're out of work. Maybe we can put that up to £12.8k on Wednesday.

40 hours a week at £5.73 min wage is £11,918 per year. You will get hit for about £2k tax, but will get £4.8k working tax credit.
So you get £14.8k net.

This means you are currently better off in work to the tune of about £1.35 per hour. Or 96p per hour if they put JSA up.

Dr_DiNg_DoNg

Good job on the figures Greenspan, dont forget though, you also got to build in the hustling.

Eyesparky

I just worked out what I would get if I could get mortgage interest paid etc. after 13 weeks unemployed plus council tax plus JSA at current rates ... remarkably it totals £7,300 per year not this £12K being bandied about. Personally I would much rather work but a few on this site would be wise to realise that there are a fair few people currently unemployed through no choice of their own who are not in any way taking the !!!! and will likely end up paying a damn site more in tax over the year than they will receive in benefits whilst they are sorting themselves out.

Graham_Devon

So how does "will go up" relate to what ding dong said about going up an extra £15 a week?

Dr_DiNg_DoNg

Eyesparky wrote: »

I just worked out what I would get if I could get mortgage interest paid etc. after 13 weeks unemployed plus council tax plus JSA at current rates ... remarkably it totals £7,300 per year not this £12K being bandied about. Personally I would much rather work but a few on this site would be wise to realise that there are a fair few people currently unemployed through no choice of their own who are not in any way taking the !!!! and will likely end up paying a damn site more in tax over the year than they will receive in benefits whilst they are sorting themselves out.

Did you gross the net?

Eyesparky

No, but it should be noted that JSA is taxable income that will count towards total annual income for tax purposes. Having done just that (i.e. grossed up for tax at current years rate) I have arrived at the Princely sum of £7,792 gross (£3.75/hour gross based on 40 hour week, £3.51/hour net). Admittedly, people live in different areas of the country with different mortgage levels (current limit for mortgage £200k for 2 years) so people with higher mortgages and rents may well begin to approach the figures quoted. However the average "entitlement" is not at the £12K mark.

Dr_DiNg_DoNg

Eyesparky wrote: »

No, but it should be noted that JSA is taxable income that will count towards total annual income for tax purposes. Having done just that (i.e. grossed up for tax at current years rate) I have arrived at the Princely sum of £7,792 gross (£3.75/hour gross based on 40 hour week, £3.51/hour net). Admittedly, people live in different areas of the country with different mortgage levels (current limit for mortgage £200k for 2 years) so people with higher mortgages and rents may well begin to approach the figures quoted. However the average "entitlement" is not at the £12K mark.

Ok, but anyway, a single man on JSA-Rent paid-Council tax paid, with tomorrows pay rise and grossed is about 12K