What benefits if working 14 hrs per week

Fran

DazzerG wrote:

Why not go the whole hog, and have a contract that says 30hrs, but only getting paid for 14hrs :rolleyes:
The whole country could then get all WTC elements.

That's what I was wondering about... is there a rule about this?

CIS

As I understand it , the rules only account for paid work (or in expectation of getting paid), so if you actually claimed 16hrs , but only worked 14hrs, then providing your wage was more than the minimum wage x 16hrs , you would probably get away with it, but you could be breaking the rules - depending on circumstances.

The rules state

Work for payment: The payment made must be in return for work done. The work will be as an employed or a self-employed earner. Work done on a therapeutic basis can also be treated as qualifying remunerative work, provided it is done in return for payment.

Work done in expectation of payment: Work done in expectation of payment means more than a mere hope that payment will be made at a future date. There should be a probability rather than just a possibility that a payment will be made. If a person reasonably expects payments for work done, but the customer or employer does not pay, then the condition is satisfied. However, if the person knew before starting the work that payment was unlikely to be made, the remunerative condition is not satisfied.

A self-employed earner's expectation of payment must be a reasonable one. The claimant must confirm that the work is done in expectation of payment. It does not matter that a self-employed earner might trade at a loss.

Work for no monetary reward: If the only payment made is in kind (for example groceries for a person who works as a shop assistant, or free accommodation and farm produce for a farm labourer) the work is for payment.

Alternatively, if no payment in cash or in kind is made and the only `payment` for the work is earnings calculated notionally, the work cannot be treated as `work done for payment or in expectation of payment`.

Spendless

astonsmummy wrote:

The best thing she could do is go to see her loan parent advisor, and they will be able to advise her properly, but my best bet would be to do 16 hours, because if you do less, you only receive £20 of what you earn if your on IS.

That is also my understanding on working less than 16 hours. You would remain on IS but keep £20 of your wages if lone parent (£5 if no kids).
If her employer won't /can't increase hours to 16 what about some other work for 2 hours, delivering paper say that will take her upto 16hours. AFAIK you can add 2 jobs together.

tina68

Claiming tax credits is not always the best option in some cases as it is taken into consideration when you claim housing and c/tax benefits so work out the pro's and cons b4 claiming as it could be in 1 hand and out the other..
Tina x