yougest child soon to be 10, told i cant claim income support

ladychelle

Hi, im just looking for some advice on what happens next now really. I am on income support, a lone parent with two children 14 & 9 with no friend or family support. I have recently received a letter telling me that when my youngest is 10 i can no longer claim income support and will have to go on job seekers. To be honest i am ready to start work and dont have a clue where to start with finding a job.I am thinking of jobs within school to fit in the hours of my childrens school and childcare in the hols would be a problem. Any help with where i start to look for a job in a school , (thinking office work or class helper)Would i get any benefits if i worked part time? Would being on job seekers be a reduction in money? sorry about all the questions feeling quite stressed and worried.Any help and advice very gratefully received

DX2

Best bet would be to get a job 16 hours per week this would entitle you to tax credits and you can claim childcare costs also.

DX2

You should also get a four week run on with housing benefit and council tax. Another thing you may be eligible for is In work credit which is £40 per week for 52 weeks if your a lone parent working 16 hours a week and the job is expected to last longer than 5 weeks.

bestpud

Job seekers is the same amount as IS but you have to prove you are looking for a job, and sign on once a fortnight.

Once in work, if you work 16 hours or more a week, you can claim working tax credit as well as your child tax credit and child benefit.

Depending on your income, you may still get help with rent and council tax.

You can also claim help with childcare fees if need be, including breakfast/after scool clubs.

To add to DX2s post - you can apply for a discretionary grant to buy a suitable outfit for interviews.

Plus I was told I could get a £250 grant, but that may be instead of the in work credit as I've not been on benefits for a year...

cunningfox_2

Beaten to it
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To start Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) is the same amount as Income Support.

In an ideal world you would get a job in a school - and I hope you do, but if not lots of companys will be looking for PT work. When I ran a shop I had a lady do 10-2 every day (20 hours per week).

You would get WTC & CTC - but all this would count as income! The run on is valid if the job is expected to last 5 weeks or more.

Anthillmob

speak to the DWP office that deal with your IS claim and make an appointment or whatevers needed with them

sharski

ladychelle - have you not been attending Work Focused Interviews (WFI) with a lone parent advisor every 6 months?
If not, that suprises me??
During these interviews, future work options should be discussed as well as the future changes explained to you.

Your IS may not possibly end on the day your youngest is 10 - it is calculated using your pay day & last WFI date too. You will get plenty of notice by the JC who will fill in all th relevant paperwork to literally 'switch' your benefits over.

Kimberley

I think this is a good thing to be honest to stop IS when the youngest reaches 10. I started part time work 4 years ago. I work in a school kitchen doing 16+ hours a week and get WTC and CTC. As your youngest is nearly 10 then can you not try for a job as a dinner lady because that way you do not have to worry about child care during the school holidays or inset days.

Oldernotwiser

You can make an appointment to discuss all the financial implications with your Lone Parent Adviser, although, as Shardki says, I'm surprised that this hasn't been discussed with her over the last few months.

What kind of work did you do before you had your children?

[Deleted User]

just a suggestion but couldnt the 14 year old look after the 10 year old after school and during the holidays?

sunnyone

woodbine wrote: »

just a suggestion but couldnt the 14 year old look after the 10 year old after school and during the holidays?

In many places the seniors leave well before the primary and they also return later, but that dosnt mean a primary friend couldnt help with the 10-30 minutes at each end of school.

sunnyone