Claiming Jobseekers allowance while working

toasterman

Back in summer of 2009, I got a job with a contract stating I was employed for 7 hours per week.
As the summer is a particularly busy time for this company, I was working closer to 30 each week.
The winter is not a busy time for this organisation, so despite getting made a permanent member of staff and getting a new uprated contract of 14 hours per week, I have now been cut back strictly to those 14, and am really struggling financially.

According to Jobcentre Plus' website, working under 16 hours per week entitles you to claim Jobseekers Allowance (and possibly other benefits), but does anyone know the scale at which it is cut down?
I am assuming that if I'm working 14 hours per week, I won't get the full weekly allowance. I've just phoned them, given them my details, but forgot to ask the woman I was speaking to, if she could advise on the rate I would receive.
I won't get back through to them now before they close tonight, so does anyone have any similar stories who might be able to advise me?

Also, I have a girlfriend I've been seeing for a while, and we would like to share a house together. I obviously didn't tell the Jobcentre this, because the more you tell them, the more paperwork you have to fill out.
Before anyone claims I've done anything fraudulent, she doesn't currently support me in any way, we don't have any children together, and even if we lived together - we won't be having a joint bank account. We both have separate lives, but like to spend some of them together.
I won't (and she probably wouldn't either) be willing to divulge her bank or employment details to them.
Would I be right in assuming I'm probably not able to claim JSA or Housing Benefit, if I'm living with her, unless I deliberately lie and say we're not a couple?

dookar

There will be a five pound disregard on your earnings whilst you are single.

If the two of you move in together you may still claim contributory JSA in your own right and your partner's information will not be required.

toasterman

What do you mean by £5 disregard?
They give me £5 less than standard jobseekers allowance?

karenx

You will only be allowed to keep £5 per week of any earnings while working under 16 hours a week. So you need to ask yourself is it worth working those hours?? Bearing in mind transport costs etc. But if you quit work you could be sanctioned for a period of time if you claim JSA. Your best bet is to look for a different job where there are permanent hours.
If your partner moves in with you you could still claim housing benefit but her income will be taken into account aswell as yours, so depending on how much that amounts to you may or may not be eligable

Whiteknight

toasterman wrote: »

What do you mean by £5 disregard?
They give me £5 less than standard jobseekers allowance?

You earn £50 a week for example and they only take into account £45 when they work out your income. Not counting the £5.

cazbear_2

Hey ok this is how JSA works Its 64.30 a week if you are over 25 or 50.95 if your under 25 but if you working they will take the first five pounds of your wages away and wont count them as income and then if you earn less than the given rate they will pay you the difference but if you earn more than that amount even on only a few hrs you wont get any JSA, also they will ask you to still sign on every other week and you will be expect to be looking for a job with more hours and you will have to sumite a form every other week with details of hours days and times work and how much you earnt ect. and they wont pay until they have sent that off to be processed every other week.

sorry I have been there with agency work to try and make ends meet and made getting JSA really hard.

toasterman

My partner wouldn't be able to move in here. Nor could I move into her house. We would both have to move elsewhere, as we're renting individual rooms in shared houses. I have a feeling her salary (which isn't a lot in the grand scheme of things) would render me benefitless, but I wouldn't want to burden her with having to give all sorts of details to the benefit office anyway.

Regarding my current circumstances, if I could only keep £5 of any earnings, it wouldn't be worth claiming at all.
I currently work 14 hours per week @£7 per hour and take home £98 per week (as I am below the threshold of Tax/NI).
It is a mentally exhausting job (it's really boring), and it's in the middle of the night. Never seeing daylight (as I'm asleep during the day) is really having a negative effect on me, but I don't want to go to the doctors regarding this, as I've been through the ESA & ATOS Assessment mess once already.
Working during the day at my current place of work is a lower rate, and there aren't any shifts available anyway.

Even if I earned £5.80 an hour (minimum wage..I think), and worked 14 hours, I'd still be above the £64.30, so why is there a "below 16 hours" limit?
Surely if that's the way they work it, they might as well say you can only claim if you work 11 hours or under.

My rent alone is nearly £300 a month, and there isn't anything cheaper really where I live - I'm already sharing with three other people.
I guess it might still be worth the hassle if I could get them to pay my rent/council tax.

DX2

toasterman wrote: »

My rent alone is nearly £300 a month, and there isn't anything cheaper really where I live - I'm already sharing with three other people.
I guess it might still be worth the hassle if I could get them to pay my rent/council tax.

You really need to apply for CTB and I'm assuming it's a private rent then you need to be applying LHA (local housing allowance)

DX2

toasterman wrote: »

Also, I have a girlfriend I've been seeing for a while, and we would like to share a house together. I obviously didn't tell the Jobcentre this, because the more you tell them, the more paperwork you have to fill out.
Before anyone claims I've done anything fraudulent, she doesn't currently support me in any way, we don't have any children together, and even if we lived together - we won't be having a joint bank account. We both have separate lives, but like to spend some of them together.
I won't (and she probably wouldn't either) be willing to divulge her bank or employment details to them.
Would I be right in assuming I'm probably not able to claim JSA or Housing Benefit, if I'm living with her, unless I deliberately lie and say we're not a couple?

I don't want to shatter your little bubble here, but when you live together and want to claim state benfits then she will have to give her financial details It is nothing to do with having seperate bank accounts/no children. You are a couple don't go down the benefit fraud line it won't be worth it at the end of the day!

cazbear_2

toasterman wrote: »

Even if I earned £5.80 an hour (minimum wage..I think), and worked 14 hours, I'd still be above the £64.30, so why is there a "below 16 hours" limit?
Surely if that's the way they work it, they might as well say you can only claim if you work 11 hours or under..

I havent offered wonderd my self about that myself stupid aint it lol

ohh well hopefuly my JSA days are behind me as im off to a new full time job on monday so fingers crossed it all works out for me x

toasterman

cazbear wrote: »

I havent offered wonderd my self about that myself stupid aint it lol

ohh well hopefuly my JSA days are behind me as im off to a new full time job on monday so fingers crossed it all works out for me x

Ridiculous.
Congratulations on your new job.

Thanks for everyone's advice by the way. Very helpful.