Benefits for low paid workers

toffeecoated

My new neighbours are having problems. The husband is disabled and receives incapacity benefit and DLA. They jointly receive housing benefit and council tax benefit. The wife gets job seekers allowance and has been looking for work. She is highly educated (degree) with ten years experience in leisure centre management and looking for a well paid job. The job centre have been worse than useless, they are now hassling her to take low paid shop work and threatening to stop her benefit if she refuses. She has explained that if she takes a job she will lose her £64 a week JSA and housing & council tax benefit, total loss £190. Therefore it would not be worth working for less than £250 take home pay. The job centre staff say she might be entitled to working tax credits which would provide a living wage, however she has been interviewed by four different members of staff and none of them can agree on this. She would prefer to wait for the right job, but they have arranged an interview for her next week for a shop assistant 30 hours@ £5.85ph and said her money will be stopped if she refuses to attend. After tax, rent and fares she would be worse off than she is now, so unless these tax credits can be guaranteed this seems to be an impossible situation. The husband is very concerned that they will not be able to afford the rent and be made homeless. Can anyone offer any information on this and low paid work generally. I have often wondered how people can afford to work for peanuts.

Marcheline

It might be worthwhile looking on www.entitledto.co.uk and putting in their info (as best you know it) as if she takes this job they're putting her forward for. It should then tell you how much working tax credit/other benefit they will receive.

McKneff

'I have oftened wondered how people can afford to work for peanuts'

Because in lots of cases they dont have any choice.
They cut their cloth according to their means. Simple as that.

And of course there are those that maximise their benefits and those that supplement their income by other means.

Got to say though that i agree that people should have their benefits cut if they are not willing to work even for MW rather than take taxpayers money.

Not personal of course, i mean in general.

dmg24

How long has she been claiming JSA?

toffeecoated

I think she has been claiming for about five months.

According to entitledto she would get £86pw

toffeecoated

If this is true she would be working for about £245pw

Deduct £126 rent + council tax
£64 loss of jsa
£20 fares

She would be about £35 better off

McKneff

oh, and wish her good luck for the job, i really really hope she gets it.