Reducing Hours... Is it worth it?

seven-day-weekend

You will note the bit in Martin's 'sticky' about not discussing how to defraud the Benefits system.

sue1953

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

You will note the bit in Martin's 'sticky' about not discussing how to defraud the Benefits system.

Excellent point and quite right too!!

jdturk

welshmoneylover wrote: »

Millions of people having been using benefits to subsidise a way of life for years :rotfl:

I know, doesn't mean its right though does it....

jdturk

MickBee wrote: »

From the "Sticky: Its about helping people get their entitlement! Not about benefits policy!- MSE Martin"

Just as well its not the benefit policy then isn't it!

property.advert

When the system pays out relative to the amount you put in, then I will stop taking the system for every penny I can and assisting any other genuine people to do the same.

When I earned a 6 figure income, I paid tens of thousands of pounds in tax. Then when unemployed, I got the same crap £50 a week someone earning £100 a week got. That is inequitable. I should have got perhaps 50% or 75% of what I was previously earning. I cannot go from say £3000 a week to £50 a week.

MickBee

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

You will note the bit in Martin's 'sticky' about not discussing how to defraud the Benefits system.

Nothing I wrote was about discussing how to defraud the Benefits system. I was pointing out that the OP might possibly be considered to be so doing - but that a reduction in hours caused by the employer, giving an identical outcome, would be legitimate. [Unlike the tax system, where it is allowable to maximise net income by minimising tax, it is illegal to arrange one's affairs to maximise benefits - even the benefit called a tax credit.]

MickBee

property.advert wrote: »

When the system pays out relative to the amount you put in, then I will stop taking the system for every penny I can and assisting any other genuine people to do the same.

When I earned a 6 figure income, I paid tens of thousands of pounds in tax. Then when unemployed, I got the same crap £50 a week someone earning £100 a week got. That is inequitable. I should have got perhaps 50% or 75% of what I was previously earning. I cannot go from say £3000 a week to £50 a week.

Another comment that ought to be in the Discussion section - it has nothing to do with the original post.

dktreesea

If you can afford to live on 30 hours of work a week instead of 37 hours a week, then go for it. If you benefit from WTC as a result, then so be it. Reducing your hours isn't about abusing the system - it's about getting more of a life for yourself.

I agree with welshmoney lover - millions of people subsidise their way of life with benefits. Saying that cutting your hours is defrauding the system is cr*p, imho. It's like saying we have children in order to get the £500+ a year child tax credit and £20 a week child benefit. Should someone who is entitled to these benefits not claim them, because they elected to have a child, and the result of that was they became entitled to a £30 a week tax refund?

seven-day-weekend

UnemployedAndLovingIt wrote: »

And to dmg and 7day, before you start spouting more stuff about your 'personal views' the morals of how the benefits system works,
remember that this forum and website isnt for people to air their personal views!

Its here to actively help people ''maximise the benefits that they are legally entitled''. (Martin lewis own words)

And its upto the CEOs and policticans who control the benefits system to create the rules which govern what people are and aren't entitled to.
And so while you may disagree with what the poster does, that is irrelevant, as they are doing nothing illegal, and the benefits decision makers policy says what they are doing is ok and so will pay them the money.

And so if they are willing to allow it thats all that matters, no1 elses views.

But are they entitled if they have deliberately given up their job or reduced their hours in order to claim Benefits? The OP mentioned in her first post thazt she was doing it to spend time with her dog and claim more tax credits.

If their hours have been reduced or job lost through no fault of their own (as has happened this week to a young man I know), then yes, they are entitled.

seven-day-weekend

But you are sanctioned if you claim JSA and have given up your job voluntarily, so maybe there is some sanction as to voluntaril reducing your hours in order to claim tax credits ?