Part time job and losing JSA or housing benefit

mikep932

I'm on JSA and have been receiving housing and council tax benefits. Unfortunately, up to now I haven't been able to get a full time job but have been offered a part time job for £6.50 per hour as a trial for 2 days per week at 6 hours per day - 12 hours total. Hopefully this will increase.

Will this affect my JSA?
Will this affect my housing or council tax benefit?

Many thanks in advance.

alwaysonthego_2

Are you single and childless?

If you are then you have a £5 disregard and anything you earn over that will be reduced out of your JSA £1 for a £1.

You will have to inform your LA who can do an income assessment but if you're on a low income you should have some entitlement to LHA and CTB.

andyandflo

alwaysonthego wrote: »

Are you single and childless?

If you are then you have a £5 disregard and anything you earn over that will be reduced out of your JSA £1 for a £1.

You will have to inform your LA who can do an income assessment but if you're on a low income you should have some entitlement to LHA and CTB.

Unless I am missing something here are you actually saying that this guy is working for 12 hours pw and will actually only receive £5 for doing so?

Phew!! why bother? It will at the end of the day, cost him that £5 in travel, food costs.

Yes I know that working is good for you and I will agree entirely with that, as well as the possibility of being taken on as a full time employee at sometime in the future.

But come on, somebody is surely taking the Michael out of him?

mikep932

Many thanks for your time and replies.

My partner and I receive £99.05 a week JSA - we are both unemployed and the income from the part time job would be less than this - at the moment.

Would it be safe to say that unless the income has exceeded the JSA (the £5 accepted) that housing benefit and council tax would not be affected?

krisskross

andyandflo wrote: »

Unless I am missing something here are you actually saying that this guy is working for 12 hours pw and will actually only receive £5 for doing so?

He will get £78 for his 12 hours work. Why would he also get JSA when he can earn it?

Your reasoning is why the country is in a financial mess with a huge welfare bill. No wonder people stay on benefits forever if they all think like you. Ever heard of providing for yourself?

andyandflo

krisskross wrote: »

He will get £78 for his 12 hours work. Why would he also get JSA when he can earn it?

Your reasoning is why the country is in a financial mess with a huge welfare bill. No wonder people stay on benefits forever if they all think like you. Ever heard of providing for yourself?

Of course I agree that working yourself out of debt and unemployment is the way forward.

But come on, please be serious this guy will be working for 12 hrs pw for a gross wage of £78, yet he would be, at the very most, £5 better off.

In this economic climate, full time, reasonably paid jobs are a little thin on the ground.

Your comment seems to imply that the state of this country has been caused by people who are genuine claimants, be it sickness or unemployment benefit. Rubbish!!! They have done nothing wrong! Why don't you look to the real cause of our dire financial state - greed of those that want more & more & more that already earn more in a year than most would in 5 years.

Yes work yourself out of your own situation but for goodness sake give them a chance to see that it makes good financial sense - £5 doesn't!

Robbie64

For a couple it is £10 per week that is disregarded.

This would mean that £68 per week is taken into account as earnings meaning that some JSA can still be paid and HB / CTB will continue as normal.

krisskross

andyandflo wrote: »

Of course I agree that working yourself out of debt and unemployment is the way forward.

But come on, please be serious this guy will be working for 12 hrs pw for a gross wage of £78, yet he would be, at the very most, £5 better off.

In this economic climate, full time, reasonably paid jobs are a little thin on the ground.

Your comment seems to imply that the state of this country has been caused by people who are genuine claimants, be it sickness or unemployment benefit. Rubbish!!! They have done nothing wrong! Why don't you look to the real cause of our dire financial state - greed of those that want more & more & more that already earn more in a year than most would in 5 years.

Yes work yourself out of your own situation but for goodness sake give them a chance to see that it makes good financial sense - £5 doesn't!

but the OP says it could lead to more hours etc. Turning the opportunity down would be very short sighted. He is going to be no worse off doing the 12 hours so for heaven sakes why not? I see it as a win win situation for him.

andyandflo

krisskross wrote: »

but the OP says it could lead to more hours etc. Turning the opportunity down would be very short sighted. He is going to be no worse off doing the 12 hours so for heaven sakes why not? I see it as a win win situation for him.

Yes, provided those extra hours are there and it is not a ploy!

Yes he may be lucky, but I would have thought that re-training or going to college in those hours would benefit him more in the long run.

I see it as working 12 hrs pw for £10 on the hope and promise that something better comes along.

Besides which you are not going to get the Jobcentre to argue otherwise as this guy would be saving the government £68pw and that is what they would like to see everyone do irrespective of whether it is actually the best advice for this guy!

What I would be doing is getting myself 'improved' to be able to take up a full time job at a decent wage (not the basic minimum wage as a lot of employers are now paying)

The argument comes down to (a) claim maximum benefits for as long as needed, but use that time to progress some educational learning/training, or (b) think about the government and how it would help them out, and take on a low hours/low paid job hoping for more hours in the future.

marydot

mikep932 wrote: »

I'm on JSA and have been receiving housing and council tax benefits. Unfortunately, up to now I haven't been able to get a full time job but have been offered a part time job for £6.50 per hour as a trial for 2 days per week at 6 hours per day - 12 hours total. Hopefully this will increase.

Will this affect my JSA?
Will this affect my housing or council tax benefit?

Many thanks in advance.

I would stay on JSA until you find a full time job, if you do take the part time work, you would probably lose JSA and housing and council tax benefits. I was considering working part time just to come off benefits but i decided to stay on JSA until i found full time work, which i did!!!

There is no point in losing all your benefits for a few hours a week, this would make your life more depressing.

mikep932

Again thanks for all your replies.

I completely accept that if I earn any money whatsoever then this will come off my JSA - it would be crazy otherwise. Of course I would prefer a full time job but at the moment that isn't possible. However, one small step...

The main concern I have is that if I take up this offer of the part time job that my housing benefit / council benefit will be affected or will not be paid at all.

Could someone just confirm that if I am not earning more than the JSA amount it should be OK - or not?

Thanks.