Benefits advice for friend on really low income

janninew

My suggestion if you need more money - work more hours. If she is fit and healthy with no other commitments, there is no reason why she should only work 25 hours per week.

Also if she lives alone, she would be entitled to a 25% dicount on her council tax bill.

AnxiousMum

Duncombe wrote: »

The 'quote' function is clearly broken. My post only said..

"If every member of the working population had this attitude, the country would be even more of a mess"

And that was in response to generalcuster's ridiculous post that working for a wage was slave labour.

Sorry Duncombe - I guess the 'quote' in your post was wrong, lol, and therefore mine was wrong......I totally agree with your comment, and my response to the 'slave labour' was indeed someone elses post. Apologies for the misunderstanding!

generalcuster

Duncombe wrote: »

The 'quote' function is clearly broken. My post only said..

"If every member of the working population had this attitude, the country would be even more of a mess"

And that was in response to generalcuster's ridiculous post that working for a wage was slave labour.

OK you have your opinion, but to be honest there would be few people in this country that if they were told to work an extra 5 hours a week and receive £3.00 more than they would have received if they had worked 5 hours less. Seriously, having a conscience about the state of the country is one thing, what is more important is what happens to the money in the individual's pocket.

I would be laughed out of my local if I suggested that to help the country out we should all work an extra 5 hours per week for £3.00!!

Be realistic, we are talking about real people with real expectations, not some pie in the sky social conscience!

What would you call 5 hours work for £3.00 then if not slave labour?

Would you be the first to offer to do this?

AnxiousMum

It's not 5 hours for £3.00 though is it - if they are on £6.00 per hour wage wise, it's 5 hours for £30.00.......in wages......how does loss of free government hand outs make any job slave labour?

generalcuster

AnxiousMum wrote: »

It's not 5 hours for £3.00 though is it - if they are on £6.00 per hour wage wise, it's 5 hours for £30.00.......in wages......how does loss of free government hand outs make any job slave labour?

I know it is, but from the earner's point of view, he would lose £27.00 of benefits to earn it! That does not make any sense whatsoever.

generalcuster

Duncombe wrote: »

Those who live on benefits in this country have no idea what slave labour is. Go and visit the workhouses in the East. That is slave labour.

My gripe is with your attitude discouraging people to work and instead to claim benefits.

I thought that this site was to help people get all of their benefit entitlement and point out what happens to those benefits if they work.

I am not against anybody working, but they should be empowered with the knowledge of what will happen if they do.

Or are you saying that this information and knowledge should not be given, hoping that they will feel good about helping the country out?

I am sorry, but earning £30 to lose £27 is not a good enough reason to work.

Slave labour - in my eyes it is, would you work for 60p per hour?

Morgan_Ree

generalcuster wrote: »

I thought that this site was to help people get all of their benefit entitlement and point out what happens to those benefits if they work.

I am not against anybody working, but they should be empowered with the knowledge of what will happen if they do.

Or are you saying that this information and knowledge should not be given, hoping that they will feel good about helping the country out?

I am sorry, but earning £30 to lose £27 is not a good enough reason to work.

Slave labour - in my eyes it is, would you work for 60p per hour?

Well what else are the going to do with those 5 hours normally spent at home?
Mope about and watch Cash in the Attic?

I'd rather be at work! Even by your weird logic I'd still rather be at work. An extra £3 is an extra £3. Better than nothing.

Duncombe

Morgan_Ree wrote: »

Mope about and watch Cash in the Attic?

I like Cash in the Attic

AnxiousMum

generalcuster wrote: »

I know it is, but from the earner's point of view, he would lose £27.00 of benefits to earn it! That does not make any sense whatsoever.

And the guarantee that those benefits will be there down the road are where?????? Might as well take the work when/if you can get it now!

SingleSue

I went back to work after a time spent at home rearing the children (I was married at the time), due to going back, our tax credits reduced, I lost my carers allowance and I had fuel to pay for due to commuting, tea money, office clothes etc and lost family time (me and hubby were like ships in the night, he would come home and ten minutes later, I would leave for work)

All told, we were around £20 a week worse off by me going back to work......but did I care? No.

I had the pride of knowing that we were less reliant on the tax credits, I developed a bit of a social life, I got out of the house...and pretty quickly, my earnings increased and we were better off than we had been before (in fact, before I had to leave to be a full time carer again, we had moved completely out of tax credits).