not entitled to any benefits?

swatton46

Hammyman wrote: »

Thats down to choice. I live near a seaside town and plenty of people have no problem finding summer jobs. Also being in a rural county, there's plenty of farm work as well. Employment agencies have stacks of work in summer covering employee holidays although it'll tend to be in unglamorous work like factory work.

Is it a case of you can't find ANY job or, being honest, just ones you are prepared to do?

With the greatest of respect Hammyman, I do feel like this thread is degenerating into a critique of "lifestyle" , and I feel pressed into justifying/defending my situation. Myself and my partner have had numerous jobs in the past few years, to name a few I have worked in a farm nursery, I have worked as a home shopping delivery driver at asda, a charity bag collector/distributor and a take away delivery driver. My partner has not had a background as "colourful" as that, but has had certainly had her share of "unglamorous work" barwork, working in an old peoples home.
Those points aside (as this again is diverting from the topic) we are willing to work, we most certainly have in the past! - but dealing with worst case scenario here, assuming in is a "dry summer" (not just summer but easter, half term, xmas etc) is there anykind of income support, tax benefits etc we have overlooked - we always hear of the millions of unclaimed £'s out there and wondered if we are entitled to any of it?

swatton46

dmg24 wrote: »

I agree with Hammyman, the reason you have a limited income is through your own choice, there is nothing stopping you doing more. If you can't find any work over the summer you could work at Butlins/ Pontins/ any big holiday park and even get accom provided. Problem sorted!

Again dmg24, these kind of replies are really of no help - I appreciate that is your opinion, but it seems to me you have based this opinion on a pre-determinded stereotype and without clear information. I wonder is everyhting in life as simple and easy as you seem to believe.

@RAS - thankyou for that helpful sggestion

dmg24

swatton46 wrote: »

Again dmg24, these kind of replies are really of no help - I appreciate that is your opinion, but it seems to me you have based this opinion on a pre-determinded stereotype and without clear information. I wonder is everyhting in life as simple and easy as you seem to believe.

Can you elaborate on what is not so simple? You need work, and we have suggested ways for you to get that work.

RAS

Swatton

Regardless of lifestyle etc, unless you are working 30 hours a week and aged over 25, you cannot claim means-tested benefits unless you have children or a disability. Unless you are unemployed.

There is no way round it.

zzzLazyDaisy

Have you checked the current LHA allowances for your area?

Google [the name of your local authority + LHA] and it should come up. As a couple you are looking at the one bedroom rate.

Then go to entitledto.com and input the income and savings for you and your gf and other requested info. This should give you an idea of what, if anything, you may be able to claim.

Unfortunately, as others have pointed out, you must be working 30 hrs a week to qualify for working tax credit. However it does not all have to be with the same employer, and it can be a combination of employment and self employment.

hth

Indie_Kid

RAS wrote: »

Swatton

Regardless of lifestyle etc, unless you are working 30 hours a week and aged over 25, you cannot claim means-tested benefits unless you have children or a disability. Unless you are unemployed.

There is no way round it.

I'm confused - I thought you ould claim LHA / HB and /or CTB regardless of age and employment status?

swatton46

dmg24 wrote: »

Can you elaborate on what is not so simple? You need work, and we have suggested ways for you to get that work.

At what point did i ask "hey, how can I get work?, or what type of work is available in my area?"
It was not career advice I was asking for. You seem to have the impression I just want to coast along working as little as possible, with as many benefits as possible (and are not at all in posession of all the fact to have come to this conclusion) Infact know it would be much easier if I chose to simply stop working - in this scenario we would recieve help i.e. JSA, Rent/Council tax rebate - like countless others. This is not the case.

Indie_Kid

Have you even tried to get local housing allowance or council tax benefit?

zzzLazyDaisy

sh1305 wrote: »

I'm confused - I thought you ould claim LHA / HB and /or CTB regardless of age and employment status?

Yes, you can, provided you meet the financial eligibility criteria - hence my suggestion that OP looks into the LHA criteria for their area (CTB is a separate but related issue, and any eligibility should be thrown up on entitledto.com

hebe

Sorry, I cannot help on benefits. However, could you offer private or refresher cycling tuition to adults perhaps? I appreciate it's not a huge market but if you could get a card up at a couple of bike shopes you might get lucky. I've recently learned to ride as an adult by taking private lessons with an instructor and I'm sure there are plenty of other adults who'd quite like to save a bit of money on fuel and get going on their bikes again.