ESA and earning a little extra

Tehya

Hi all,

Can I ask a quick question please?

I claim Carer's Allowance (around £84 a week for both me and my husband) the DWP take £54 off my husband's total of ESA so we get about £30 more than just on ESA without the CA.

He also gets DLA mid care, high mob and is in the support group and together we receive HB and CTB.

I've been offered a job for just three hours a week (earning £6.50 an hour so less than £20 a week) can I take it without it causing problems with our other benefits and do I have to formally inform the DWP/council tax/HB depts for such a small amount?

Loopy_Girl

Any income should be declared to the relevant authorities.

It is then up to them to decide whether your benefits need adjusted.

Tehya

Yeah I figured as much as far as declaring it and would do if I take the job but my main question is will it affect our benefits?

I've not taken the job though and don't intend to if all that happens is we end up in a mess. I thought someone here would be able to help before I end up on the benefits enquiry line for over an hour as usual.

Tehya

Hi all,

I thought I would come back and just add the outcome to my questions so anyone else in a similar position aware.

You CAN earn £20 a week in my circumstances without it having an effect on your any of your benefits. So I've taken the job and everything is hunky-dory.

sunnyone

Tehya wrote: »

Hi all,

I thought I would come back and just add the outcome to my questions so anyone else in a similar position aware.

You CAN earn £20 a week in my circumstances without it having an effect on your any of your benefits. So I've taken the job and everything is hunky-dory.

Im pleased that you can take the job, being a carer is hard and the break will do both you and your husband good.

paddedjohn

Even if your benefits were reduced by £20 you should still take the job.

Tehya

paddedjohn wrote: »

Even if your benefits were reduced by £20 you should still take the job.

Why?

I already work almost 24/7 thank you very much. I've just been awake for 36 hours had three hours sleep this afternoon and now it all starts again.

This job is to help ME not the tax payer who I save around £2000 a week in care fees if I was a heartless cow and upped and left my husband.

paddedjohn

But its ok for you to work a bit to help yourself but not to give a little back to the taxpayer? If you can afford to leave your husband for a few hours to earn some cash then why not do it anyway?

Indie_Kid

paddedjohn wrote: »

But its ok for you to work a bit to help yourself but not to give a little back to the taxpayer? If you can afford to leave your husband for a few hours to earn some cash then why not do it anyway?

And cost the tax payer £2000 a week? Do you honestly begrudge someone ESA, £20 from a job for a few hours & CA?

Tehya

I'm not leaving my husband, I'm working from home for three hours (a week) whilst still running myself into the ground. A typed letter takes me two hours to complete because I'm never OFF duty. Besides this is not for the money, I provide my own ink, PC so paying electric as well for it I'm doing it so I have something of my own and when my husband dies, which he will, I will hopefully have some current skills.

BUT I can't afford to lose money to do it or is that too hard for you to understand.

pandaspot

Some people are so judgemental on here

Tehya is clearly a person of whom the system is made for and telling her to leave her husband to go to work is wrong, the dwp wouldn't be paying all the disability allowance and carers allowance if she wasn't entitled