stay at home help - mostly jsa

clairesolo

Hello & thanks in advance for any advice given.

I have a 6 month old baby and have just had my last SMP payment. I have to give up my job because my job is in Bristol & since having my daughter I now live in Wales so cannot go back there. My husband works for Tesco 37 hours a weeks at £17K a year and never has set days off and works random shift times. We have no family that can look after our little girl & can't afford the childcare, I also can't drive and can't afford to learn.

What I really want to know is as a stay at home Mum where do I stand with JSA and being available for work, I found plenty for lone parents but none for my situation. We already get tax credits at £39 a month and the child benefits but we'll be about £300 short a month and that'safter I've budgeted everything down to the bare bones.

I would work from home but everything I've come across so far has been scams. Would the JSA people help me find work from home instead of regular employment?

Many thanks xx

McKneff

No they wont, and you cant claim JSA if you are not actively looking for work.

I know it must be difficult with OHs shift pattern, could you do Avon or sell things on Ebay.

Post up an SOA and we will try and help you budget.

Tigsteroonie

I am not an expert, but I don't think you'll be eligible for JSA as you are not really "available for work".

May I politely suggest a look around other areas of this forum:

Debt-Free Wannabe is useful for suggestions on how to cut down your weekly/monthly expenditure, you might want to complete an SOA and ask for help (it's not just for DFWannabees!)

Up Your Income for ideas on work from home, how to make some extra money from surveys etc.

Oldernotwiser

I don't mean to sound unsympathetic, but didn't you plan for this or was the move to Wales unexpected?

Have you investigated the help you'd get from tax credits for childcare?

Spendless

Your tax credits sound low for a family income of only £17k. Do they have the correct details?

If you need to find work, what about also working for Tesco and asking them to put you on seperate shifts. I do know of a few families where 2 different employers will work round the shift pattern of 1 of the couple.

richard9991

Ifound plenty for lone parents but none for my situation.

But you are not a lone parent

themull1

If you're not a lone parent, do the government not expect you to get a job around the other partner, so give you less benefits as an incentive to do that? Otherwise, everyone would be a stay at home mam.!!

You could list incomings/outgoings (do an SOA) to see if anyone on here could trim your outgoings a bit?

Mrs_Arcanum

Tax credits could be based on receipt of SMP. Now this is stopped would be well worth updating your claim.

Sixer

On an income of £17k and with one child - assuming you have a mortgage and aren't renting - I make it you're entitled to about £65 per week in tax credits, OP. That's almost the shortfall you are worrying about. I would get straight on to tax credits and update your claim, as suggested.

clairesolo

Thanks for all the advice, I think the tax credits are so low because they took into account the fact I earnt £9800 in 2010/11 tax year even though most of that is just SMP. I would love to be able to do something from home like telephone appointment maker etc but I can't find anything myself that isn't a scam.

I tried Avon a few years back but orders dried up after 2 runs and never made any money from it, also sprained my back from carrying the books.

What's an SOA? (noob lol)

We had a strange situtation where I worked in Bristol during the week andstayed with my mum & dad then came down to our house on weekends, we bought a house in Wales because my hubby has more connections here andalso mainly because it's the only place we could afford to get a mortgage on an affordable house. Obviously when I became pregnant it all changed so I can't go back to the old way now I have my daughter.

I'll look into the tesco shift thing thank you.

No I'm not a lone parent but I'm in a pretty similar situation in that I'm stuffed for childcare & was really trying to find out if the child under 7 exemption from looking for work was applicable to all parents of under 7's or just lone parents. (starting to think I'd be better off if I was a lone parent)

I'll give the tax credit people a ring to let them know my SMP has now stopped but I can't see them changing the amount as I told them it was stopping on 8th May before, I think the fact that I had earnings of £9800 in the 2010/11 tax year is making my credits so low even thoufgh that was mostly SMP that went on food & the baby etc, we've no savings, we hadn't saved it all up lol.

allen35

You need to contact HMRC and declare your joint total income for 2010/11 tax year.

You should reduce your income by £100 for every week you were receiving SMP ( have a calendar at the ready)

For this years income you are entitled to request your award be based on an estimate of current years income and this will increase your tax credits.

Your partner will earn £17,000 and you will earn approx' £200 after the disregarded £100 from your SMP if you don't return to work.

Be aware though if your current years income increases you may incur an overpayment so always keep HMRC up to date with any change in circumstances (income)

As earlier stated you may be entitled to £65 per week rather than per month.

This should relieve some of the pressure of the expenditure and give you a little time with your daughter before thinking about work.