In a dillema better off on benefits!

lynzpower

I wonder if you can approach your local housing department and apply to discretionary housing payment?
Do you recieve any LHA top up?

http://www.ipswich.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=1162

hcb42

ravernoloo wrote: »

Hi, i am coming up to my 3 months probation at my current part time job. I am contracted to 16 hours but do maybe 20 a week so 4 hours overtime. Taking into account the amount housing benefit top up on my rent and also council tax, it works out that i would be £10 a fortnight better off on benefits! I have been struggling to pay my rent and bills since working, how can this be so? I know that at the end of my 3 month probation my boss is more than likely going to lay me off as she feels my work performance isnt as good as she would like. I work my !!! off when i am working so not sure why she thinks this. I just dont see how this governemental system works, when i would be better off money and stress wise being on jsa. I am 24 so cannot claim tax credit. I just dont see how i can ever get off benefits if this is how they treat people who work part time. What are your suggestions?

a lot of people struggle/have struggled paying bills, including me and most readers on here I expect - that isn't really a good enough reason to be on benefits. If you are only £10 a fortnight better off, then another hour or two a week would sort that - and another 10 would put you in a better financial position altogether - and more importantly, make sure you are gaining experience to keep you off benefits in the future.

as regards the bullying, you will need to sit down and treat that as a separate issue - there is no excuse for bullying, but there are difficult people in every work place, unfortunately.

get the experience, keep looking for something else, and try and get a few more hours to get around the short term financial problem

lynzpower

ravernoloo wrote: »

i dont know why i bother ascking for advice on here, people just dont want to give it these days! I am saying the way i am, working p/t and not getting any more hours, i am getting myself into debt by working...make sense?

I think potentially one of the reasons that you are not getting more hours is due to your "performance issues". I guess if the owner was more happy with your work then she would let you pick up these extra hours?

Has she told you what is wrong? Is it your timekeeping or anything else you can control ? In any case, are you writing a diary of the criticisms in case there are any patterns?

ravernoloo

lynzpower wrote: »

I wonder if you can approach your local housing department and apply to discretionary housing payment?
Do you recieve any LHA top up?

http://www.ipswich.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=1162

what is LHA top up?

ravernoloo

lynzpower wrote: »

I think potentially one of the reasons that you are not getting more hours is due to your "performance issues". I guess if the owner was more happy with your work then she would let you pick up these extra hours?

Has she told you what is wrong? Is it your timekeeping or anything else you can control ? In any case, are you writing a diary of the criticisms in case there are any patterns?

no its not timekeeping, i turn up to work 15 min early if anything, she feels that i am not doing enough in between customers ie cleaning shelves etc, but we are a busy shop so by the time you have walked off the till, closed the security door, and got to a shelf there will be a customer at the till. I have tried but i never see any of the other staff doing it

lynzpower

http://www.ipswich.gov.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?categoryID=10112&documentID=587

Its an amount of Housing Benefit paymetn ( Now called local housing allowance) for low paid workers to pay towards thier rent.

AnxiousMum

ravernoloo wrote: »

i dont know why i bother ascking for advice on here, people just dont want to give it these days! I am saying the way i am, working p/t and not getting any more hours, i am getting myself into debt by working...make sense?

There has been lots of good advice given to you on here, it's just that it's not the advice that you want to hear obviously. Nobody in their right mind is going to say 'yeah - go for it, go back on benefits so you are better off financially' when it's a few pounds per week, and there are things that you can do in your position to make your future brighter.

I'd be better off financially if I was a single parent, and could pay my bills alot quicker - so should I kick my partner out? Uh, no......we make changes to ensure that we can get by month to month and put a little aside. There's always two solutions to a problem - the easy one, and the one that takes a little work but rewards you in the end. The only problem is that one is easy to do (called quitting) and the other takes work.

ravernoloo

I just had a look at that discretional payment, i will apply for that as it may help me. Thankyou lynzpower

catfish50

ravernoloo wrote: »

I am saying the way i am, working p/t and not getting any more hours, i am getting myself into debt by working...make sense?

I understand now what you meant. You think it's a choice between working or living on benefits, and because at the moment you can get a bit more on benefits than by working 16 hours, you think the sensible thing to do is to live on benefits. But I think you're mistaken. You won't be allowed to live on benefits instead of working, unless you've got some reason that makes that a necessity.

If you feel people are being critical, it's because if you're living on benefits it's the rest of us who have to pay for it.

Cheer up, working is the best thing to do, the thing to do is keep trying for a better job. Good luck.

ravernoloo

AnxiousMum wrote: »

There has been lots of good advice given to you on here, it's just that it's not the advice that you want to hear obviously. Nobody in their right mind is going to say 'yeah - go for it, go back on benefits so you are better off financially' when it's a few pounds per week, and there are things that you can do in your position to make your future brighter.

I'd be better off financially if I was a single parent, and could pay my bills alot quicker - so should I kick my partner out? Uh, no......we make changes to ensure that we can get by month to month and put a little aside. There's always two solutions to a problem - the easy one, and the one that takes a little work but rewards you in the end. The only problem is that one is easy to do (called quitting) and the other takes work.

yes i am greatful for the good advice i have been given and im not saying people havent given me advice. It just seems some people feel the need to criticise my post rather than say anything constructive. I have no family near me at all, so feel i can ask things like this on forums, they are like 'family' i guess