Going back to work!!

**Patty**

pizzle84 wrote: »

Ok my benefits calculations disregarding wages/parents money etc.........

not working per 4wks
child tax - £237.44
IS - £270
Council tax - £122.28
Housing ben - £507.68
Child ben - £81.20
TOTAL - £1218.60

working per 4wks

Child tax - £237.44
working tax - £356.72
council tax - £5.76
housing ben - £129.08
child ben - £81.20
TOTAL - £810.20

Difference of - £408.40

You may need to recalculate your Child Tax credit.......don't you get an additional premium for working 30+ hours a week?


An an aside.....surely you didn't expect to have your salary from working AND maintain the same level of State Assistance?

pizzle84

ok i think people have taken it the wrong way. The £900 from my parents is just their way of feeling like they're helping their daughter and grandson out of a tight situation. The £900 isn't a loan or payment for anything its just them helping out. I spend the money on anything. Pack lunches, school trips, new shoes, clothes for my boy, washing up stuff, new towels because mine where old and holey. It goes towards babysitters. They didn't say this money is a loan to be repayed and is for this, this and this only. I didn't realise it was an issue but know you guys have said it is i'll tell them today to stop giving me the money.

LL30

Blimey, numbers flying all over the place! Have you got a lone parent advisor (you should have, it's the person you see every 6 months for an interview, although if you've only been on IS for 4 months, you may not have had one yet). They will do all the calculations with you. I have to say, £900 a month from your parents - wowzers!!!! I personally could not and would not accept money from my parents, but everyone is different.

I have my returning to work 'worse off' calculations next week (usually dubbed 'better off' calculations, but not in my case sadly). I'm in a sticky situation, but worming my way out of it. Taken a job on a nil hour contract, which will work up to a minimum of 16 hours over a few months, so stuck on IS until then. It's not going to be easy, childcare is £36.50 a day, so I expect I'll have around £50 a week for me and £53 for my daughter CTC - owch. Setting up a self employed business too, to try and get those precious 16 hours in, but that'll take time. Why am I doing it? Because it's what is best for me and my daughter. A few months of frugal living, a limited Christmas and eating lots of rice ahead of me, but it'll all work out. Good luck, you're building a future for both of you - keep focussed on that

**Patty**

pizzle84 wrote: »

ok i think people have taken it the wrong way. The £900 from my parents is just their way of feeling like they're helping their daughter and grandson out of a tight situation. The £900 isn't a loan or payment for anything its just them helping out. I spend the money on anything. Pack lunches, school trips, new shoes, clothes for my boy, washing up stuff, new towels because mine where old and holey. It goes towards babysitters. They didn't say this money is a loan to be repayed and is for this, this and this only. I didn't realise it was an issue but know you guys have said it is i'll tell them today to stop giving me the money.

£900 a month on childrens clothes/packed lunches/shoes....???

Cancel your account at Harrods!

pizzle84

**Patty** wrote: »

You may need to recalculate your Child Tax credit.......don't you get an additional premium for working 30+ hours a week?


An an aside.....surely you didn't expect to have your salary from working AND maintain the same level of State Assistance?

Im not working yet so i dont know about any other premium. Course i dont expect to get the same level of state assistance thats why i came on here to see what i could get because i knew when i started work id lose/get reduced housing and council tax benefit.

cosmic-dust

pizzle84 wrote: »

ok i think people have taken it the wrong way. The £900 from my parents is just their way of feeling like they're helping their daughter and grandson out of a tight situation. The £900 isn't a loan or payment for anything its just them helping out. I spend the money on anything. Pack lunches, school trips, new shoes, clothes for my boy, washing up stuff, new towels because mine where old and holey. It goes towards babysitters. They didn't say this money is a loan to be repayed and is for this, this and this only. I didn't realise it was an issue but know you guys have said it is i'll tell them today to stop giving me the money.

The child has been in school what six weeks? How many school trips have they had? Packed lunches, you get free school meals. Babysitters?

You other thread a while back was an interesting read! Glad to hear the slipped disc and depression is better now

pizzle84

**Patty** wrote: »

£900 a month on childrens clothes/packed lunches/shoes....???

Cancel your account at Harrods!

Its not just on my boy its just money for anything unexpected or to cover certain things! i dont know how i can say it any clearer they are giving me the money off their own backs just to be nice and feel like they are helping their daughter and grandson. I didn't ask for £900, i didn't even ask for £100 they just said they wanted to help for a while till i was sorted.

Cornish_piskie

I don't think you need to justify how you spend this money OP, your parents have given it to you willingly and presumably it was their choice to make it a gift rather than a loan (I'm sure you will make some payment back to them for their kindness once you are working). It was, however, correct that the posters here pointed out that it could be an issue with the Benefits Agency if it continued.

It would probably be a good idea to do a statement of affairs for your own use to help you budget accordingly and visit the debt free wannabe board and old style money saving board to get some ideas on saving money so you can get that doorstep loan paid off and live comfortably within your means.

Good luck in the new job:)

HappyMJ

cosmic-dust wrote: »

It isn't child support, that's the huge difference in this case.

She said it was for the child's expenses and to pay for a loan. If that's what was said to who ever wanted to know then it is ignored. Anyone can help pay for the child it doesn't have to come from the NRP.

Errata wrote: »

Could you explain how you spend c£225 each and every week on your child?

I'd like to know as well but you don't have to detail it when claiming.

jetplane wrote: »

Which is why I queried whether they had they asked how she spent it because it depends on how it is assessed and it is not as simple as it being spent on a child. A decision maker wouldn't want to overlook this one and I would expect them to need to look closely at who can pay maintanance.

Do you know what regs state that grandparents can pay as much child maintanance as they wish and it will be ignored?

Yes there are loopholes which is why I was undecided whether the OP was quite dim or rather clever. You would have to be sharp to present it as child maintenence without knowledge of the benefit system.

We would all be worse off working if we had £900 a month buckshee that would be withdrawn if we went to work. But the answer is easy really just tell your parents that you have double good news, you have a job and now they only need to pay £400 a month.

I'm not sure the decisioin maker let this go easily she did say she supplied an income and expenses form which would have detailed her outgoings. Maybe they were high enough to cover the £900 every 4 weeks. It isn't that hard to have £225 of expenses per week that aren't essentials. The car to transport the child is one.

The regs state something to do with the purpose of the money. if you are given £500 for the RENT then it comes off any HB as HB also pays rent. If you are given £100 for FOOD then it comes off IS/JSA as that covers that. If you are given money to pay for Sky for the kids then it's ignored as no part of benefit money is supposed to in theory pay for luxuries.

Errata

So the £900 a month is a gift to you from your parents and not child support. I hope you correct the information you gave the DWP. They may reassess your claim and take the view that it was your income and not disregard it. This would mean you may have to pay them some money back, as you will have overclaimed.