need info on IS,WTC for recently unemployed :(

harleyissy11

Hi all,

I worked in a office job that was not suitable to me,bullying took place,reported it to managers etc and nothing was done. The job was far to stressful,as I was working fulltime,2 children to nursery and school,diff sides of the city and house to keep etc all by myself with no time to spare at all(I know it was my choice to have children) so obviously the stress got the better of me and I was signed off work with anxiety and stress at the workplace.

I informed my manager that I had been signed off and I would be forwarding him the fit note to show him. I had heard nothing off him,no reply to my email and nothing since. A day after my fit note was due to expire I got the flu and eye problems and still have it now. I have not been back to work and no one has got in contact with me from work normally they would ring me.

What do I do with regards to my job? I am no longer wanting to work there due to the problems I faced within the company and I now want to set up my own business.

I have all the equipment needed etc and there are only a few people in my area in what I am qualified to do etc so I believe I can start up a good business.
Do I just hand in my notice to my work,maybe they have already sacked me but I havent received my p45.

What do I do with regards to tax credits because obviously I get help towards my childcare at the moment and cant really lose my daughters place in nursery. Do I just tell them the hours I will be working,what I think I will be earning per week/month and then after a month update them with actual figures. I know what I can earn on a daily basis just depends on how many bookings and what service is needed but I can gather a rough estimate.

Sorry for such longwinded post,just thought this was the best place for advice. Any input and extra advice would be great.

Thank you in advance

LL30

First things first, you need to ring your employer - horrible I know, but the situation can't be left hanging and you need to have a dialogue with them (regardless of how much you don't want to) You need to discuss notice periods etc and any outstanding pay/holidays. It's one last hurdle with them, so you just need to do it.

Re: TCs. SE is more difficult, especially when you're just setting up. I'm just in the process of doing this myself I've got a couple of days work, and hope to do some SE also. You have to register yourself as SE and work out which NI contributions you need to pay (you can be exempt if your earnings are very little, the figures etc are on the website) Don't forget you'll need to pay tax also. I'm working on the fact that I won't be earning 10K more than I did last year, so I'm going to let my claim run as it is (when I restart it again that is!). I suppose it's just a case of keeping a close eye on your figures and being careful with estimates to avoid overpayments.

Good luck

harleyissy11

I know I have to get in contact with them, im actually dreading it,can feel the nerves coming back already lol .

I will be doing about 30+ hours per week with advertising,leaflet drops,travelling,emailing etc and then appointments so if I average around 30 hours will that be ok. Can I just estimate my earning as NMW on 3O hours and then obviously update them when I know more info.

I was told about the 4 week run on for WTC after I inform them my job has ended so that will help me out alot for the next month.

I am going to be using receipt books,keeping receipts from purchase,sales etc so I have all that covered and understand all that part. My dad said that as he is SE he gets 45p each mile whilst he is going to and from work etc so can I do the same as my business is mobile and my petrol costs will be high?

I am going to get an accountant to go through everything with me also as I am the worst with numbers lol

Thanks x

LL30

You'll be fine - deep breath, write down what you want to say and go for it, then you'll be free!

On 30+ hours, you'll retain your 30 hour element of WTCs too - NMW sounds like a good idea. Yes, you can claim back for the petrol and mobile, sounds like it's a good idea to see an accountant (I fear I need one!) If you can, register as SE ASAP so there's no gap between your employment ending and going SE. I think they allow you a 7 day grace period between jobs anyway - if you manage this, there's no need for them to stop and restart your claim (they managed to cancel my whole claim instead of sorting out my 4 week run on, which has been a nightmare!)

Let me know if you find any info out about SE - feel like I'm working in the dark a little at the moment so would be good to keep in touch with someone doing something similar x