Kicking me off

sarahg1969

Mara69 wrote: »

Funny how many people only manage to work the bare minimum hours required in order to claim tax credits. Also odd how they cannot POSSIBLY get another job or more hours. Odd that.

This amazes me as well. I deal with a lot of taxi drivers at work and they almost all claim to work 16 hours a week and claim tax credits when I look at their books and bank accounts. No doubt their hours will be going up from now on. Funny though, that the mileages on their vehicles would suggest they work much longer hours and they always tell us (until we ask to see their tax returns or accounts) that they work in excess of 80 hours a week!

sarahg1969

sophiaw wrote: »

Mara69 do you have a job? Have you looked for work in the past 2 years theres hardly anything going.Yeh my employers said they dont have the hours right now.All there staff are contracted to 16 hours a week, now and again they may give us a few more hours but they can't guarante it every week.So I cant tell tax credits some weeks I will get it and some I wont can I.You have to do 24 hours every week to get it.They are uping child tax but it wont cover how much I get now for working tax. I will be honest even finding a seperate job of 7 hours will be hard.So I think I will look for another job at 24 hours or above and leave this job that a I love and go into one I wont like hay and it might push me back on benefits.This country is a utter joke and tax credits isnt half a scam.You can't work over a certain amount as they will over pay you but now in the next tax year they want you to work more.It dont make sense to me that.

You have 3 months to find an extra 7 hours a week, and if you only work 17 hours a week between you, that leaves you with plenty of spare time to look.

My son has been applying for jobs recently, and was offered four positions. All just admin jobs, so nothing special or requiring any particular skills. And where I work, we are crying out for people, and there just aren't the applicants out there to fill the roles. I'm not talking specialised jobs; just bog-standard admin work. It's definitely out there if you try hard enough.

Don't feel downhearted. If you both work hard, you'll find jobs over the next few months. You just need to put a lot of effort into it.

As for finding a job you don't like, well, hey, lots of people do jobs they don't like. That's life.

Oldernotwiser

bestpud wrote: »

It is proposed that both parents will have to work 35 hours or prove they are actively seeking more hours under universal credit rules, so it's only going to get worse.

Or better - depending on your viewpoint.;)

bestpud

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Or better - depending on your viewpoint.;)

I actually thought that just after I posted it!

DorsetGirl_2

sophiaw wrote: »

Mara69 do you have a job? Have you looked for work in the past 2 years theres hardly anything going.Yeh my employers said they dont have the hours right now.All there staff are contracted to 16 hours a week, now and again they may give us a few more hours but they can't guarante it every week.So I cant tell tax credits some weeks I will get it and some I wont can I.You have to do 24 hours every week to get it.They are uping child tax but it wont cover how much I get now for working tax. I will be honest even finding a seperate job of 7 hours will be hard.So I think I will look for another job at 24 hours or above and leave this job that a I love and go into one I wont like hay and it might push me back on benefits.This country is a utter joke and tax credits isnt half a scam.You can't work over a certain amount as they will over pay you but now in the next tax year they want you to work more.It dont make sense to me that.

Of course they do, and you should do whatever you have to to support yourself.

gingergee

try looking for work in the social care sector. They are always after people to care for people in their own homes, and you usually pick your own hours. Maybe an option for you x

BigAunty

The govt is merely asking two healthy adults to increase their average working time from the equivalent of 2 days a week, to 3 days a week between them when a couple both working full time would work 10 days. That means you are only required to up your hours from 20% to 30% of a typical full time working couple.

You could consider self-employment to make up the missing 8 hours work that tips you into receiving WTC, if you've got the ability, temperament and inclination for this type of employment. For example, dog walking, cleaning, taxi driving, etc. Go to the Up Your Income or small business board to ask for ideas.

However, be aware that thresholds/conditionality for the self-employed will be subject to changes when tax credits are scrapped when the Universal Credit system comes in. It's fairly complicated to explain the changes so just keep your eyes peeled. Basically, in the same way that the govt is now trying to lever part time workers in employment to increasing their hours and being less dependent on benefits, UC is also aiming to make the self employed more self sufficient, encouraging them to seek additional employment or increase their profits.

The background is that there are tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of self employed claiming tax credits who don't actually make a viable living from their 'businesses' and really only set them up to receive tax credits, housing benefit, etc, because the focus is currently on their requirement to work x hours to qualify. The govt appear to want to tackle the abuse of WTC by those who have set up weak businesses rather than be subject to the conditionality that goes with receiving Job Seekers Allowance. (Here on the MSE website it's not unusual to see posts from a 'self' employed household who has been earning a pound or two an hour for many years who really don't think there is anything wrong with only managing to earn a fraction of the National Minimum Wage through their own enterprise...)

The Business Link website will give you the best information on how to identify a business to run, how to set it up, how to keep records for accounts, how to write a business plan to help it succeed.

DaisyFlower

I think employers had to have a lot of 16 hour contracts as the min for part time roles as most people simply wouldnt do less as they knew tax credits wouldnt be paid.

The new changes are a good start but need to go a lot further. So many people worked the bare min hours and let other tax payers make up the difference and will now be moaning that they have to work more.

If the job you love doesnt pay enough to support your family then thats life, if everybody could work their ideal job and hours with the state paying them as well we would have no country. Whilst the economy is bad at the moment there are jobs out there for those that are not picky.

clearingout

sarahg1969 wrote: »

You have 3 months to find an extra 7 hours a week, and if you only work 17 hours a week between you, that leaves you with plenty of spare time to look.

My son has been applying for jobs recently, and was offered four positions. All just admin jobs, so nothing special or requiring any particular skills. And where I work, we are crying out for people, and there just aren't the applicants out there to fill the roles. I'm not talking specialised jobs; just bog-standard admin work. It's definitely out there if you try hard enough.

Don't feel downhearted. If you both work hard, you'll find jobs over the next few months. You just need to put a lot of effort into it.

As for finding a job you don't like, well, hey, lots of people do jobs they don't like. That's life.

Last year, I applied for loads of admin jobs and didn't get an interview for any of them. I am well-educated with a long work history, can use a computer, can write a letter with decent spelling and grammar, can make coffee, use a photocopier etc. etc. I was willing to do anything because working just a few hours even in a low-paid job as a single parent, I was very much better off. I have always figured that my CV lets me down in this sense - that there is an assumption because I have earned more and had far more responsibility, somehow I am not suitable. I have tried to 'dum down' my CV, but it's hard to do that without having someone question well why does she have all these qualifications and then do nothing with them or leaving huge gaps in my employment history!

Sometimes you're damned if you do and damned if you don't! I also think age has an awful lot to do with things, as does having children (or the assumption you have children). I have managed staff - I am guilty of thinking longer term myself when having to make a choice between a couple of good candidates at interview.

rotoguys

clearingout wrote: »

I am guilty of thinking longer term myself when having to make a choice between a couple of good candidates at interview.

Me too!!!

When I was working in a haulage company in London, I would not entertain any female for a job!!

Training costs etc only to find that a few months down the line she's a pregnant single girl. Then the fun starts!!

Sorry but in the world of business, you have to consider the business needs first.