Benefits compared to a payrise

distant_smile

Hi. I currently earn £18,475 and my partner is a stay at home mum. We receive the following benefits

Child Tax = £62.73 per week
Child Benefit = £93.80 every 4 weeks
Housing Benefit = £67.22 every fortnight

Our rent is £660.00 per calendar month

I have an opportunity to progress, earning potentially £25,000 per annum. Buit I am worried that if I do I will be worse off. Firstly my travelling expenses would be around £750.oo per annum

So if anyone can help, I am trying to find out if it is worth me going for the position or whether I will end up worse off than I already am?

totallybroke_2

wouldnt it feel great to support your family without having to rely on benefits?

distant_smile

Of course. But why put my children in a position worse off than we already are? I currently work 46.5 hours a week to support them, and we are still only scraping by. So if anyone can breakdown the benefits a little better for me I would appreciate it

Is_AWOL

Wow nearly £480 a month! I'm in the wrong job!

Emmzi

you have an assumption that
a) promotion opportunities will come up again and there wonlt be someone else better than you then and
b) benefits will continue at their present levels forever

If I were a betting woman I'd bet against both of those.

You can play with benefits entitlements here

http://www.turn2us.org.uk/benefits_search.aspx

bigadaj

It's a risky situation relying on benefits to stay as they are, the promotion would give a 30 per cent pay rise. You would pay more tax but would retain the child benefit. The other benefits are under risk at the moment given the coalition policies, so if you don't take the money now your benefits are likely to decrease in any case, your decision.

distant_smile

So am I right in thinking that Child Benefit iss not governed by your income?

bigadaj

You would only lose child benefit once you are paying higher rate tax, so you would need to get over forty grand typically, dependent on allowances and employment benefits.

distant_smile

But even though I wouldn't lose it, it would decrease?

Killmark

distant_smile wrote: »

Of course. But why put my children in a position worse off than we already are?

So the tax payer doesn't have to support them?

But yes your better off despite any lost benefits because you are progressing in your career.

distant_smile

Taxpayer? Like me you mean? I pay Tax and NI into the system, so am I not entitled to claim benefit?