Not sure we are doing this right?

duncan32

Hi,
I have been wondering whether my wife and I are going the right way about working, or whether my wife might be better off perhaps not working at all, so would appreciate any advice really. Briefly, we have a 6 year old and a 9 year old. I earn 32,500 a year. My wife earns £300.00 a month (and only works 10.5 hours a week). Would we be better served if she just didn't work at all? What would we get from the state? Would tax / child credits / benefits increase? I am probably barking up the wrong tree, but what do people think?

Thanks,

Duncan

Wonderful100

You by yourself earn over the new levels for tax credits so if your wife left work I doubt you would be entitled to anything. In any case you certainly cannot leave any form of employment by personal choice to claim benefits of any description and this has been the case for quite some time now.

duncan32

Thanks for that, sort of knew it really tbh.:o
So, I think between us (including Child Benefit) we get about £170.00 a month at the moment. Does this sound about right, do you think? Would my wife be able to claim a job seekers allowance perhaps (or a part of), as she only works 10.5 hours due to the age of the kids and the difficulty in finding work around looking after them. Again, probably clutching at straws, but I want to ensure my family is getting what it is entitled to!

Thanks again.

Duncan

karenx

JSA is for when you are activly seeking work. Going by your post your wife just wants to leave her job to stay at home and try claim any benefits going. Or did I get that completly wrong?

duncan32

Sort of wrong, yes. She would like to work more hours but because of the children she can't get anything for more hours (and has asked for more in her current job and been told no).

Duncan

BigAunty

If your employer will you work 16 hours a week (this changes to 24 for a couple in April), then model the reduced income on the Turn2us online benefit calculator to see if you can get any benefits.

You could also model it based on a National Minimum Wage job, and having another baby.

Do you have capital above 6k (savings, shares, ISAs?). Are you a home owner?

duncan32

Hi, well we have a mortgage and about £10,000 in savings at the moment (basically some inheritance money we have just unfortunately received). Don't quite understand your first sentence, sorry, can you explain please? Thanks. :beer:

Duncan

BigAunty

Well, if you wanted to legitimately reduce your income to maximise your benefit entitlements, reducing your hours of work is one way to do this, the other is to find a part time job with lower wages. If you just resign from your job, you can't claim Job Seekers Allowance as you'd be sanctioned.

Currently couples who claim Working Tax Credits must work 16 hours in total to qualify for it but in April this year, it increases to 24 hours with one of the couple working at least 16 of it.

I thought perhaps you were looking to reduce your hours, not just your wife, that's why I mentioned it but I must have misunderstood, sorry.

duncan32

No worries, thanks for the advice it looks like there's not a lot we can do other than try to increase my wife's hours somehow. Reducing my hours would be pretty problematic when the bills needed paying each month, though! :eek: Duncan

cosmic-dust

BigAunty wrote: »

If your employer will you work 16 hours a week (this changes to 24 for a couple in April), then model the reduced income on the Turn2us online benefit calculator to see if you can get any benefits.

You could also model it based on a National Minimum Wage job, and having another baby.

Do you have capital above 6k (savings, shares, ISAs?). Are you a home owner?

Love it. :T

Samsaragirl

cosmic-dust wrote: »

Love it. :T

Agree Cosmic dust

This type of thinking epitomises the thinking pattern of the drains on the economy. Have kids, pay for them yourselves- SIMPLES. Old fashioned way!

The OP earns a more than substantail wage.

What is this country coming to.

I actually come onto this board to be shocked, and I am, every time!!!!

Despair, despair, despair