working tax credits 2 jobs?

amyegg2k

since it hard to find a full time job, im considereing 2 part time jobs... im currently part time self employed with my own jewellery business, which is under 16 hours a week.. i get jsa, council tax paid and rent paid...rest of bills basically come out of my savings. .... there is a job advertised for 18 hours a week in my street, so i was considering applying, but would i get working tax credits since its 18hrs plus my self employed hours which is about 15.... i hardly earn anything from my jewellery business( jst started hoping to get busier once word gets around).. so (even tho both jobs add up to full time hours) my earning would basically be from the 18 hours job.. on min wage being about 110 a week... if i sign off jsa and live off 18 hrs a week it just cover my rent and nothing much left for bills.... if i know i would get tax credit ( online it works out about 52 a week, but putting all details it reduces housing allowance i get by half, as well as council tax, so the tax credits would bascially cover what i was getting in benefits before..............
ahh im confused help

zagfles

You should be better off overall, though maybe not much.

Note that if you claim WTC you would need to be able to show you're doing the hours you say you are - HMRC are clamping down on people who claim to be self-employed but earn next to nothing, since there are some people who pretend a hobby is a a self-employed job so they can claim WTC.

amyegg2k

my self employment business is already registered with inland revenue and i do a self assessment each year but im barely taking a grand a year in profit and wot is profit dont include money for labour.....if i work 15 hours a week on min wage its about 90quid.. im not earning 90quid each week for my jewellery, lucky if i make 9quid...so the proof is there that i do actually do that job.... then a part time one...but if its local as in my village with no travel expenses then its worth it, but if its in town thers an extra 100quid in travel to take on board...as above..15hrs min wage wouldnt even cover my travel expenses..... but workin tax creds i think worked out it would give me an extra 50 a week...so id basicallly be working for my tax credits..but would still have some rent to pay, council tax etc to come out of that....hence a part time job seems only beneficial if thers no travel expenses involved............ the government arent making it easy

lovetowinacar

amyegg2k wrote: »

my self employment business is already registered with inland revenue and i do a self assessment each year but im barely taking a grand a year in profit and wot is profit dont include money for labour.....if i work 15 hours a week on min wage its about 90quid.. im not earning 90quid each week for my jewellery, lucky if i make 9quid...so the proof is there that i do actually do that job.... then a part time one...but if its local as in my village with no travel expenses then its worth it, but if its in town thers an extra 100quid in travel to take on board...as above..15hrs min wage wouldnt even cover my travel expenses..... but workin tax creds i think worked out it would give me an extra 50 a week...so id basicallly be working for my tax credits..but would still have some rent to pay, council tax etc to come out of that....hence a part time job seems only beneficial if thers no travel expenses involved............ the government arent making it easy

You say you have done self assessment each year (implying at least a few years) yet continue in a business where you say you are lucky to make £9 for 15 hours a week work. The question is therefore why? Why not change try another business where you might stand a chance of earning more or work instead. There really appears to be no point in working 15 hours a week for £9 ish year in year out it.. is there some other business you can try? I notice earlier you also say you have just started your business - just as in a few self assessments would be 3 years? Time perhaps to see if the business is a goer or not?

The problem is that some people (many people?) have been playing the system for the last few years now saying they run a business which they slog over week in week out and produce little or no return for their labour however this opens the door to working tax credit (or did) and they can then avoid the need to look for work. The tax office wised up and realised this and so the changes are starting so that they expect the self employed to actually show some return for their labours or perhaps work elsewhere instead.

There has been many laughs about the avon lady who "works" a 16 hour or 30 hour week and returns a pittance but no matter since the WTC will top up her "income" and she can basically swan around doing little and avoid actually working.. therein lies the problem too many people were doing this and WTC benefits being paid to lots of people - cuts were needed and so (fairly or unfairly) the need to assume some return (minimum wage) for X hour working in self employment will follow... makes sense to the tax payer but feel sorry for the self employed business who are genuinely going through a hard time and income low for a period but have to stop the milking of WTC with "pretend hours and nil/low income" some how?

There are those that say "at least they are working" but are they really.... WTC at maximum rate or unemployment benefit or income support are all benefits at the end of the day.. and are some of them really working at their self employment for the 16 hours or the 30 hours that they say they are?

Finally (at last) to answer your question - take the job with 18 hours. Decide whether your self employment is something that might support you with your employment in the long term and if yes keep it going around employment if no look for something else either more employment or a new self employed venture that may reward you for your efforts. Good luck