Is Betterware a 'proper' job in the eyes of tax credits?

wannabehermit

Hi, I wasn't sure where best to post this, here or in employment or up your income so if this would be better elsewhere please could a mod move it, thanks.

Firstly my question isn't "how do I screw TCs for the most money with the least input?". Just want to make that clear before certain parts of the forum jump on me for it.

I'm currently working pt at a supermarket. Since starting my daughter has been ill quite regularly due to it being her first time in nursery, so in turn I've had a fair amount of time off work, it was the odd time that I was called away to collect her but recently I've had 2 weeks off in the last 6 and now she's ill again and I'm off again today and tomorrow at least. It doesn't look good to say the least.

I want to take her out of nursery until she's preschool age which is nearly 2 years away yet and last night I was running through a couple of options, 1. try to get 1 evening shift a week at the supermarket and then do 12hrs a week homeworking, or 2. hand in my notice and get 16hrs homeworking. I'm disciplined enough to make sure that I do the hours, but don't know if TCs will allow these types of jobs as I've heard that they're clamping down on people doing homeworking type jobs.

Any advice would be most appreciated, thank you.

HappyMJ

wannabehermit wrote: »

Hi, I wasn't sure where best to post this, here or in employment or up your income so if this would be better elsewhere please could a mod move it, thanks.

Firstly my question isn't "how do I screw TCs for the most money with the least input?". Just want to make that clear before certain parts of the forum jump on me for it.

I'm currently working pt at a supermarket. Since starting my daughter has been ill quite regularly due to it being her first time in nursery, so in turn I've had a fair amount of time off work, it was the odd time that I was called away to collect her but recently I've had 2 weeks off in the last 6 and now she's ill again and I'm off again today and tomorrow at least. It doesn't look good to say the least.

I want to take her out of nursery until she's preschool age which is nearly 2 years away yet and last night I was running through a couple of options, 1. try to get 1 evening shift a week at the supermarket and then do 12hrs a week homeworking, or 2. hand in my notice and get 16hrs homeworking. I'm disciplined enough to make sure that I do the hours, but don't know if TCs will allow these types of jobs as I've heard that they're clamping down on people doing homeworking type jobs.

Any advice would be most appreciated, thank you.

Technically yes tax credits do not ask if it is a very profitable business or not. The business can even make a loss and also be counted to increase your tax credits.

They are and do clamp down but what that means is you must actually be doing the work rather than claiming it took you 16 hours to deliver 100 leaflets/booklets and only had one order from it....and you continue to do that every week just to get your hours over the magic figure required. You must try and do something which appears your turnover at least is somewhere near minimum wage. Your expenses can reduce your profit to nil......but it's not a rule...it's just a guideline.

karenx

Do you think you will make the same as working 16 hours???

wannabehermit

karenx wrote: »

Do you think you will make the same as working 16 hours???

Financially? No way!

BUT this week for example, DD can't go to nursery for at least 2 days, that's cost me over £60 in nursery fees, the DS's are already booked into after school club which I can only cancel if they are ill and off school, so there's another £30 spent on unneeded childcare, plus on top of that there are my lost wages, so these 2 days of her being off sick are costing me over £150. I'm not going to be making a £150 loss a week that's for sure. Plus 2 weeks ago she was off with chicken pox - 3 days nursery fees, 3 days school holiday club plus 3 days lost wages = over £300 down that week. I can't afford to keep working outside of the home as long as she's constantly picking up illness after illness at nursery.

It's making me look unreliable at work. My personnel manager doesn't like me anyway so this is making my time at work very awkward indeed. My attendance record recently is making it such that I'm pretty close to a disciplinary over my time off. One more day after this week and my percentage probably will be such that I do get a disciplinary.

Homeworking would mean that I wouldn't need to worry about time off to look after sick children. If one of them was ill, then I could make up lost hours over the rest of the week, again something I can't do in a job such as I have atm.

It's not the financial side of things that I'm looking at, it's the legalities I guess. I WANT to work, I don't like not working and until DD is a little bit older it looks like homeworking is my only option.

HappyMJ

wannabehermit wrote: »

Financially? No way!

It's not the financial side of things that I'm looking at, it's the legalities I guess. I WANT to work, I don't like not working and until DD is a little bit older it looks like homeworking is my only option.

But it is the financial side that you are looking at here or you wouldn't be asking the question. How old is your DD? Can you claim Income Support instead of Working Tax Credits?

Homeworking is not the only option. It (especially Betterware and similar) takes a lot of effort with very little return. You need to keep accurate records and as you are claiming tax credits you need to keep an accurate diary of the time spent on the business trying to earn a decent living. Showing you have a low turnover with a high number of hours is not going to look good.

MissMoneypenny

HappyMJ wrote: »

Showing you have a low turnover with a high number of hours is not going to look good.

And as part of the "being fairer to taxpayers" this is going to be stopped under the new welfare reforms.

Consultations suggest that under that, claimants will have to take home at least national minimuim wage for the hours they will be required to work, or will have to regularly show that they are looking for paid work just as job seekers are required to now.

Why not just claim Income Support as you have a child under school age?

wannabehermit

She is 16 months. I'm married so wouldn't be entitled to IS. DH works full time on a very low wage. Personal reasons mean I won't work evenings. I could make a lot of money waitressing, meaning I wouldn't need to claim TCs, plus wouldn't need to worry about childcare so much, but I'm not prepared to sacrifice my family to make a bit of money. There are lots of people who won't agree with that and would say tough, you have to sacrifice something. I am sacrificing something - a job that I like in an industry I like to be able to be at home and have time with the family.

I guess I just don't know what else is out there. All my qualifications and experience is in the tourism/hospitality/catering industry and once the children are older the plan is to have our own business in that field, but in the meantime I want something that fits in with family life. A supermarket seemed the ideal option, but I wasn't counting on DD being so ill at nursery. I've never looked outside of an industry other than tourism etc so am pretty clueless as to what is about. Betterware etc seemed to be the best bet for flexibilty, but I'm open to suggestions.

karenx

I think betterware and avon etc are best done as a sideline to another job, not using it as your only job. Can you really see yourself doing it for 16 hours per week? Especially the first few months where you might not get meny orders. You cant honestly think you can deliver catalogues for 16 hours??

Dunroamin

wannabehermit wrote: »

She is 16 months. I'm married so wouldn't be entitled to IS. DH works full time on a very low wage. Personal reasons mean I won't work evenings. I could make a lot of money waitressing, meaning I wouldn't need to claim TCs, plus wouldn't need to worry about childcare so much, but I'm not prepared to sacrifice my family to make a bit of money. There are lots of people who won't agree with that and would say tough, you have to sacrifice something. I am sacrificing something - a job that I like in an industry I like to be able to be at home and have time with the family. .

But you'd be at home with your family all day if you switched to doing a couple of evenings waitressing. In addition, surely Betterware/Avon would be evening work as wel, at least in part?

shedboy94

wannabehermit wrote: »

She is 16 months. I'm married so wouldn't be entitled to IS. DH works full time on a very low wage. Personal reasons mean I won't work evenings. I could make a lot of money waitressing, meaning I wouldn't need to claim TCs, plus wouldn't need to worry about childcare so much, but I'm not prepared to sacrifice my family to make a bit of money. There are lots of people who won't agree with that and would say tough, you have to sacrifice something. I am sacrificing something - a job that I like in an industry I like to be able to be at home and have time with the family.

I guess I just don't know what else is out there. All my qualifications and experience is in the tourism/hospitality/catering industry and once the children are older the plan is to have our own business in that field, but in the meantime I want something that fits in with family life. A supermarket seemed the ideal option, but I wasn't counting on DD being so ill at nursery. I've never looked outside of an industry other than tourism etc so am pretty clueless as to what is about. Betterware etc seemed to be the best bet for flexibilty, but I'm open to suggestions.

You say you are working pt in a supermarket and you husband is working ft on a low wage. Presumably you are already claiming tc's so I don't understand your earlier statements about losing £150 and £300 in wages and ccc.....

So as opposed to taking work that would make you money, you would rather not and take benefits instead..........and we wonder why there is a problem..".....

HappyMJ

wannabehermit wrote: »

She is 16 months. I'm married so wouldn't be entitled to IS. DH works full time on a very low wage. Personal reasons mean I won't work evenings. I could make a lot of money waitressing, meaning I wouldn't need to claim TCs, plus wouldn't need to worry about childcare so much, but I'm not prepared to sacrifice my family to make a bit of money. There are lots of people who won't agree with that and would say tough, you have to sacrifice something. I am sacrificing something - a job that I like in an industry I like to be able to be at home and have time with the family.

I guess I just don't know what else is out there. All my qualifications and experience is in the tourism/hospitality/catering industry and once the children are older the plan is to have our own business in that field, but in the meantime I want something that fits in with family life. A supermarket seemed the ideal option, but I wasn't counting on DD being so ill at nursery. I've never looked outside of an industry other than tourism etc so am pretty clueless as to what is about. Betterware etc seemed to be the best bet for flexibilty, but I'm open to suggestions.

Now you have completely lost me. You can choose not to work at all and still get tax credits as your husband works FT. You don't need to do 16 hours you can choose to do 4 hours if you so desire and it makes zero difference to your tax credit claim. If this is for the child care component then pull your child out of childcare and look after her yourself as you say you would rather spend time with her than away from her. The benefits system allows that and you can do a few hours walking the streets delivering Betterware for £2 profit a week if you wish.