better off working?

Yasha

hi everyone, im hoping someone would be able to let me know if id be better off working as im not so sure..
my husband works part time earning £144 a week. Full time wouldve been better but its all that was around and we didnt want to sit on benefits instead although now we do get 74 working tax credits a week. we also have child tax credits at 113 a week.
Now ive been offered a job at £150 a week on a self employed basis which i can work around my husbands shifts to save paying childcare for our two children.
so him working part time might be a good thing after all..
would we be better off though? our rent is 695 per month and i dont know what help we'd get with that..
i would ask at the jobcentre but theyve been extremely inaccurate in the past and you have to wait ages to get an appointment! also the entitled to website comes up with different figures every time i try it.
thanks people

karenx

How many hours does your husband work? Is it over 24? As one of you needs to be working over 24 hours to still get working tax credits
All income is taken into account for housing benefit and tax credits.

pmlindyloo

Why don't you model both of these scenanrios on the benefit checker at www.turn2us.org.uk

Alternatively, if you have a CAB near you they will do a Quick Benefit Check for both scenarios.

Yasha

the entitled to thing i mentioned is the turn to us site - i find it changes a lot and is not that accurate
i could try CAB but im pretty sure theyd just go on the turn to us site!
karenx, i thought it was the household that needs to be working over 24 hrs as its classed as a family unit not just one person in the family. He works around 24 hours though luckily! I would be doing 16 hours.

McKneff

What kind of job is the 'self employed' one you would be doing.
I find it odd that you can come up with a definite figure of £150.

Self employed peoples income usually fluctuates.

carebear13

one of you has to work at least 16hrs as part of a couple. hth

pmlindyloo

Yasha wrote: »

the entitled to thing i mentioned is the turn to us site - i find it changes a lot and is not that accurate
i could try CAB but im pretty sure theyd just go on the turn to us site!
karenx, i thought it was the household that needs to be working over 24 hrs as its classed as a family unit not just one person in the family. He works around 24 hours though luckily! I would be doing 16 hours.

Sorry if you found it inaccurate.

CAB have their own Benefit Calculator but to be honest I don't see how any of us can help any more accurately than the benefit calculators

If you do decide to use CAB then you will need the figures that you use on the turn2us site - P60, salary slips, childcare fees, rent/morgage, council tax etc

BigAunty

I'd say that there is a general consensus on this forum that the Turn2us online benefit calculator is highly accurate, though benefit changes due to changes in rules are frequent and it depends on the accuracy of the information entered (garbage in is garbage out).