Anyone else afraid of doing overtime because of effects on benefits?

chocdonuty

Am I missing something here? Surely the solution, which causes you absolutely no hassle whatsoever, is to permanently work the extra hours and not claim any benefits?!

Easier said than done!
There are no more hours at work available apart from holiday/sickness cover, usually at nightime as everyone hates those shifts! I do ask regulary though.
If I do more hours then who would look after my daughter? Childcare in this town is quite honestly crap. None of them cover weekends/evenings/which is where the overtime generally is and I don't know of any all day places, if they did they would cost a bomb!
My parents live in the next town and I don't have a car to get there plus they have their own jobs.
Her dad lives four hours away so he will see her in the hols for a week but thats it, oh and the £5 a week maintenance doesn't go far.
Shall I work more hours and end up worse off due to childcare costs or should I leave her on her own while I work?
To be perfectly honest until DD is capable of being left on her own I will continue working the hours I do until I feel she is responsible enough.
I just wish I could do overtime without the whole messing about with the council and not knowing what my incomings/outgoings are!

interstellaflyer

skintandscared wrote: »

Am I missing something here? Surely the solution, which causes you absolutely no hassle whatsoever, is to permanently work the extra hours and not claim any benefits?!

The biggest problem is that the amount extra you earn is often less than you loose in benefits, for example, our joint income for 2010-2011 went £60 over the threshold for a tax credits NHS exemption card for free eye tests, glasses, dental treatment and prescriptions, that meant that earning £60 more has cost us £200 in dental treatment and £30 a month in prescriptions so that's was us £560 out of pocket if I was due an eye test and possibly new glasses then for earning that extra £60 then amount out of pocket would probably be nearer £800. Unfortunately, when you are on a low income, you are not always better off unless you can significantly increase your wage, an extra 7 hours a week ain't gonna do that.

chris1973

At the place I work, nobody is considered to be doing 'overtime' unless they work more than 39 hours per week. Are you sure this is considered 'overtime' and not simply additional hours paid at your normal hourly rate?. Obviously if you are paid double time, it will have more of an effect than your normal rate.

interstellaflyer

chris1973 wrote: »

At the place I work, nobody is considered to be doing 'overtime' unless they work more than 39 hours per week. Are you sure this is considered 'overtime' and not simply additional hours paid at your normal hourly rate?. Obviously if you are paid double time, it will have more of an effect than your normal rate.

I think you will find that the OP is confusing extra hours with overtime, but this thread isn't really about whether it's overtime or additional hours.

skintandscared_2

Yes, you are not supposed to get "overtime" rates until you have worked the same amount of hours as a full-timer. Otherwise, you could work, say, 3 days a week, do 2 days on "overtime" and earn more than someone who does a normal 5 day week.

freddiesmum09

chocdonuty wrote: »

Don't get me wrong, If I can do overtime to help out I will but the concequences are just a huge pain in the backside!
Just to note, this is for housing benefit, the tax credits I have no problems with whatsoever and I work 17hrs a week contracted and on the odd occasion up to 24 but have stopped this now, it hasn't best pleased the boss but It's caused me so much hassle it's not worth it.

I have previously taken every payslip to the council office for them to calculate my new benefit which takes usually anywhere from 20 mins to an hour, not including waiting time.
If I've done overtime then they class it as an overpayment and calculate the next payment on the hours done in the previous month so... If I do say 100 hrs one month (just for ease of calculations) I will get benefit as if I was getting 100hrs pay the next month even if I only get say 50hrs pay, which leaves me short, then the next month, they recalculate it again.

Any overpayment they claw back and currently I have 4 repayments, one of them was because some daft sod calculated my pay as monthly not 4 weekly and screwed everything up.:mad:
When I worked things out I was no better off working extra anyway as benefits basically dropped as much as my wages rose so didn't see the point of doing more.
I have no idea how they work things out, it just seems a messed up system and the sooner I can do full time work the better but at the moment I can't due to childcare being almost non existant for my daughters age (9) plus no more permanant hours are available at my place of work.

grrr, rant over!
but is anyone elses local council this difficult and love the paperwork so much?

Feel like I had to reply after reading some of the negative comments people have posted.

Firstly, I really do sympathise with your situation, won't go into too much detail, but myself and my partner were in that boat not so long ago and it was hellish.... but have luckily managed to escape the benefit system all together as to be honest I find it easier actually working than having to make claims for different things.. claiming benefits is a full time job in itself and such a faff and its 10x easier not having to make any claims and spend my life sitting on hold to the dwp/tax creds/housing ben offices.

I find the housing benefit thing ridiculous and it also put my OH off working any extra hours as it would simply mean less housing benefit and more work for us have to go into town, pay for parking, spend an hour with wage slips etc to prove our income... now we are out of the system he can do night shifts, extra hours and on calls (and I can too) and it has no negative impact on our finances, which I believe is how it should be! Working needs to be rewarded.

Where I work I am contracted to do 12hours a week. Full time hours would be 39hrs per week. Anything I do over my 12 hours is classed as "overtime" within the company I work for (a major supermarket) - I don't get anything extra for these hours which is fair as it would mean I could benefit from being a part timer doing overtime day in day out meaning the company having to shell out more for me than a full timer, as well as it being unfair on the full timers.

As for your boss..if he hasn't got enough members of staff to cover sickness/holiday then he probably needs to look at hiring a new member of staff or better still, give someone like you more permenant hours. It is not your fault if he is badly managing the place and there arent enough people wanting/available to cover the extra hours needed. If your contract states you are to work 17hours pw, then that is all you are meant to be doing, any overtime you choose to take on is doing them a huge favour!

The childcare situation in this country is insane and was the reason I avoided the work place for 3yrs after my son was born for which I feel no guilt for..it was what worked for us at the time, and I feel no guilt about having to take anything from the system, the system is there to protect those that fall under hard times.

I have only chosen to go back now as my son is starting pre-school in september (along with the fact I have a very generous dad that encouraged me to get back into work and agreed that he would mind my son in school hols).. I felt like it was time go back for my sanity, and to just get a break from being at home 24/7. It for me makes me appreciate the time I do have with DS 10x more than I did before.

You are clearly doing your best as a single working mother and I really respect that. The system isnt perfect and it really is depressing, especially when you feel like you are working your a** off for nothing.. Please ignore peoples remarks about 24hours not being full time, it isnt in my opinion at all relevant to the point you are trying to convey. I really respect that you are working at all, its quite easy in your situation to sit back and not bother, especially when there is no financial gain for working, but I hope work is of some use to you (I love meeting new people and also getting a break from the full time role of being a mum so hope this is similar for you!)

I remember reading a quote that said "a mothers place is in the wrong"
and it is so true in this situation. People are going to critisize you for whatever you do because in their eyes you are 'scrounging'.. I believe in your circumstances you are doing what is best for you and your little girl, please don't let anyone tell you the 'right' thing for you to do as only you know that. Can't imagine how hard it is as a single working Mum, you are doing well and I am sorry the benefit system doesnt like to reflect and reward that

bestpud

I know what you mean, OP.

When I was claiming housing benefit I did an extra shift one week and it took FOUR weeks to sort out! If you are like me and stress about things like that then it does put you off doing the extra hours. It's not about having the money as such but not knowing how much you need to pay and having it hanging over your head.

Luckily my employer was happy for me to swap shifts or have time off in lieu of extra shifts, so I could at least help out when they were desperate. I couldn't take more hours on permanently at the time for various reasons.

Wrong attitude it may be but it's a reality for many I guess.