Not a clue...help please?

mrjis

Good morning all, thank you for reading this if you are, i appreciate it.

I am wanting some advice on where i stand in my situation.

I am currently not claiming any benefits at all, not a bean!.

I am currently living at home with my elderly parents after a divorce and I work part time in an office for maybe 10 hours a week at £6.50 per hour paid in cash.

Anyone know if I am entitle to anything? I know I could sign on but the hours suit at the minute as I am caring for my parents too.

They get certain benefits (i know there not the full you could get for incapacity) but they get the tax paid for my car I use to get them out and about, shopping etc.

Any help would be appreciated


Thanks

princessdon

All you can get is Job Seekers (but your wages would be deducted) and you would have to sign on.

Whose car is it?

Do you care for your parents or do they care for each other and you just help out with the things they need.

Jkstan

By far the easiest thing is simply to call the Jobcentre or CAB - they'll talk you through the whole thing. They'll do a benefits check for you - more reliable than asking here!

poppasmurf_bewdley

If you are paid in cash, then presumably you do not pay tax and national insurance, and will not have the required NI contributions to claim JSA.

If you are living in your parents home, then you have no living expenses to pay.

Far from being entitled to any benefits, you may find your parents will lose some by having you living there, if they receive Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit.

BigAunty

Are you doing the office work in a self-employed capacity and filling in tax returns?

Otherwise the £65 you earn in the black economy really compromises your ability to claim benefits (as you'd need to conceal your employers tax evasion and would then commit benefit fraud, too if you weren't honest about your income).

A single person without dependents or disabilities would only qualify for tax credits if they worked 30 hours a week - so no working tax credits.

You have no liability to pay rent where you are (you are not the tenant or if your folks own the house, you can't get HB when living in the same property as your landlord to whom you are closely related) so no Housing Benefit is due.

You have no liability to pay council tax so council tax discount is irrelevant.

If your parents are claiming means tested benefits like council tax discount, housing benefit, have they notified the relevant bodies that you are now living with them?

How old are they and are they claiming disability living allowance or attendance allowance? If so, you might be able to claim Carers Allowance for them (see the Direct Gov website about all these benefits).

What kind of care do they need that you need to look after them on a virtual full time basis - do you think they should have a social services assessment?

If you weren't working, you'd be getting JSA of a similar amount to what you are earning at the mo. Single people without disabilities or dependents don't get much in benefits at all - what do you think you could get?

mrjis

My parents do claim means tested benefits and they are aware i am living there and I am also registered with the Council as living there.

They dont care for each other as I do this, I guess the part time work I do will be the issue as it is not going through the books as such. it started out just helping a friend thats all.

problem with job seekers is that they would be on my back every other week trying to get me into jobs etc etc, which is great bu my circumstances at the minute dont allow me to go into full time work due to the care i am providing at home. I could not leave my parents all day while i go to work, plus then my income would affect there income with me living there.
I dont want them to get any less than they are already getting.

Will the job centre understand if i tell them i can only work a part time job due to my circumstances?

regards

PippaGirl_2

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

Far from being entitled to any benefits, you may find your parents will lose some by having you living there, if they receive Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit.

They assess the persons income and as it is £65 a week they would not reduce any benefits to the parents as that is slightly less than JSA where they don't.

But the other points made in other posts about the employer paying cash does pose a problem in that it may all be above board and all paperwork and wage slips compiled but if the employer is hiding and not being open about the employment they may end up in trouble. I would assume though unless said otherwise, all the books are completed properly.

BigAunty

mrjis wrote: »

...

Will the job centre understand if i tell them i can only work a part time job due to my circumstances?

..

But you won't get any JSA, or virtually next to no JSA, if you sign on and tell them you are currently earning £65 a week. You won't actually be any better off. They reduce means tested benefits for sums earned. Another MSE poster can tell you how they would treat you for this sum but I can see it wiping out, or virtually wiping out any JSA (plus as you say, you don't really want to comply with the basic requirements of receiving it anyway, I mean, you don't actually want to get another job on top, do you?)

The only way that I can see you becoming better off is if you work more hours and/or can claim Carers Allowance if you meet the criteria.

You are not due any kind of substantial top-up to your part time wages from any kind of benefit. There is no magic payment.

It's not even just that you work in the black economy, it's because the benefit system discourages paying single people without disabilities/dependents any kind of sum over the current JSA payment. They are expected to solve their low incomes through employment...Therefore the govt doesn't pay them to work part-time and won't top up their part time wages with any extra.

Part time workers (single without dependents/disabilties) who want more money have to work more hours. Only lone parents, those with disabilities and so on, can 'get away' with working part time and get working tax credits, etc, for working half the week.

By working cash in hand, you compromise contributions to your state pension.


Put your details in to the Turn2us online benefit checker and this will let you know your benefit entitlements (which

krisskross

If your parents receive DLA MRC or Attendance Allowance you could claim Carer's Allowance. This allows you to earn up to ~£100 a week as well.

shedboy94

poppasmurf_bewdley wrote: »

If you are paid in cash, then presumably you do not pay tax and national insurance, and will not have the required NI contributions to claim JSA.

You would not pay tax or NI on £65pw anyway. Cash in hand is not illegal as long as the employer is declaring it. As long as you get a payslip there are no issues.

Man_Overboard_2

shedboy94 wrote: »

You would not pay tax or NI on £65pw anyway. Cash in hand is not illegal as long as the employer is declaring it. As long as you get a payslip there are no issues.

Unless you can find out that you will gain a useful amount of money by becoming a 'claimant', I would simply count your blessings, and thank your lucky stars that you do not have to deal with the 'customer-facing' representatives of the Welfare State.

If your employer is not 'declaring' your wages, then they are presumably unable to set it against their tax liability, so neither of you is benefiting from operating within the 'black economy'...