Maximising income - Mystery Shopping? Surveys?

Becles

rachelja wrote:

I can't get past the section:
"The weekly rate is based on your average weekly earnings.

MA is paid at a standard rate or at a rate equal to 90% of your average gross weekly earnings. You will get whichever is the lower rate.

The standard rate is £108.85 from 10 April 2006. "


So this suggest it does not matter if I have an exemption cert or not. 90% of my earnings will always be lower than £108.85. When I got SMP that was the way it worked.

That applies to employees not self employed people.

If you are self employed you are assumed to have one of two weekly incomes, depending on if you have a certificate or not. See my post #2686 above which explains it.

Dormouse

Becles wrote:

If you are self employed you are assumed to have one of two weekly incomes, depending on if you have a certificate or not.

It is a bit silly just having the two income alternatives, but if it's going to work out in my favour, I'm not complaining!

System

Me again. Sorry back to MA......
Well, I've been having a good read on the links posted here (thanks!).

Can I ask if I've understood this right (finally!)

I earn about £40-60/week so was entitled to the exemption form - so I got it. Now that I am preg is it worth cancelling this and paying my contributions from November gone (due in Sept)?

From what has been posted and on HMR form it seems like the best option. Have I got it right? I can't get over that I will make more money when preg than when working?

Also has anyone sent in the claim form for MA? Do they ask what your average earnings are on the form?

Sorry for all the questions, want to make sure I've understood it right before I do anything.

Thanks a lot
Rachel

Becles

You'll need to work your dates out for this one. It's going to be tight!

You need 26 weeks of paid NI contributions when you are not covered by a certificate. If you post it back so they get it next week, they'll cancel it immediately and you can start paying the Class 2. If you can get 26 weeks in between now and baby's due date, you'll get the higher rate of £108.85

If you can't get the 26 certificate free weeks in, you'll only get the lower rate of £27 a week.

The claim form is available for download here:
www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/Customers/WorkingAgeBenefits/Dev_008115.xml.html

System

Thanks so much for your help Becles......I finally understand it now! You will have saved me lots of money you are a star!

Looking at the exemption form it says that you can cancel your certificate and "you can backdate payment of Class 2 National Insurance contributions to ensure you have a fully qualifying year for benefit and pension purposes". I think I will back date to nov just to be sure.

Thanks again

Rachel

scorpiolady

Hi everyone, iv'e just registered on this great site, could someone help me with a question please? i recently did a mystery shop and i was allowed to spend upto £40. The trouble is theres no-one to give the item i bought to, so i was wondering do any of you return the items for a refund or arn't we allowed to do that
thanks in advance
Sandra

Chas

There is no reason why you can't return the item for a refund but there are two possible problems:

1. The mystery shopping company usually need the original receipt so you might not have a receipt to take back to the shop (the shop might accept a photocopy though) - some shops won't give refunds without receipts & others give gift vouchers which may or may not be any use to you.

2. There are tax implications if you return the purchase & get a refund. If you do this then the amount paid out will become taxable as it's classed as income rather than expenses. (Only a problem if you are honest enough to tell the tax office though & by telling the tax office I mean including it as income when submitting your tax return, I don't mean ringing up & telling them!)

System

scorpiolady wrote:

i recently did a mystery shop and i was allowed to spend upto £40.
Sandra

Wow, that's a good amount they give you to spend. The most usually get is £1 to £4. Don't suppose you can say which firm it is? :rolleyes:

Dormouse

rachelja wrote:

Wow, that's a good amount they give you to spend. The most usually get is £1 to £4. Don't suppose you can say which firm it is? :rolleyes:

That's what I was thinking :rotfl:

DEBTFREEWANNABE_6

is it true that we have to pay tax on the wages we get from mysterry shopping