More money working part time than full time? Am I going mad?

Cuchimealla

Hi my partner is a grafter and has always always worked. However he has never earns an awful lot, last year 23k before deductions self employed window fitter. We has 2 boys 3 and nearly 2.
I have been on entitledto .co uk to see what we could get if I worked part time and he stayed at home with the boys. Working it out I am better off part time earning just £160 per week than if my partner works (extremely hard 7-7 most days) yet bringing home less than £400 per week. I want to work part time while setting up my beauty business and building clientele. I need to buy stock first though and we actually could afford to save for it if I worked part time and he gives up his full time job.
It's utter madness. Any body else experience this please?

Thanks

Confused.

tinkledom

Cuchimealla wrote: »

Hi my partner is a grafter and has always always worked. However he has never earns an awful lot, last year 23k before deductions self employed window fitter. We has 2 boys 3 and nearly 2.
I have been on entitledto .co uk to see what we could get if I worked part time and he stayed at home with the boys. Working it out I am better off part time earning just £160 per week than if my partner works (extremely hard 7-7 most days) yet bringing home less than £400 per week. I want to work part time while setting up my beauty business and building clientele. I need to buy stock first though and we actually could afford to save for it if I worked part time and he gives up his full time job.
It's utter madness. Any body else experience this please?

Thanks

Confused.

It doesn't surprise in the slightest.


I did that sort of calculation myself a few years ago after I retired at 60 and wanted to do some consultancy work.


With what it would cost me, the hours I would put in, the loss of benefits, I would just about break even after working 16 hours+ a week.


I saw the light and started to take instead of pay, compensating me for the tax & NIC paid during the past 44 years instead!

kez1234

how are you better off when he earns 23k? your figures do not add up at all

kez1234

also if your partner/husband gives up work he will have to give a reason and then if his reason is enough which i doubt saying he gave it up because you want to work part time and claim benfits because you would get more is not reason enough, he would then have to jsa they could also make him work for nothing but benefits so no you wouldn't be better off at all

airliner

Better off calculations can turn out that way.... if that answers your question.

Are you looking for someone to confirm if the calculation is correct?

double_mummy

kez1234 wrote: »

how are you better off when he earns 23k? your figures do not add up at all

possibly taking into account things like housing benefit, council tax benefit, tax credits, child benefit

so rent would be pretty much paid almost all council tax paid chb for 2 kids about 140 a month (but possibly already gets this) child tax credits could possibly rise by quite a lot

so income would drop from 1700 odd to 700 but they could have more disposable money by not having to pay much rent or council tax and the additional tax credits also things like free nursery places for the 2 year old, free prescriptions possibly reduced fees if OP needed to take a course to set up her new business with

OP also doesnt say if there is a child with a disability so getting PIP or DLA or carers allowance or how this is broken down so it could be all wrong as well

hubby could also possibly get income support

three is also the steadiness of being employed compared to being self employed obviously the 1700 figure would drop if the OPs hubby wasnt earning 400 every week of the year -- also the 23k was before deductions

so yes it is highly possible that financially they would be better off with OP working part time and hubby being a SAHD

sniggings

Cuchimealla wrote: »

Hi my partner is a grafter and has always always worked. However he has never earns an awful lot, last year 23k before deductions self employed window fitter. We has 2 boys 3 and nearly 2.
I have been on entitledto .co uk to see what we could get if I worked part time and he stayed at home with the boys. Working it out I am better off part time earning just £160 per week than if my partner works (extremely hard 7-7 most days) yet bringing home less than £400 per week. I want to work part time while setting up my beauty business and building clientele. I need to buy stock first though and we actually could afford to save for it if I worked part time and he gives up his full time job.
It's utter madness. Any body else experience this please?

Thanks

Confused.

sorry but if your partner works 7-7 most days as a window fitter and only brings home £400 a week he's forgetting to charge...sorry if that sounds rude but something sounds wrong here, he is either not working the hours you say or not charging the correct fee for his work as that's not much more than min wage for a 5 day week but if he's working 6 days it's less than min wage.

tinkledom

double_mummy wrote: »

possibly taking into account things like housing benefit, council tax benefit, tax credits, child benefit

so rent would be pretty much paid almost all council tax paid chb for 2 kids about 140 a month (but possibly already gets this) child tax credits could possibly rise by quite a lot

so income would drop from 1700 odd to 700 but they could have more disposable money by not having to pay much rent or council tax and the additional tax credits also things like free nursery places for the 2 year old, free prescriptions possibly reduced fees if OP needed to take a course to set up her new business with

OP also doesnt say if there is a child with a disability so getting PIP or DLA or carers allowance or how this is broken down so it could be all wrong as well

hubby could also possibly get income support

three is also the steadiness of being employed compared to being self employed obviously the 1700 figure would drop if the OPs hubby wasnt earning 400 every week of the year -- also the 23k was before deductions

so yes it is highly possible that financially they would be better off with OP working part time and hubby being a SAHD

For us (just the two of us) on benefits taking into account all of our income, we get well over £600 a week. Working, would see no increase in that figure unless the salary was well over £60,000 a year.

Indie_Kid

double_mummy wrote: »

hubby could also possibly get income support

On what grounds? The OP would be earning too much anyway.

vinster549

THIS IS CUCHIMEALLA I CANNOT ACCESS MY ACCOUNT SO AM REPLYING TO YOU ALL HERE.

My partner works self employed for a window company. They get paid per window and door etc so very hit and miss.
He earns £23k BEFORE deduction which is a take home pay averages £360 but that is an average and he sometimes only brings home £245' sometimes even £180 when they !!!! his wages up!
No children with disabilities, no child care.
With that wage of his we would have to pay about £60 rent and full council tax.
Our rent is £118 per week and we are council tax band C. Our house is housing association.
I have worked it out on me working 25 hours per week for £160.
What I came up with was that he would have to bring home after deductions each week about £550-600 to equal the part time pay and benefits.
We are not happy about this at all. But ATM he works 7-7 in all weathers, catches every cold and infection going (unpaid sick leave) already has a bad back and is as miserable as hell. He's a great dad and wants to spend more time with his children and I would like to work to relieve the pressure for him and give him the chance to be with his children. It wouldn't be long before I would be back in the beauty work, adding to my income and reducing the benefits. We just need to be sure before he gives it up.
So his last years income was £23 before deductions and this year looks to be even less at £20k.

We would really appreciate any advice here on my calculations please.

MrsE_2

Before he gives his job up have you thought how you would be affected should this particular benefit be tightened up like the others?
It may not be financially advantageous for one person in a couple to work part time, rather than you both work full time.