How would my GF's mum's benefits be affected should I move in with them?

gazza1988

Sorry for the title I really had no idea what to put

First off a bit of background:

I work 17.5- 35 hours a week (well I am contracted to 17.5 or 15 after deduction of mandatory breaks) I am currently staying on a work mates sofa.

I have been seeing this girl for about a year and we get on extremely well we've decided we'd like to live together for a while and asked her mum if we could stay with her (with my random hours I want to wait for something more full time before committing to a house/flat. She has 2 young boys.

Her mum is on JSA and looking for work and she is on income support. etc.

Her mum wants to know if her benefits will likely be affected. Mainly her JSA. I understand council tax benefit and housing benefit will be cut and I have no issue paying up my share of that.

It's a council house in her mums name. I'm incredibly confused by everything, I used the MSE benefits calculator but I don't know what to put in for my work hours because it changes from week to week (I've been there a year in 2 weeks and I have always done more than my contracted hours)

bloolagoon

gazza1988 wrote: »

Sorry for the title I really had no idea what to put

First off a bit of background:

I work 17.5- 35 hours a week (well I am contracted to 17.5 or 15 after deduction of mandatory breaks) I am currently staying on a work mates sofa.

I have been seeing this girl for about a year and we get on extremely well we've decided we'd like to live together for a while and asked her mum if we could stay with her (with my random hours I want to wait for something more full time before committing to a house/flat. She has 2 young boys.

Her mum is on JSA and looking for work and she is on income support. etc.

Her mum wants to know if her benefits will likely be affected. Mainly her JSA. I understand council tax benefit and housing benefit will be cut and I have no issue paying up my share of that.

It's a council house in her mums name. I'm incredibly confused by everything, I used the MSE benefits calculator but I don't know what to put in for my work hours because it changes from week to week (I've been there a year in 2 weeks and I have always done more than my contracted hours)

It's your girlfriends income support and tax credits you need to be more worried about

gazza1988

How so? I'm aware that it would mean losing benefits but I'd much rather work for my money. Her mum is just worried that her entitlement to JSA will be affected.

It will be a trial mainly but because I will be staying there full time it'd have to be declared. I'm not interested in committing fraud. I won't be allowed there if it means her mum losing out and having to rely on us for handouts. Especially if 1 month my pay isn't as good and we struggle.

If it was up to me I'd work 40+ hours at £15p/h but life doesn't always work that way

Topcat1982

The mum's JSA would not be affected.

GF would lose income support and her child tax credits would be affected

gazza1988

Excellent.

I was aware IS and child tax would be affected. I did a calculation using the calculator and it said we may be entitled to working tax credits and a drop in child tax credits. Obviously Housing benefit has dropped and so does council tax benefit. However the drop would easily be covered by my basic hours taking into account food/bills etc.

I'm not sure who receives the council tax and housing benefit because they don't actually get the money it goes straight to the council.

This is where it gets confusing, Who needs to be told what and by whom?

BigAunty

gazza1988 wrote: »

I did a calculation using the calculator and it said we may be entitled to working tax credits and a drop in child tax credits.

Are you likely to be working at least 24 hours per week over the course of the year? A couple with children are required to work this, with one adult working at least 16 hours of it, in order to qualify for WTC.

gazza1988

Most weeks I will do however not every week. How is it all worked out? Is it average hours worked during a month or a year or week?

I get to choose my overtime hours (out of a folder) which can range from 6am-10pm in 4 hour "slots" and I can do 2 4 hour slots to make an 8 hour shift or I can ask to do 6 hours which 99 times out of 100 is ok. Thats 7 days a week as well (well Sunday trading times lower the time window for sunday)

I've spoken to my manager about it this morning and has said if I go ahead with moving in with her he may be able to increase my contracted hours.

I do have 1 more question. On a Fridays, for example, I do 8am-5pm which is 9 hours. I am only paid for 7.5 of them. Which do I use to calculate for the minimum 24 hours?

merlin68

she needs to get permission from the council and your girlfriend needs to declare you living with her.The non dependent deduction for rent and council tax will be at least £20 a week.

gazza1988

They are a bit hesitant to increase because during slow periods then can save money by decreasing the amount of overtime available. But then in his next breath said they'd see what I can do to increase my hours anyway.

So this week I will have done 21.5 hours (because of a problem at my end) and last week I did 28.5 and 27 the week before.

You see I don't know what to say when asked how many hours I work in a week because it varies. At Christmas I did 42. I don't want to declare I'm doing x amount and then be accused of fraud because they seen my p60 and very actually done an average of 1 hour less.

Before I got this job I was on JSA and to me it felt more like they were more interested in trying to "trip" me up rather than helping me. I still maintain that I got this job "despite" the job centre and not "because" of the job centre.

bloolagoon

gazza1988 wrote: »

They are a bit hesitant to increase because during slow periods then can save money by decreasing the amount of overtime available. But then in his next breath said they'd see what I can do to increase my hours anyway.

So this week I will have done 21.5 hours (because of a problem at my end) and last week I did 28.5 and 27 the week before.

You see I don't know what to say when asked how many hours I work in a week because it varies. At Christmas I did 42. I don't want to declare I'm doing x amount and then be accused of fraud because they seen my p60 and very actually done an average of 1 hour less.

Before I got this job I was on JSA and to me it felt more like they were more interested in trying to "trip" me up rather than helping me. I still maintain that I got this job "despite" the job centre and not "because" of the job centre.

Your gf could also work the other 8 hours a week it doesn't have to just be you.

gazza1988

That is an option that I keep forgetting. I'll put it to her.