What benefits can my mother claim?

xylophone

Here is some information about PoA in case you haven't yet come across it - https://www.gov.uk/power-of-attorney/overview

Given all the previous history, is she likely to allow you and your sister to activate the Property and Financial Affairs PoA immediately?

This would enable you to set up an account in her name and her salary could be paid into it and all essential DDs set up on it - you could create a SO to pay your mother's "pocket money" into a basic bank account which she could access.

marliepanda

over_flo wrote: »

I know a man who was a supply teacher and signed on every year on contribution based jobseekers from July - September
It always seemed a bit dodgy to me ,but he seemed to be within his rights
It may be possible and might be worth investigating.
In his case ,he was a homeowner and his wife worked ,but in your Mum's case she may be entitled to housing benefit too.

Its only in the last 2-3 years that theyve changed it so you can't.
One of my neighbours even used to do it in half terms and easter/christmas holidays.

You cant anymore. Theyve got wise to it.

PlanHappy

It is clear that your mother is already in debt to you - are you able to afford to pay her essential expenses over the August/September period?

Yes, if I have to, but it will all but decimate my fledgling wedding and rainy-day funds. (Ironic as it's traditional for the bride's parents to pay for the wedding, not plunder it!) The wedding isn't until 2018 though, and my partner and I are credit-worthy enough to get loans if we absolutely have to, so that's not the end of the world. As you might guess, part of the reason I am so invested in trying to ensure that she claims benefits is so that I don't have to fork out quite as much myself. I have done some vague maths and it looks like even if she claims UC, I will still have to bail her out - but with three-figure sums rather than four.

Thank you to the people who explained the difference between JSA and UC by the way - that makes it a lot clearer.

marliepanda

PlanHappy wrote: »

Yes, if I have to, but it will all but decimate my fledgling wedding and rainy-day funds. (Ironic as it's traditional for the bride's parents to pay for the wedding, not plunder it!) The wedding isn't until 2018 though, and my partner and I are credit-worthy enough to get loans if we absolutely have to, so that's not the end of the world. As you might guess, part of the reason I am so invested in trying to ensure that she claims benefits is so that I don't have to fork out quite as much myself. I have done some vague maths and it looks like even if she claims UC, I will still have to bail her out - but with three-figure sums rather than four.

Thank you to the people who explained the difference between JSA and UC by the way - that makes it a lot clearer.

What are you mothers bills for the next three months? Allow a bidget for food and tot up her rent, electricity whatever.

She has another 7 weeks of work after this half term. If she gets work everyday she should be earning over £500 gross (£475 is what an NQT would get for 5 days work, and I assume she isn't an NQT) £475 for an NQT wage works out at around £390 a week.

I know she may not get work everyday but she needs to take every single day offered to her, and hopefully she can earn enough to pay all her necessary bills for the next three months. She could possibly get £2800 if working everyday over the next 7 weeks (and itll be more than that, as she will be on a higher daily rate for sure if shes not an NQT)

She should be able to pay her own way. She's only going to be in a position of absolutely no possible work for 6 weeks.

missbiggles1

marliepanda wrote: »

Its only in the last 2-3 years that theyve changed it so you can't.
One of my neighbours even used to do it in half terms and easter/christmas holidays.

You cant anymore. Theyve got wise to it.

When I was a part time FE lecturer you used to be able to claim for individual days when you weren't working, based on a 6 day week! It wasn't even means tested, you could be doing a lot of quite well paid hours 3 days a week and still get Unemployment Benefit for the 3 days you weren't working!

PlanHappy

If she gets work everyday she should be earning over £500 gross (£475 is what an NQT would get for 5 days work, and I assume she isn't an NQT) £475 for an NQT wage works out at around £390 a week.

The reason I say around £500 is because she's now doing the same job temporarily that she will be getting permanently in September (she's been doing the same job for the last couple of months). I know that the permanent job is on an 80% basis, so I assume her current work is also 80%. I am hoping that I'll get up there and find she's earning more than that - she's been teaching for about 15 years - but until then I'm being prudent.

It's a sixth form college, so I think the break is a little longer than 6 weeks - my sister thinks it's closer to 8 - but again I will have to find that out.

I'm all for her putting money aside until the end of term to help tide her over in the summer. That will be a fundamental part of the plan. But by my reckoning, her essentials (rent/bills/council tax/food/dogs) will come out at somewhere close to £800 per month even after I get her to cancel her Sky subscription and start shopping at Lidl - so without any benefits, I don't think she will be able to put aside enough to cover that.

pmlindyloo

Your mother should put in a claim for JSA (if she has to apply for UC then she will be redirected)

As regards whether she will be eligible because of her supply teaching will be to do with whether there is (what is called) a recognisable cycle to her teaching and pay.

This is from the Decision Makers guide for JSA

Supply teachers are likely to be employed on intermittent contracts, each of varying
lengths and separated by periods of non-employment. Every case should be
considered on its own facts with a view to ascertaining whether or not a cycle exists.
Therefore although it is possible that a supply teacher has a recognizable cycle of
work, in practice, work as a supply teacher is unlikely to give rise to a cycle
.
1 R(JSA) 5/03

I do not know if UC uses the same 'formula'.

Since UC is not paid for some weeks then it is advisable to apply as soon as her current job ends.

If she has to apply for JSA because she is entitled to contribution based JSA (based on her NI contributions for the last two tax years) then she may have to make a separate claim for this rather than claim UC.

Whether she is eligible for contribution based JSA or UC then she will be eligible for housing benefit and council tax reduction whilst she is not working. This will be automatically sorted if claiming UC but she will need to make a separate claim (forms from the council)if she is awarded contribution based JSA.

I would agree with the advice about getting some help from CAB if things get complicated.

But your mum should just claim for JSA (google for how) and go from there.

It would be sensible to get together all your mum's pay slips for the last 6 months so that the 'powers that be' can work out whether she has a recognisable cycle.

PlanHappy

Thanks pmlindyloo - that's very helpful.

I know this is a stupid question but just so I'm clear:

Presumably, you're more likely to be eligible for JSA if you don't have a recognisable cycle of work?

If that's the case, I hope that her having this part-time job for what will have been a few months by the end of term won't end up disqualifying her, but it sounds like it might.

xylophone

Another thought - are you sure that your mother will not be paid up to 31 August?

I have just had a look at post 9 here

https://community.tes.com/threads/signing-on-for-the-summer-holiday.720025/

"If you are employed by a school on its payroll for a fixed term, they can only employ you from 1 Sept - 31 Dec, 1 Jan to 30 Apr and 1 May to 31 August, so only then will you get holiday pay."

Is your mother contracted to the College on this basis?

teddysmum

I seem to recall that a problem with signing on in the summer break was that knowing there was work from early September,made one ineligible for most jobs which were likely to require commitment beyond a few weeks.


Are there any 'cramming' colleges in the area (where children take extra holiday time tuition )?


I'm amazed that, under the circumstances, 'Mum' can cope with teaching,as the pressure has certainly increased in recent years, making even the most stoical glad to retire early.