Universal Credit - Do I have to keep jobsearching after getting work?

matthewcl375

So I called them today and they said that because I'm contracted for a minimum 12 hours a week on the new job the rest of the time will need to be spent getting more hours or looking for other work to make up that time.

It doesn't make much sense to me, how can I spend 23 hours a week trying to get more hours? I don't want to find another part time job because my hours at this one are all over the place so it would complicate things more. I just don't understand what they want me to put in my job search history. Also I've already been booked in for 32.75 hours for my first week at work, which is almost full time anyway, but obviously this will fluctuate.

Can anyone illuminate me on how this works?

elsien

I'd suggest they're wanting you to make up the difference between the work hours you do and full time.
So if most weeks you get lots of overtime it won't be an issue because you'll be doing enough hours that it'll mean minimise any benefits you're getting so they won't be on your back about it. Obviously if you get only 12 hours most weeks then you're going to need to look for either a second job or a different one that gives you more.

matthewcl375

True, but even if I only did 12 hours each week (very unlikely) I'd still be making more than universal credit pays me, so not sure why they're bothered

jessex1990

If you are only contracted for 12 hours then you will still be entitled to payment from UC. In return for that payment they want you to do job-searching.

You can't live on 12 hours a week and benefits are there to help you get full time employment. That is what your claimant commitment is working towards. I know you aren't thinking about it right now but whilst on UC you are getting your national insurance contributions paid (and thus pension entitlement!) working part time doesn't.

Basically what they want you to do is take a second part time job with a guaranteed x amount of hours (set days and time frames). Tell the boss at the 12 hour job with overtime that you are unavailable on those set days and times due to an second job. (or vice versa if the pub job has set basic days and times which don't change). Pick up overtime shifts as and when you have space to make your hours up to full time.

Hope this helps.

32 hours in your first week is good! I hope it keeps up. All you will need to do is spend an hour a day logging into jobmatch and searching for jobs (and appplying for ones)

matthewcl375

I completely get what you're saying, but I'm living with my parents, I don't need a certain amount to live on currently. Also are you sure I would still get a universal credit weekly payment if I was making above £57 (what I get a week currently) from this job? I haven't seen any sources that suggest this

jessex1990

matthewcl375 wrote: »

I completely get what you're saying, but I'm living with my parents, I don't need a certain amount to live on currently. Also are you sure I would still get a universal credit weekly payment if I was making above £57 (what I get a week currently) from this job? I haven't seen any sources that suggest this

You should still be getting some payment yea, maybe not but should be something and UC will be paying your national insurance contributions into your pension.

matthewcl375

Correct me if this is wrong, but from what I've read you lose 63p of Universal Credit for every £1 earned from employment, meaning if I work even 15 hours a week for a month at £7.80 per hour that would be £468 per month. If you times that by 0.63 I would lose £294.84 of universal credit. I'm only entitled to £251.77 per month anyway (due to not caring for any dependents etc.), which means I would receive no universal credit payment. Does this sound right?

If that's the case I really question the point of staying on UC after starting work...

matthewcl375

This is the Job Centre verdict, just putting this here in case it helps anyone else:

My local Job Centre were saying at first if you did 33 hours a week first week you should do 2 hours job searching. Once I explained that I'd looked at the calculation process and calculated that I wouldn't even receive any Universal Credit once I was working even if I only did 15 hours a week they said we wouldn't expect you to be in work, not receiving universal credit and still job searching, so basically because I would be earning enough to not receive UC I shouldn't worry about job searching and should focus on my job, and then if it does turn out I'm only working 10 hours each week or something at my next interview they would get me to start looking for other work too.

jessex1990

matthewcl375 wrote: »

This is the Job Centre verdict, just putting this here in case it helps anyone else:

My local Job Centre were saying at first if you did 33 hours a week first week you should do 2 hours job searching. Once I explained that I'd looked at the calculation process and calculated that I wouldn't even receive any Universal Credit once I was working even if I only did 15 hours a week they said we wouldn't expect you to be in work, not receiving universal credit and still job searching, so basically because I would be earning enough to not receive UC I shouldn't worry about job searching and should focus on my job, and then if it does turn out I'm only working 10 hours each week or something at my next interview they would get me to start looking for other work too.

OK well that sounds good! Get them to update your claimant commitment to reflect the discussion you had just in case you're regular adviser isn't available one week and the replacement gets a bit funny about it. This would protect you against being sanctioned by them which will deny you a payment for weeks you would have been eligible for it