Starting work after benefits

crescent678

I have been on esa and DLA for the past 3 years,I have come off esa and next week I become self employed walking dogs for various people in my area,I am charging £5 per hour and I will be working 30 hours per week,I want to know if I am entitled to any help as I stay in a council house and I won’t be able to afford full rent and council tax,am not sure how much help I will be able to get,

Many thanks for any info😀

TELLIT01

I understand that self-employed people are presumed to be earning minimum wage when benefit entitlement is calculated. That may have an effect on what you can get.

Darksparkle

That seems quite low an hour. How many dogs will you be walking? Dog walkers in my area charge around £10 per hour.

Mojisola

crescent678 wrote: »

next week I become self employed walking dogs for various people in my area

Have you got insurance to cover you in case of problems - either with the dogs or caused by the dogs you are walking?

As Darksparkle says - £5 is a very low charge - too low to make a living for yourself.

xylophone

I work 30 hours per week and I get minimum wage of £7.20 per hour,(£216 per week) I don't work most of the school holidays as my work is mostly food for school children,I have to take 7 weeks unpaid when schools is off,my £40 per week working tax credits has just been stopped,should I still be getting working tax credit as I am a widow of 56 year old

Are you replacing this job with self employment or will the self employment be in addition?

crescent678

xylophone wrote: »

Are you replacing this job with self employment or will the self employment be in addition?

I was on benefits and now I will be self employed

crescent678

Would I be able to claim working tax credits

xylophone

https://www.simplybusiness.co.uk/knowledge/articles/2017/02/guide-to-working-tax-credit-and-tax-benefits-from-the-self-employed/

may be worth a read.

sangie595

crescent678 wrote: »

I have been on esa and DLA for the past 3 years,I have come off esa and next week I become self employed walking dogs for various people in my area,I am charging £5 per hour and I will be working 30 hours per week,I want to know if I am entitled to any help as I stay in a council house and I won’t be able to afford full rent and council tax,am not sure how much help I will be able to get,

Many thanks for any info😀

I can't help with the benefits advice. But there are questions here that are relevant. How do you know you will be walking dogs 30 hours a week - that's a lot of hours. Are you insured - because no way am I letting you out with my dog unless you are. And possibly not even then. And dog walkers in my area (one of the cheapest areas to live in in the UK) cost more than that! What experience and qualifications do you have for managing dogs - it isn't simply a case of putting a lead on them!? Will you manage one at a time - or several? Can you mange several dogs that are strangers to each other at a time?

Dog walking is very hard - and very complex. Why do you think you can do it? Dogs are difficult. Often.

annandale

Did you get advice from the job centre about going self employed. There used to be a credit you could get for the first couple of months you were self employed.
You should have taken advice before you went self employed.
Depending on the area you are in it will either be wtc or universal credit you would claim.

At the very least get insurance for the dog walking.

seven-day-weekend

I think if your income is low enough you should be able to get help with your rent. But I also agree with others that you should be paying yourself minimum wage at the least.

I don't know anything about tax credits, sorry.