Personal Care Assistant job and pension question

Jjah

Hi all,

I hope someone can help with advice.

My dilemma is that I wish to take on work in order to qualify for a mortgage.

I currently have Carers Allowance and am not allowed to earn more than £123 a week as this is the earning threshold.

I have an opportunity to be a personal assistant for 15 hours a week for someone that I know personally.

I have not yet asked what the weekly rate is but I already know it would be at least 15p too much for Carers Allowance eligibility

15 hours at the national minimum wage of £8.21 is £123.15.

If some of that was paid into a pension, it wouldn't affect the threshold.

I had heard of automatic enrolment duty so looked up whether I would qualify but as I am over 22 (by quite a bit!) and would earn less than £192 a week, the pensions website said that it was not a requirement for the person that I would care for to arrange.

Is there any way around it?

Thanks

xylophone

Open a pension for yourself?

A stakeholder would suit a modest contribution.

https://www.cavendishonline.co.uk/stakeholder-pension

https://www.litrg.org.uk/latest-news/news/180205-any-questions-carers-allowance-%E2%80%93-can-making-pension-contributions-help-you

Dox

Jjah wrote: »

I currently have Carers Allowance and am not allowed to earn more than £123 a week as this is the earning threshold.
15 hours at the national minimum wage of £8.21 is £123.15.

If some of that was paid into a pension, it wouldn't affect the threshold.

If you mean that it wouldn't affect the threshold if the employer paid some of it into a pension, they can't do that without reducing your pay below national minimum wage.

80934

Would it be possible to do the job but take on less hours to ensure you fall below the maximum earnings limit? If the person is known to you then perhaps you could suggest this?

Jjah

Thank you for the clarification. :-)

_CC_

Your eligibility

You must earn no more than £123 a week after tax and expenses. Expenses can include:

• 50% of your pension contributions

[...]


https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/eligibility

Is the 15 hours per week is funded by the local authority? If so, I'd imagine employer contributions are not going to happen if you don't qualify given it would have to come out of the LA fund. Personal contributions may be the way to go.



Out of interest, what mortgage are you looking to get with such a low level of income? I can't imagine you would be able to obtain much.