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DONT want UC, applying for a DRO.

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stu12345_2
stu12345_2 Posts: 1,576 Forumite
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edited 17 September 2023 at 9:31PM in Benefits & tax credits
this is an expansion of a post i made on a bankruptcy thread. Myself and wife are on a DMP , we work fulltime, we want to drop our hours to p/time at our work, we are exhausted, we would then get off the DMP and get a DRO, the problem is we may or  not have enough to live on,, plus do we have to apply for universal credit to get that tiny housing help part of it,, but we dont want to go fulltime for a min of 12 months until the DRO ends, but the job centre may force us to go back to and /or look for fulltime hours , the claimant commitment, ( how do we explain to the job centre we are on a  DRO and if you force us back to a fulltime jobs, from p/time, we end up paying £22,500 in debt we still owe!! ( note we have brought our debt down from £36,000 to £22,500, we still have 3 yrs to go on a DMP)( we wont make it, we are exhausted in our physical jobs, we are both 55) ( our jobs last  6hrs spread over 13 hrs a day, we work for same employer, same job, all we seem to do is work and sleep)
Christians Against Poverty solved my debt problem, when all other debt charities failed. Give them a call !! ( You don't have to be a Christian ! )

https://capuk.org/contact-us
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  • marcia_
    marcia_ Posts: 3,380 Forumite
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    edited 17 September 2023 at 2:25PM
    this is an expansion of a post i made on a bankruptcy thread. Myself and wife are on a DMP , we work fulltime, we want to drop our hours to p/time at our work, we are exhausted, we would then get off the DMP and get a DRO, the problem is we may or  not have enough to live on,, plus do we have to apply for universal credit to get that tiny housing help part of it,, but we dont want to go fulltime for a min of 12 months until the DRO ends, but the job centre may force us to go back to and /or look for fulltime hours , the claimant commitment, ( how do we explain to the job centre we are on a  DRO and if you force us back to a fulltime jobs, from p/time, we end up paying £22,500 in debt we still owe!! ( note we have brought our debt down from £36,000 to £22,500, we still have 3 yrs to go on a DMP)( we wont make it, we are exhausted in our physical jobs, we are both 55) ( our jobs last over 13 hrs a day, we work for same employer, same job, all we seem to do is work and sleep)
     The DWP are not going to be interested  in your DRO and reasons for not wanting to work full time. They will push you to earn more regardless and possibly punish if they feel you are deliberately not job searching 
  • stu12345_2
    stu12345_2 Posts: 1,576 Forumite
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    edited 17 September 2023 at 2:39PM
    marcia_ said:
    this is an expansion of a post i made on a bankruptcy thread. Myself and wife are on a DMP , we work fulltime, we want to drop our hours to p/time at our work, we are exhausted, we would then get off the DMP and get a DRO, the problem is we may or  not have enough to live on,, plus do we have to apply for universal credit to get that tiny housing help part of it,, but we dont want to go fulltime for a min of 12 months until the DRO ends, but the job centre may force us to go back to and /or look for fulltime hours , the claimant commitment, ( how do we explain to the job centre we are on a  DRO and if you force us back to a fulltime jobs, from p/time, we end up paying £22,500 in debt we still owe!! ( note we have brought our debt down from £36,000 to £22,500, we still have 3 yrs to go on a DMP)( we wont make it, we are exhausted in our physical jobs, we are both 55) ( our jobs last over 13 hrs a day, we work for same employer, same job, all we seem to do is work and sleep)
     The DWP are not going to be interested  in your DRO and reasons for not wanting to work full time. They will push you to earn more regardless and possibly punish if they feel you are deliberately not job searching 
    so how do i solve this problem? not claim UC?-- when i apply for a DRO, what it may  mean is we are in negative deficit, eg we are just a bit short of cash to live on  with our pt/time wages. could we not scrimp thro for 12 months whilst on a DRO??, maybe via foodbanks or living on pasta n rice as USA debt advice Dave Ramsey says 
      we dont want a DRO to fail , eg just as it is almost at the end, this would be a destroyer. by the job centre forcing us into fulltime jobs, we already have our health destroyed in our physical fulltime jobs.
    Christians Against Poverty solved my debt problem, when all other debt charities failed. Give them a call !! ( You don't have to be a Christian ! )

    https://capuk.org/contact-us
  • tomtom256
    tomtom256 Posts: 2,248 Forumite
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    Not really going to be able to solve it, unless you can go down the too sick to work route and get a fit note from your GP.
    In order to get UC you will need to meet certain requirements, one of which is to look for full time work, unless you are unfit for work, a carer or responsible for a young child, but even that last one is starting to change.
  • Grumpy_chap
    Grumpy_chap Posts: 18,173 Forumite
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    Will the Advisor for the DRO not expect the OP to do what they can to maximise their income?
    So, if not earned income but eligible for UC, would the Advisor expect the OP to apply for the benefits to which they are entitled?
  • Brie
    Brie Posts: 14,522 Ambassador
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    Will your current employer allow you to work part time?  If you are both working 13 hours a day is that 5 days a week?  And getting at least minimum wage for those hours?? 

    And I do think a DRO advisor will wonder why you aren't maximising your income if you can.  But no one expects you to become ill from overwork.  And DWP won't expect you to work 60 hours a week or whatever you're doing now.  

    Once you decide what you want to do you can always post your statement of accounts on the debt free board and see what suggestions can be made to help you cut down on your outgoings if that's going to make a DRO possible.  
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  • comeandgo
    comeandgo Posts: 5,930 Forumite
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    How many days a week do you work?  Can you reduce your hours but not down to part time.
  • stu12345_2
    stu12345_2 Posts: 1,576 Forumite
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    edited 17 September 2023 at 4:40PM
    Brie said:
    Will your current employer allow you to work part time?  If you are both working 13 hours a day is that 5 days a week?  And getting at least minimum wage for those hours?? 

    And I do think a DRO advisor will wonder why you aren't maximising your income if you can.  But no one expects you to become ill from overwork.  And DWP won't expect you to work 60 hours a week or whatever you're doing now.  

    Once you decide what you want to do you can always post your statement of accounts on the debt free board and see what suggestions can be made to help you cut down on your outgoings if that's going to make a DRO possible.  
    Brie said:
    Will your current employer allow you to work part time?  If you are both working 13 hours a day is that 5 days a week?  And getting at least minimum wage for those hours?? 

    And I do think a DRO advisor will wonder why you aren't maximising your income if you can.  But no one expects you to become ill from overwork.  And DWP won't expect you to work 60 hours a week or whatever you're doing now.  

    Once you decide what you want to do you can always post your statement of accounts on the debt free board and see what suggestions can be made to help you cut down on your outgoings if that's going to make a DRO possible.  
    we work 6 hrs a day each, but spread over 13 hrs  with times off  during the day, it destroys our sleep patterns and complete rest. I am thinking to jsut quit from work fully, claim cont jsa and housing benefit( does that mean cont jsa and UC as my housing benefit is now part of UC, could i / we be sanctioned, does a sanction mean no housing benefit part of a UC claim or is housing help, never sanctioned if you resign from work.or is just the cont jsa be sanctioned?
    surelt a DRO advisor cannot ask why you want to go from fulltime to pt/time? its my/our choice, as is the answer i got from national debt helpline, who said benefits dont have to be claimed in order to get a DRO.
     we are not ill enough to be on the sick perm, we are jsut depressed and exhausted, with very short tempers, i lost the plot with boss on monday, over a small thing like a glass of orange juice,  we have no union, i was offered some orange juice from the canteen staff for free,i was dehydrated, one canteen staff moaned, reported me and was disciplined for stealing free orange juice which i was offered!!!, my boss said " perhaps the job isnt for you" " there is water in the tap for free"   Ive been there 3 yrs !! I told my boss to take  f--k to themselves. I then said what is the notice period, or can i go pt/time, they said it is 4 weeks notice for either. This basically destroys the chance of a new job, as all the jobs i look for want me to start right away, they arent entertaining a 4 week wait !!
    my work mates all work pt/time, are older and so lazy. my boss says, they are older, they have been there for yrs, they earned the right to go slow.!!!!! they are allowed to   go slower than you.!!
    unbelieveable. I say, i said, sack them all. Im 55, they are 65, they should be retired, but the bosses cant force them, they are malingerers.
    Christians Against Poverty solved my debt problem, when all other debt charities failed. Give them a call !! ( You don't have to be a Christian ! )

    https://capuk.org/contact-us
  • marcia_
    marcia_ Posts: 3,380 Forumite
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    edited 17 September 2023 at 4:33PM
     If sanctioned you get nothing at all from uc for several weeks 
  • stu12345_2
    stu12345_2 Posts: 1,576 Forumite
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    edited 17 September 2023 at 4:33PM
    comeandgo said:
    How many days a week do you work?  Can you reduce your hours but not down to part time. 
    i work 30 hrs a week, over  5 days, spread 6 hrs a day over 13 hrs, the only offer is resign or work 15 hrs, that is the choice they offered
    Christians Against Poverty solved my debt problem, when all other debt charities failed. Give them a call !! ( You don't have to be a Christian ! )

    https://capuk.org/contact-us
  • theoretica
    theoretica Posts: 12,690 Forumite
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    Sounds like you would need to calculate your part time hours very carefully so you do have enough to live on.  Also seems like you might benefit from looking to change jobs - what are the advantages of the jobs you have?
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