AET

Ginger70

Will a single childless person earning £955.00 per month working 18 hours a week and getting £440.00 UC towards housing costs be left alone by the work coach as they earn over the AET threshold?

huckster

If every monthly assessment period has earnings of over £952, then claim will be in light touch, so no Work Coach assigned the claim.

Ginger70

Thanks.
So she's right in saying that she'll get an income of £1395 a month from work and benefits and won't have to work any more hours unless the AET goes up (she's already cleared increasing her hours a little when this happens with her boss so she'll be just over the criteria again).
She's 53 and plans on doing this until she gets to state pension age - when her small state pension and pension credit top up will kick in.
Also has some clients lined up for a small side hustle which will be paid for in supermarket vouchers rather than money so as not to affect her benefit claim - this she says will mean she doesn't have to budget for food, household stuff and basic clothing each month.
She can't really do this with no questions asked can she?

NedS

Ginger70 said:

Also has some clients lined up for a small side hustle which will be paid for in supermarket vouchers rather than money so as not to affect her benefit claim - this she says will mean she doesn't have to budget for food, household stuff and basic clothing each month.
She can't really do this with no questions asked can she?

I think you may need to expand upon this as this potentially sounds like it may fall under deprivation of income rules and she could be treated as having the income which she has deprived herself of by choosing to take payment in vouchers and not declare it.

Yamor

NedS said:

Ginger70 said:

Also has some clients lined up for a small side hustle which will be paid for in supermarket vouchers rather than money so as not to affect her benefit claim - this she says will mean she doesn't have to budget for food, household stuff and basic clothing each month.
She can't really do this with no questions asked can she?

I think you may need to expand upon this as this potentially sounds like it may fall under deprivation of income rules and she could be treated as having the income which she has deprived herself of by choosing to take payment in vouchers and not declare it.

Even worse - it is actual income. See Reg. 57(4), and ADM at H4184.

TheShape

OP - If you believe that benefit fraud may be taking place, it can be reported here:

https://www.gov.uk/report-benefit-fraud