Working 16 hours affects?

smanty

I have been on income support for 4 years.

I have been offered a job with my sister but only part time 16 hours a week minimum wages.

I currently get income support with my wife

I get DLA middle rate care and my wife gets Carers Allowance with 2 child premium in it.

We also get full housing benefits (social housing 83 a week full rent which housing benefit covers) aswell council tax is 900 a year which council tax benefit paid for.

We do not get children in the income support hence we get child tax credit.

We do get child benefit for 2 child 5 years and 2 years.

My daughter does get free school meals as income support.

I am wondering if i do start work 16 hours a week. WHat will my exact beenfits be and income and entiltment.

I have seen welfare office but her figures is certianly not right. She said i will nto get any housing benefit (biut i believe that I will because of low income) Her figures does not add up at all.

We do nto have any savings or asset at all.

Can you help?

Much appreicated

Hapless_2

At 16 hrs you will probably lose your Income support and then have to claim WTC. That depends on who actually recieves the IS as if it is your wifes name, you can work up to 24 hrs.
If you go to your local jobcentre plus they can do the working out for you with up to date details.
Whether you recieve HB/CTB depends on how much you will earn and how much Tax Credits you can get.

smanty

Thank you so much

My wife currently gets the income support.

Will i be better off working 16 hours or 24 hours?

tilly's_mum

An advisor at the job centre should be able to give you the figures of how much tax credits etc you are entitled to for working 16 and 24 hours - also the inland revenue have a web site 'do i qualify?' http://www.taxcredits.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/Qualify/DIQHousehold.aspx - sorry don't know how to do clicky's!

You can ring the housing benefit office and ask whether you still can receive any housing and council tax benefits - when I rang them they needed to know how much tax credits I would get when I start work - then they worked it out while I was on the phone - I just said I was thinking about going back to work.

smanty

Any one out there who could work this out?

Thank you

damo73_2

smanty,
if your wife is the income support (IS) customer & your on as the partner you are allowed to work up to 24hrs & still be entitled to IS, housing & council tax benefit, free school meals perscriptions etc. your weekly earnings will be taken into account but IS allow a £10 disregard on what you earn. also don't earm more than your personnal allowence cause if you go over that your earnings will close you claim and they will be reviewed every 4-6 months. check your PA from the letters IS have sent.
as long as you don't do more than 23 hrs per week
hope this helps

Damo
IS Decision Marker

smanty

But how come welfare office said i am not entilted to income support.

lil_me

Damo, the amount allowed to keep is £20, was that a typing error?

Smanty, explain your wife is the claimant, not yourself, then go from there. Sometimes it is because the earnings are higher than your income support allowance. Would your wages for doing 16 hours be higher than what you are paid in actual income support? If it is then that is likely why the welfare officer has told you you wouldn't qualify.

If you are staying on income support (you don't have to once you work over 16 hours but can if still entitled to it) then you will be financially no better off working 24 hours if you still qualify for some income support. If you are intending to claim working tax credits then you will likely be better off working 24 hours or more.

smanty

You migth be wrong there?

If work more than 24 hours, I will have to pay more housing rent and council tax. hence i could be worse off. From what I believe minimum wage 16 hours that is the best position.

Is that correct?

lil_me

I said likely, not in every case. Unsure what the best position is for you as it all depends on circumstances, earnings, other income etc hence why it was suggested you used websites to help calculate.

I suppose what I should say, is you are better off earning as much as possible yourself and only using benefits to support that, but I know as do most people that if you are wanting to maximise income rather than pay your way (which is how 'benefits bashers' would put it) then sometimes earning less means you are entitled to more.

As an example, my own family would be better off 'financially' on income support, but that isn't how we choose to live, I wouldn't want to show my children that it is a way to live either.

smanty

I agree with you but one problem is i am profoundle deaf. It hard to get a job espically on the communication side. I have a NVQ 3 in a subject and I pass apprenticeship hence my wages did not go up. A lad who not qualified but was one year older than me ran same machine but he got a lot more than me.

I have been to university after got paid off from company, I attend Uni but unfortualy it did not match my ambitions. Then a job came up trainig to be a gas plumber, I pass everything and did not get job (British Gas). Disgraceful. From all my mates experience they are more likely to get part times job and more money combined with benefits. At the end of the day deaf people are unlikely to earn good money.

That is why I rather work 16 hours than working 40 hours scrapping in a factory with managers on your back consently! Why work a lot more and pay more tax when you can get little bit more for 16 hours? I am certainly not gong to do unskilled work where money is poor and my ambition is to be a plumber. Wat the point in doing something that you dont want to do and dont enjoy. In reality, money comes into a house no matter or what. Comparing to all those Chavs doing nothing but claming and sleeping around. THat is the different between myself as a registered disabled unemployed person when they can go out and do work where I must have tried 100 times in 5 years and still nothing. The Chavs sit on their bum and wont even make effort in job seeking.