Coming off benefits and starting work again...help plz

srichards

Hello,

Quickie background - Single parent to a 9yr old. worked as a specialist scientist for 5 years in the NHS, left due to bullying and Ive spent the last 6-9 months on Incapacity benefit.

Im starting a new job after this weekend in scientific sales and so naturally I will be coming off benefits.

What Im worried about is coming straight off HB/CTB etc before Ive been paid, thereby not having any money to pay the rent etc. It might be end of May I 1st get paid (10 days of pay) or end of June (full months pay).

When should I inform the council/DWP that I have started work? I dare not leave me and me laddo without any money.

Also, this job will well paid (plus other company benefits) but Im wondering if I still qualify for WFTC - one website says I do, another says I dont (salary will be 27k).

Thanks all x

Elle00

You need to contact the job centre asap. If you've claimed Incapacity Benefit, you should be entitled to a 4wk run on of both HB and IB.

You won't be entitled to WTC on that salary as an ongoing affair but it might be that they'll pay it for this year based on last year's income - you need to ask them directly.

Either way you will still receive Child Benefit and Child Tax Credits. I don't know about childcare assistance, maybe someone else does?


Good luck with the new job!

srichards

Thanks elle.

I dont understand the WTC bit, on the inland revenue site it goes on about if you have less than £66k income (or something like that) so I thought I might have got a bit.

I will all the DWP tomorrow, damn no its saturday, and I cant mon to weds as im training. Right I will call them Thursday when I get home from my training.

Many thanks

ikkle87

Hi there I would call your local job centre and at least advise them of the date you are due to start, http://direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/Employedorlookingforwork/DG_10018789

Take a look at this you might not have been aware of the job grant which is tax free:

The amount of Job Grant you will get depends on your circumstances:

• £100 for single people and couples and civil partnerships without children
• £250 for lone parents and couples and civil partnerships with children

Hope this helps a little and good luck with the new job

ikkle87

You may also find the calculator on HMRC site of help: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits/calculator.htm

kosma1

if you have been claiming IS as lone parent for over 26 weeks you will be entitled to a 250 job grant if you are going to work over 16 hours week and be employed for at least 5 weeks.

you need to phone DWP asap, as if yo receive payemtns to cover after you have started work it will be looked at as an overpayment, also, as soon as you tell them, they can sort out your job grant for 250 which may be very useful to keep you going.

you should also get a 4 week run on for housing benefit so that should also help

gl with the return to work

srichards

ikkle87 wrote: »

Hi there I would call your local job centre and at least advise them of the date you are due to start, http://direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTaxAndBenefits/BenefitsTaxCreditsAndOtherSupport/Employedorlookingforwork/DG_10018789

Take a look at this you might not have been aware of the job grant which is tax free:

The amount of Job Grant you will get depends on your circumstances:

• £100 for single people and couples and civil partnerships without children
• £250 for lone parents and couples and civil partnerships with children

Hope this helps a little and good luck with the new job

excellent stuff!

Yes I had seen the job grant thing last week, and so that £250 will be darn handy! Im told its an automatic payment. But I will mention it to them anyway.

srichards

kosma1 wrote: »

if you have been claiming IS as lone parent for over 26 weeks you will be entitled to a 250 job grant if you are going to work over 16 hours week and be employed for at least 5 weeks.

you need to phone DWP asap, as if yo receive payemtns to cover after you have started work it will be looked at as an overpayment, also, as soon as you tell them, they can sort out your job grant for 250 which may be very useful to keep you going.

you should also get a 4 week run on for housing benefit so that should also help

gl with the return to work

thanks

I wasnt claiming IS, it was Incapacity benefit. But it certainly was for over 26 weeks.

The HB is the one thing that was worrying me tbh

thank you, I wanted to apply for the extra 4 weeks but I was concerned Id be turned down beuase I wouldnt be on a low wage.

srichards

hmm Ive used the calculator thing and added in the pay I received over the last 12 months. I was employed up until Sept last year, but was off sik since last Feb, so in July my pay stopped and I got Incap ben. So I think my total income for last year was about £12k. And my WFTC stopped in july.

So based on that the calculator says I should get £6642 in WFTC.

So does tax credits work on what you earned the year before?

ikkle87

srichards wrote: »

hmm Ive used the calculator thing and added in the pay I received over the last 12 months. I was employed up until Sept last year, but was off sik since last Feb, so in July my pay stopped and I got Incap ben. So I think my total income for last year was about £12k. And my WFTC stopped in july.

So based on that the calculator says I should get £6642 in WFTC.

So does tax credits work on what you earned the year before?

According to the website yes:

''How tax credits payments work
The tax credits payments you receive are based on your current personal circumstances and your income from the tax year that ended on the 5 April 2008.''