HELP needed with the benifit system

whotton_2

right..hi there:)

im a 16year old single lad
living independently in my own flat due to a breakdown at home
im currently claiming for housing and tax benifit which totals at £75.60(which is paying for the flat)
and im also recieving £47.89 income support


basicly im very short of money latley and need to know is there any grants available to me?
or can i work certain hours on certain money without it affecting my benifits?


all help will be truely thanked for:A
xx

Oldernotwiser

Are you studying or are you disabled? Are there any other reasons why you're not looking for work? Although you're very young to be living independently, that shouldn't stop you from working. Don't become dependent on benefits at such a young age. Good luck.

Conor_3

whotton wrote: »

right..hi there:)

im a 16year old single lad
living independently in my own flat due to a breakdown at home
im currently claiming for housing and tax benifit which totals at £75.60(which is paying for the flat)
and im also recieving £47.89 income support


basicly im very short of money latley and need to know is there any grants available to me?
or can i work certain hours on certain money without it affecting my benifits?


all help will be truely thanked for:A
xx

You're not going to like what I say but...

The income support is for the basics - food, clothing, electricity etc. It is not for going out with your mates, putting credit on your phone, buying booze and fags or any of the other things you've developed a taste for having left home. You need to get real with what you're spending your money on. The amount you can earn before they take money off you is £5 a week.

If you're not in education, there's no reason why you can't get a fulltime job. Actually as all 16 year olds have now finished school this week, there's no reason you can't get a fulltime job for the summer if you're going back to education in September.

So in short, welcome to the real world. You need to do what the rest of us do which is get off your backside and go get a job to provide money to live on. There's plenty out there. Start with the temping agencies on factory work if you need work in a hurry.

Bunnie1982

Without knowing what your outgoings consist of I don't feel I'm in the position to comment about you being short of money.

Looking at what you are getting in benefits, you could probably earn more in a full time job.

If you are going to college in September you could get a job over the summer.

whotton_2

well.. thanks for all the replies but heres how it is..
as im currently in full time education untill the 26of june a full time job
is simply not applicable

there for im stuck in this loophole between my gcse's and work
im also going back into furhter education within the form of 6th form
however and may i emphasise on this

i do not drink smoke nor go out with my mates..
now that im in the real world its become quite isolated
there fore my outgoings are simply rent, service charges, food, and
travel to and from school for my revision sessions

so as you can see my only choice is to be dependent on the benifits i get =/

but anywhoo
thanks for the comments

everything has been taken into account
and thanks for the welcome into the 'real world'
but im afriad i had that welcome quite some time back now

skylight

You need to get yourself to Connexions and a young persons advisor at the job centre. They will tell you of you options available to you if/when you decide to go to sixth form (ie. EMA and will if affect income support etc and if EMA/School affects housing benefit etc.) You may find that you will be at school and working in the evenings too - bearing in mind the minimum wage for 16yo will barely cover everything anyway.


I do not envy you in the slightest - but the best of luck.

Nicifer_noonoo

whotton wrote: »

well.. thanks for all the replies but heres how it is..
as im currently in full time education untill the 26of june a full time job
is simply not applicable

How come? I was working full time whilst in full time University to pay my bills, until I was no longer able to due to pregnancy! I'm also in full time education until the 26th of June, and receive no benefits whatsoever - I'm 22.

skylight

Nicifer_noonoo wrote: »

How come?

Because he is 16. At 16 he is legally only allowed to work 2 hours per school day, 8hrs on a Saturday and 2 hours on a Sunday. So while he is still registered at school, he cannot work "properly" and any income from a Saturday job will affect his income support, probably his housing benefit and he would be in serious jepardy of losing his home (again).

He really needs to speak to an advisor who knows what they are talking about - it may be great to get a saturday job plus a paper round that combined would earn him more Income Support, but its the potential effect on his housing/council tax benefit.

And perhaps OP - you need to learn to budget better. If you find that this is all you have and work interferes, then you have no choice. If you need a hand, PM me.

Oldernotwiser

My understanding of what the OP is saying is that he's staying on in education, finishing school at the end of June and then going in to the 6th form.(Correct me if I'm wrong.) Any money he earns will affect his benefits and he can only work full time (OP, don't confuse full time work with permanent work) until term starts inSeptember.

I agree with the suggestion of looking at the old style board for budgeting tips but I also think that it would be a good idea for you to do some voluntary work in your chosen field in the meantime. You won't get any money for this but would hope to get your expenses paid, which might involve a bus pass if you're lucky. What it will do is occupy your time, make you less isolated and give you something to do which doesn't involve you spending any money. Voluntary work will look good on your CV and give you an advantage over your fellow students who'll be working in supermarkets etc to earn money. Many people can't do voluntary work as they have to be earning; as you can't really earn then you could make something positive out of this by gaining valuable experience.

Good luck; what will you be studying in the 6th form?

whotton_2

many thanks to those who replied to my last comment
i must say your comments were very productive
so thanks again.. 'Oldernotwiser ' made a very good point about this
voluntary work
it seems i am very isolated these days and i believe this is the best idea iver heard in a very long time
especially of the summer break when ill be totaly and utterly bored

fortunatly i have a connexions adviser one Alex Richers.. and she has recently helped me sort out my EMA forms and has advised i should get the full £30 and with any luck me and her will be able to squeeze a free bus pass out of the council due to my 'circumstances' however this may have to be paid for on a termly basis which is not too bad either..

it seems that today my future is looking alot brighter..
as im going to 6th form to do a btec course workin towards a diploma in sports 'performance and excellence' i believe that the local sports facilities are a good place to start whilst looking for volutary work

thankyou very much 'Oldernotwiser' and 'skylight'
you have been most helpfull
:)

Conor_3

Nothing to stop him getting a fulltime job from 26th June until beginning of September. Plenty of agency work about during this time.