working and benefits

[babybambi2011]

hia.
im desperate to get back to work. i love being at home with lily but im starting to go insane!

i was wondering if anyone knew about working and benefits?

is there anyway i could go to work part time and still keep my benefits ie housing benefit n coucil tax benefit.

thanks

 

[Ginger84]

I think if your on a low income you can still claim those, so unless you go back to work full time and earn a decent wage you can still claim them. I dont claim those benefits but i have looked into it recently for when i go back to work and at 20hrs per week (low wage), i think i could still claim those, plus tax credits and child tax credits to help cover the costs of childcare whilst im working.

Hopefully someone here who is claiming might be able to help you more

 

[Kacie]

If you work under 16 hours a week then you are still entitled to everything and basically all of your wages (except £5) gets taken from your income support... i.e. making work a completely pointless task!!

If you work over 16 hours I think you become entitled to working tax credit and that usually works out higher than what you would be getting on benefits alone. Housing benefit and council tax is income assessed so as long as you are earning under a certain amount they will pay some (or all of it) but working tax and child tax credit usually bumps you up enough, although i guess it depends on childcare costs too.

(My mum works for CAB and they reccommend a website call turn2us.org the are confidential and can give you more accurate figures )
xxx

 

[purpledahlia]

Yep what Kacie said!

You as a single parent will still be entitled to some HB and CTB, but how much will depend on your Income. WTC is counted as taxable Income i think aswell.

Do-able, but part time would be financially better for you unless you have someone to watch LO for free !

 

[babybambi2011]

thanks ladies, no i dont have anyone to watch lily while im at work so i will have to get her into childcare, but i was thinking i might go back to college and to an access to higher education course. i was told that the jobcentre will help toward childcare costs while im at college, and it gets me out of the house and i can get back to uni in a few years.... i think im going to do that, but need to make an appointment with someone at the surestart centre who can tell me more about work/college on benefits.