I really need to up my income, surviving at the moment but I can’t afford to fill the oil tank and prices don’t seem to be coming down. I have a day off during the week as I work Sundays when the dc are with the ex. I thought the easiest thing would be to pick up some housekeeping work in a hotel but the sums don’t add up.
5 hours at 10 ph take away 20% tax is 40 then knock off £22 for UC taper then £10 quid for petrol, I’m rural so need to drive. It would leave me a whopping £8 quid a week better off. It costs £600 for half a tank. Of oil. Can’t work holidays as childcare costs would leave me worse off as I already claim max amount childcare costs in holidays due to normal job.
I think my only real option is to do something self employed and claim for any applicable expenses for bills/ space/ mileage etc. So they are being paid out of pre tax income.
Does anyone do this? Is it a pain? I understand there is a difference in allowable expenses for UC and HMRC. Are these listed anywhere? For example if I did self employed cleaning, Could I write off phone costs, business / car insurance, mileage like for HMRC or are the rules much stricter?
Childminding after school would be a more medium term option. Such a big part of my outgoings are fuel bills would a proportion of these be an allowable expense under UC?