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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To resign and claim benefits

83 replies

NearlySpring · 15/11/2011 16:42

Posting for my colleague here at work as I have no idea what advice to give her and Ive told her you're all very knowledeable. :)

She works with me, full time, claims tax credits, pays her own rent on her council house. She has a 8 yr old son and has a childminder for before and after school care.

She has lots of debt which she has managed to arrange payment plans for and is paying back. However, her finances don't work out for her. Even with tax credits help with childcare she is getting more and more overdrawn each month. She has no family to help and receives no child support for her child as her partner (son's father) died 6 mths ago :(

She has been looking for work for ages, either better hours so less childcare costs or same hours and more money. She has finally found a job that pays more, and been offered the job but it doesn't start til March. I suggested perhaps she resigns and claims benefits using the next few months to spend time with her son and have a break and relax (she's had a tough time due to the death of her partner). Plus looking online she is actually no worse off on income support (taking a break from her debt payback arrangements due to being out of work) than she is working full time, paying childcare etc. She's not been out of work before so it's not like she's workshy or anything.

AIBU to have suggested this to her? It's only for 4 months after all. Would she be able to claim inome support or jobseekers even though he resigned as she has a valid reason (childcare costs) to do so?

OP posts:

StrandedBear · 15/11/2011 16:53

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

dreamingbohemian · 15/11/2011 16:54

Obviously it's not a good idea if she actually can't get benefits. But I don't think you were BU to float the idea. People are being quite harsh here.

ShirleyKnot · 15/11/2011 16:55

It might be worth looking into whether she is due any top up payments for her bereavement, mind - I think the "widow" payment went out, but I'm not sure whether it's been replaced with something similar.

FellatioNelson · 15/11/2011 16:55

What kind of a job says you cannot start until March? That sounds peculiar.

ChristinedePizanne · 15/11/2011 16:56

Actually much better advice is for her to go and talk to the citizen's advice bureau who can help her manage her finances better, help agree debt repayment plans that she can afford and ensure she is getting all the benefits she is entitled to claim

Original poster

NearlySpring · 15/11/2011 16:56

To answer your questions, no, the debt wasn't all her fault, hard times before her partner died and a few bad financial choices made by him and in her name. I'll take back my advice and tell her to stick at our current job til the new one starts. As for "taxpayers money" she is and always has been a tax payer and I though that's what benefits were, short term helping hands in tough times.

I'm shocked at some people's attitudes on here!

OP posts:

HeresTheThingBooyhoo · 15/11/2011 16:58

"I'm shocked at some people's attitudes on here!"

me too.

ShirleyKnot · 15/11/2011 16:58

Agree wth Christine - get onto CAB for debt management help and they might be able to point her in the right direction for any further "top ups" of income she might be entitled.

I don't think you've been treated that harshly here though, gotta say - most responses have just been telling you that it was bad advice as she can't get benefits if she resigns!

VivaLeBeaver · 15/11/2011 16:58

Benefits would be there if she lost her job, was ill, etc. She's not exactly in tough times. Have you not seen the news lately and seen what a mess this country is in? Partly because there are so many people who decide its not worth working as they'd have as much money claiming benefits.

I'm suprised at your attitude.

GypsyMoth · 15/11/2011 16:59

She would still have to honour her payment plan debts too, being on benefits does not get you off the hook

Bogeyface · 15/11/2011 16:59

Fellatio, my friend had a job with local government like this. She was due to start before Xmas but they lost the funding and it got put back twice and in the end she started the following June/July, which was almost a year after she had applied. Alot of jobs dont start until the funding is in place, especially if it is a newly created position, thats why I said it would be a bad idea to give up the job she has, incase the funding never comes in or is delayed.

StepAwayFromTheEcclesCakes · 15/11/2011 17:01

apart from the likelihood that she wouldn't get benefits if she resigned, or not for a time after, what if the job fell through? and also jsa is not a doddle, you have to be available for work and demonstrate this every fortnight when you sign on so even though she had a job lined up she would still have to show she was looking so not really a viable option IMO. pehaps cutting hours a bit to cut back on cost of childcare might work out allowing her time with kids but she best off where she is. failing that can I have her job as I am looking since being made redundant

Bogeyface · 15/11/2011 17:01

Her best bet would be to renegotiate her debt repayments. Her childcare and bills etc must be paid, so the obvious thing to take another look at is her debts. CAB will definitely be able to help her with that, even if it is only for 6 months until she gets the better paid job.

HeresTheThingBooyhoo · 15/11/2011 17:02

if her son is 8 he will be at school 9-3. so childcare would be wraparound. what sort of care is he in? does he go to breakfast and afetrschool club or a CMer? also she would be getting a portion of that paid for as a single parent in receipt of working tax credit.

wannaBe · 15/11/2011 17:02

"In theory however, given her circumstances I would have no problem with her doing this. She has paid in far more than she would take out and has been working
hard to get a better job." This attitude sickens me. The tax system isn't a savings account you know, where you can dip in when you want to on the basis you have "paid in far more than you will take out," the welfare system is there for people who need to use it.

This woman has been through a hard time and I sympathize with that. However she has got herself into debt presumably through her own doing, and now she wants the taxpayer to pick up the slack because she fancies a bit of time off? Too bloody right she shouldn't be entitled to benefits.

Bogeyface · 15/11/2011 17:04

THe attitude that sickens me is that a woman who is already in debt and simply hasnt got enough coming in to pay her outgoings, alot of which werent even run up by her but by her dead partner, is being told that she is a lazy feckless scrounger!

The lack of compassion on here is breathtaking and disgusts me.

Bogeyface · 15/11/2011 17:05

Lets not forget, this isnt someone who cant be arsed, she is simply trying to find a way to survive until her new job starts that wont be getting her furthing into her over draft every month!

What do you suggest? That she and her child dont eat?

Sheesh............

Auntiestablishment · 15/11/2011 17:05

Can you (gently, tactfully) suggest she looks at her outgoings, if her finances aren't working?

The boards at fool.co.uk (am I allowed to post this?) are v good - Dealing with Debt in particular has some great posters who help people who go more and more overdrawn each month to turn that around - even when they think there is nothing more to cut; they might help her to make the sums work a bit better.

HeresTheThingBooyhoo · 15/11/2011 17:05

"is being told that she is a lazy feckless scrounger!"

who said that?

HeresTheThingBooyhoo · 15/11/2011 17:07

"What do you suggest? That she and her child dont eat?"

that she takes responsibility for the situation and gets advice about managing her debt rather than just letting someone else pay for it.

Auntiestablishment · 15/11/2011 17:11

Dealing with Debt board at Fool site.

pot39 · 15/11/2011 17:12

Don't do it.
Benefits are very hard to get, despite filling in endless forms and having less than the threshold savings I got nothing.
Also economy is fried and there aren't any jobs out there.
Sounds to me like she needs looking after, has she had compassionate leave, bereavement counselling etc.
The very last thing she needs is joblessness.

wannaBe · 15/11/2011 17:13

nobody said she was a scrounger.

But the system is not there for people who cannot manage their finances. There are government debt advisery lines for that.

The system is there for people who have unexpectedly found themselves out of work or who cannot work, not for people who are in work and want a couple of months off while they wait for their new job to come up.

Claiming benefits should never be something you can choose to do, and it frankly astounds me that anyone would even consider it possible that you could "quit her job and claim benefits."

Yes it is unfortunate that this poor woman has found herself in a lot of debt. But if she is in so much debt she cannot afford to eat then she needs to go down the IVA/bankrupcy route, because claiming benefits isn't going to resolve that, and frankly it is not the responsibility of the state to bale someone out of debt.

KatieMiddIeton · 15/11/2011 17:16

Gosh I sympathise (poor woman losing her partner) but yes the advice to resign is terrible and she won't be better off because she won't be entitled to benefits.

She needs to get some debt help quickly. CAB is a good place to start as is CCCS www.cccs.co.uk who are a charity.

And for anyone with children without life insurance this is why you need it.

MrBloomsNursery · 15/11/2011 17:23

I don't think you can claim benefits if you stop working through choice.

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