AIBU for considering lying about working an extra hour so i can claim WTC?

[Lowla]

Name change as i don't want to be forever frowned upon on here...

Job hunting is not going well. Almost everything requires me to be fully flexible, which is just not feasable due to childcare issues. Either that or i need to be able to work at 6am in the morning or up until 8pm at night, again, not feasible for childcare reasons.

An employer has just got back to me regarding an old application i made to her for cleaning.

It's only 15 hours but is the same shifts each week, thus making childcare easier.

However, i won't be able to afford childcare unless i work at least 16 hours and get WTC.

If i work 15 hours, i'll still need to claim IS and pay for transport, childcare from my benefit - and also only be allowed to keep £20 of my wages. This would just about cover the transport.

AIBU to lie about working an extra hour (employer has said there's no option to get an extra hour in this role) until u can find another cleaning job for an hour a week?

I probably already know the answer. But i'm desperate.

*I not u

Yes, you already know the answer. It would be fraud and if tax credits ever checked and discovered you were lying, you would be in serious trouble

If you know the answer, I think that's all you need.

Hmm dont you need to put in wage slips to claim WTC? You could risk getting caught out and having too pay it all back!

Its frustrating. I guess you need to way up the benefits of working and not working or waiting for a job which has more hours.

Personally i would not lie but then again I am not very ballsy anyway!!

It's fraud. Could you not all the employer for one more hour ??

This is a total pain isn't it OP.

How can you find an extra hour? I don't understand this? Do you find jobs for yourself through an agency?

If you lie your income on your p60 won't tally with what you have claimed to earn though? Could you take a second cleaning job somewhere else to tip you over the 16 hours or sign up with an agency and just do one extra cleaning job a week?

ask the employer for an extra few mintues during your shifts so it adds up to 16 iyswim maybe she will be sympathetic, dont lie you will be found out ,

They only want your average weekly working hours. If you legimately do a few extra shifts or any overtime, then you average that out. So yes, if there is the genuine chance you'll do some extra work at some point, you can 'up' your weekly hours on your claim. (Used to work for them.)

If so couldn't a friend employ you for an hour IYSWIM? Do the work of course but not pay you? Hence 16 hours. Or could you give your friend the money to employ you waits to get flamed but really understands how frustrating this is.

If you get WTC though it rules you out of nearly everything else. For example I was not entitled to free school meal, any help with anything because I got an extra £50 a month made up of WTC.

It would be worth asking the employer about a lower hourly rate so that you could do 16 hes. As long as that doesn't make the hourly rate look ridiculous though.

You could become self employed and spend an hour a week doing avon or betterwear.

Sorry to be party pooper, but I thought the rules were changing regarding how manyhours you needed to work, and it was going up, to claim anything so 16 hours may not be enough anyway. (admit that I might be wrong but i thought it was one of the "cuts" being brought in)

The rules have already changed - it's 24 hours you need to work now to get WTC. It came in earlier this year.

It's only 24 hoursif you are part of a joint claim.
If you are ona single claim, it's still 16 hours

Of course lying to claim money is wrong- why do you even need to waste your time asking?

I think it's still 16 hours for single parents?

It's fraud, of course it's wrong.

just ask to work 16 hours, even if you are paid for 15, it will mean financially you are a lot better off.

I know it's wrong but i don't know what else i can do. I don't want to be unemployed forever. And the longer i'm unemployed, the harder it is to find a job.

I'm a lone parent so only have to work 16hrs to get WTC and childcare help.

I've asked the employer for an extra hour but she's said no. It's 15 hours or nothing. I also asked about staying on for an extra 10 minutes each shift she said no. And there's no overtime available either. It's just cleaning a factory Mon-Fri 12-3pm. So i'll need to use an after school club. Which i can't afford without WTC.

It's all really annoying and confusing and now i'm rambling.

There's already Avon, Betterware etc reps in my area (i get about 3 leaflets through my door each week), so don't think i'd get a position in this area and i don't drive.

My dad owns a business and i asked him to say i work for him an hour a week. He got a bit funny about it (doesn't understand benefits) and said no, it'll cost him money to put me on his books .

I think i'm just going to have to turn down this job and be unemployed forever then. Yey. Even the charity shop won't let me volunteer with them because i'm not flexible. It's a joke.

Could you set up as a freelance ironer or something? You'd only need to get to odd client for it to take you 52 hours a year. Then you'd have the WTC, the cash from ironing and not need any extra childcare cos you could do it in the evenings.

Sounds win win to me!

Do you have school age children and claim FSM? If you get WTC you'll lose FSM.