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AIBU?

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Original poster

Not benefit bashin but! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh

18 replies

Nuttyprofessor · 03/10/2012 10:07

Surely my work collegues are being slightly economical with the truth.

I work with three other ladies who all claim tax credits. They claim that they are not allowed to work over 24 hours. The result of this is that I have worked so many hours this week that I cannot stand up.

Am I being unreasonable to think that the worse that could happen is that they will earn their money instead of getting it for free.

These are able bodied people capable of working and in my opinion just making excuses.

OP posts:
LFCisTarkaDahl · 03/10/2012 10:09

Confused They are 'allowed' to work over 24 hours, it's just that 24 is the minimum to work to earn tax credits.

They may not get any more money if they worked more hours. Yes, on one hand that seems crazy but on the other maybe they have children they'd like to see more often/things to do.

Moominsarescary · 03/10/2012 10:11

Depends, it's ok if you can work extra hours every week guaranteed but if it's just occasionally you would end up loosing tax credit with no way of making it up iyswim

fuckadoodlepoopoo · 03/10/2012 10:16

Can someone explain this to me?

So if i started working i would need to work 24 hours a week to get tax credits or is that working tax credit? Is that just for single people?

And why wouldn't they earn more money if they worked more hours? Don't understand!

peanutMD · 03/10/2012 10:19

To get childcare element of tax credits,

A single parent must be working a minimum of 16 hours

both joint claimants must be working a minimum of 24 hours

PiousPrat · 03/10/2012 10:19

If you work more hours and earn more money, it is taken off your tax credit allowance. If you only do an extra hour here and there and it isn't guaranteed that you will always be able to do that, it isn't worth the hassle of all the changes to tax credits and working for free which means more time away from their kids and possibly more child care fees as well.

It may well be that those odd few extra hours would end up costing them money in childcare. I wouldn't want to work for free so I'd be buggered if I was going to pay for the privilege! That is probably what they mean by 'can't do more than 24 hours'

ginbob · 03/10/2012 10:20

ditto poodle i don't really get it either

Moominsarescary · 03/10/2012 10:20

When I was claiming tax credits the problem with the system was if you did over time and earnt more than you should you ended up owing them money so they would take it out of the next years tax credits and also drop them. Lots of people end up in debt this way and if you can't get regular over time you end up living on even less money.

FireOverBabylon · 03/10/2012 10:25

"maybe they have children they'd like to see more often/things to do"

sorry but Biscuit

I work FT, have a child and would love to see him more often / have things to do. how could this be given precidence over working and people get benfits in lieu of this?

MrsRajeshKoothrappali · 03/10/2012 10:28

That may just be an excuse not to do overtime.

If you're so exhausted from working extra hours you need to speak to your manager, it certainly doesn't sound fair.

sashh · 03/10/2012 10:31

If you work extra hours then you have to inform them of the change, it then takes weeks to process your new claim and decide if you are still entitled.

If you worked say 2 exta hours this wekk and one extra hour next week and then back to 24 that is three seperate claims, with three possibly different out comes.

While the claim is being processed your claim might be suspended, so working 2 extra hours for, say £14 might cost you £30 that week.

It's just easier to not do the overtime.

fuckadoodlepoopoo · 03/10/2012 10:36

sashh. Wow what a pain! Yeah not worth it for irregular hours.

How does the tax credit allowance work?

Original poster
Nuttyprofessor · 03/10/2012 10:40

Thanks for all of the replies. They do have DC's but do not pay for childcare. I have a DS age 11.

The hours are available on a permanent basis if they want them. The manager is trying to hire more staff because they don't.

I feel if there are 20 hours available and we did 4 each then no one would be majorly inconvenienced.

I could just say no like them but it seems unreasonable, I work in a place where people take their holidays and their holiday would be ruined if no one worked.

OP posts:
DelGirl · 03/10/2012 10:47

sorry but if that is what they were contracted to do originally then that is theirs and the bosses choice. When I was working, now sahm, I would have been worse off if i'd worked 21 hours than if I worked 16 which surely is a no brainer. Not necessarily the greatest system but still!!

Original poster
Nuttyprofessor · 03/10/2012 11:04

There are no contracted hours. As it is very seasonal. In the winter they will fight to have their 24 hours and other will not have enough hours. I have worked between 14 and 91 hours in a week.

OP posts:
susiegrapevine · 03/10/2012 11:07

Think the point is tax credits are a mystery and you don't know how they work or how they work them out so if you work more hours you don't know if at the end of the month you will end up with less money and by the time they work it out it will be too late! Its a crazy system! Me and dh earn bonus at our work so we try to estimate how much bonus we will get in a year so we don't have to ring them up every quarter its a pain! And a mine field! If you don't change anything at least you know how much money you have coming in each month well ok that's a pain too cos they pay you every 4 weeks so the date you get paid em changes all the time! Also annoying!

Your bosses should hire temps if no one is able to cover overtime don't feel its up to you to do it so people can go on holiday its there lookout to make sure its covered!

jellybeans · 03/10/2012 11:14

I don't blame them for not wanting to do the hours. Why work for free and miss time with their kids. I don't think parents should have to both work full time by default. Lots of people receive tax credits and don't work or have one work and one stay home or both part time etc. This is the system and it is recognised that the system may put off second earners/taking on more hours but the government felt that it was worth it to encourage lone earners/parents into work.

oldraver · 03/10/2012 13:34

As sash said, Tax Credits dont take into account very well, irregular hours. So if you phoned up and said you had worked 4 hours extra they would assume that was every week from now on and alter your Tax Credits accordingly. I can understand why some dont wnat to do this

OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos · 03/10/2012 13:47

It's not their fault, it's the bollocks tax credit system that is to blame.

Look at it from their POV. Why should they work more hours when they won't earn any more than they already get, they will be inconvenienced and they risk their claim being messed up by complicating it.

This is exactly why we need benefit reforms,

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