to think most part-time workers don't know what's about to hit them?! (Universal Credit)

[aufaniae]

Do you work part-time and get Working Tax Credit or Housing Benefit?

Did you know that once you're on Universal Credit, you'll be expected to attend the Job Centre to prove that you're looking for better paid work / more hours, in much the same way as unemployed people must prove they're looking for work.

If the Job Centre find an interview for you, you will have to attend (with 48 hours notice) even if it clashes with your paid work.

If you are offered a job with more hours, or better pay than your current one, you will be obliged to take it, even if you have good reason for not wanting to e.g. it's only a temporary post (whereas your current one is permanent) / has no training & worse prospects than your current job / makes picking your children up from school impossible / requires you to travel much further / has nothing to do with the career you're following.

If you don't attend the interview and/or take the job, your UC will be sanctioned, you will lose the UC for months or even years (depending on if it's your first infraction).

You will be forced to continue "upgrading" your job until you earn the equivalent of minimum wage for 35 hours a week.

I suspect there are lots of people (e.g. parents who work part time so they can pick their kids up from school) who will be affected by this, but don't realise it yet.

More info here

"Generally the childcare must be provided by someone who is registered for child care or an equivalent. Relevant childcare is not care provided by a close relative, wholly or mainly in your home or care you provide as a foster carer."

Hang on, does this mean that you will no longer be able to claim childcare costs for a registered nanny?

"if you worked mon, tues wed, thurs 6am-midday. thats 24 hours. but if dh starts work at 9.30am and leaves at say 9am. you would only need 3hrs childcare a day in holidays and none in school time. 12 hours childcare a week. "

I may have completely the wrong end of the stick but I thought that the problem was, in part, when couples had arrangements like this the pt worker could be forced to change their pt job with hours that fit in with cheap childcare into a better paid but more expensive (in terms of childcare costs) one. Anyway I think there are v few ft jobs that allow either a school pick up or drop off and v few pt jobs that fit in so conveniently with childcare and the other parents hours. Especially at the lower paid end of the spectrum.

monalisa - yes. if when you both work, you can work out costs for the year rather than just the weeks needed it will be easier.

suddenly paying out for 6 weeks holidays in august isnt any fun, but they come around every year so put it by each week.

yes £50 on childcare costs and £309 for the rest. £200 a month on childcare costs is what most people dream of

they are only estimates but i was just trying to show how it can be done.

alternatively. if one of you works evenings you will get more per hour as unsocialble hours and no childcare costs involved

Wow, I've just looked at the link. The amount I would get under UC is exactly equal to the amount I earn now working 35 hours a week!!! blimey and I am earning double the NMW. OK I pay a little into my pension and my salary is going up a little soon but I my flabber is truly gasted.

I presume the weekly amounts are money in your hand. What about taxation? So I could take a NMW job and still have the same money.

I might have read it wrong. Is the £311.55 weekly amounts or monthly I might need a lie down.

Dunno scrazy....that doesn't sound right does it .

Not really looked myself. ...must now check. I was on a good salary before stopping work and wasn't entitled to anything. Am definitely worse off financially and would have to work 30 hrs at NMW to be any better off according to the jobcentreplus man I spoke to.

It's also fairly common for mums and dads to 'box and cox' their annual leave when the children are small, to cut down childcare costs. When our two started school, dh and me used to only overlap a few days of our annual leave. Most of it we took separately, to maximise the time the children had at home, and to minimise holiday club costs. It wasn't ideal, we'd have preferred a fortnights break together, but IMO this is par for the course when you have children- you prioritise their needs and care and suck it up when things aren't as your ideally like. And frankly, it all paled into insignificance after several years of paying nursery costs, where I made no financial gain through working, and where it didn't matter when dh and me took our annual leave because nursery fees were payable 51 weeks a year whether the children went or not.

IMO if you only have to start thinking about childcare costs once your children are in school, you're relatively fortunate: it may be logistically tricky having to sort child minders and holiday play schemes (which only ever seem to start at about 9 am rather than the 8am time many of us working parents need!) BUT it is nothing like the financial burden of funding nursery care out of your wages.

Thats with Universal Credit!

Monthly - that element is the equivalent of JSA/IS etc. So a single person with no dependants will get £311.55 pcm for living expenses, although they may also receive a housing allowance.

Ahh right forevergeek i get it now. Makes it easier i guess.

it says weekly

But then theres the paying for that months childcare too. If our jobs dont allow time for school drop off and pick up :(

Jake, see if you can understand it better than me.

I've just emailed my local MP to confirm a few details. Hes very nice. I once emailed him about a problem i had with the Job Centre, when i complained the said to take it to my MP so i did.

He replied within 9 minutes of me sending the email and he replied whilst waiting to go into the house of commons.

Will see if he replies this time.

Oh its monthly. ..got all excited there for a moment .

So the £311 is on top of your 35 hours a week at NMW so a total of around £1230 after tax and also maybe help towards council tax.

It says that other benefits will reduce the UC pound for pound. DLA and CA are not treated that way but Child Benefit is on the list of benefits but no further comment is made. If CB is not disregarded as income the actual amount awarded could be substantially lower.
It also mentions Council Tax Benefit (by its new name which I can't remember) claimants will lose a further 20p for every pound awarded!

All figures on UC link are monthly. People will be paid monthly to try to get them in the habit of organising their finances for when they start work as they will be paid monthly salary when working. Some people will find it hard to budget and there are some plans to help those who need to develop their financial and budgeting skills. I think with monthly payments some people will struggle more than if paid fortnightly and get into more debt.

yes indeed. with 3 children of school age a student/ trainee nanny is probably best as you pay per hour and not per child.

price depends on where you live, but out of london maybe £8/9per hour gross would get you a student to cover after school for all three.

Forever- we are planning to start using a student for holiday care next summer, not so much financial reasons, but our two have reached that awkward age of not being old enough to be left alone, but not wanting play schemes. An hourly rate seems to be quite acceptable rather than payment per child, and definitely seems like a sensible option once you have several children

The childcare element is 70% but then you get extra tax credits that cover the other 30%

No its not included in the 26k cap as thats just for non working households.

ChestyLaRoux, both of these statements are untrue.
70 % IS the max you can get towards childcare
and
The benefits cap is for ANYONE claiming any benefit, working or not. It means that if you are on a benefit e.g tax credits, your tax credits will not push you over the 26 k limit.

Ifnownotwhen - I get all mine paid as 70% is child element then I get some in not childcare element so I dont pay anything myself.

The 26k cap is actually just for those working less than 16hrs/week.

Also you can claim over 10k in childcare if at max and with you wage,cb etc you will still have a substantial amount.