what's the deal with 16 hours

[Violletta]

I know I'm privileged working full time and not on nmw and I am not benefit bashing as I don't think it's an easy life at all but....

why do people only work 16 hours? is this a benefit thing? if it is, who came up with 16 hours?

Some people work 'only' 16 hours because they don't get offered any more. Many employers don't offer full time hours anymore. And some work 'only' 16 hours, because they can. It's not always for benefits or tax credit rules and limits.

Are you jealous of people working part time @Violetta ?

I work 3 days a week, but I'm on quite a high salary, so get paid as much as some people I know who work 5 days, and I get quite a bit of free time. Don't claim a penny of tax credits, and never have. Never been in the position to need them, thankfully.

It really irks some people I know (who work full time,) that I work 3 days a week. That is why I wondered if you are jealous.

One thing that did surprise me by dropping hours is that due to the tax bands I took home more than I thought I would.

As PP have said, 16 hours is the minimum you have to work to be eligible for in work benefits like WTC and help with childcare fees.

In my case, I work 16 hours during school hours. I don't need childcare because of this and I get WTC. I am significantly better off than I would be on out of work benefits.

The system is very flawed but I honestly see no point in me working more hours, spending less time with my DS and having no more money to show for it at the end of the month.

I work 16 hours a week, my son is severely disabled, I’m on all the benefits going and even though the benefits cap doesn’t apply to me I’m still struggling, I have to top up my rent £250.00 a month (live in the south, private renting is horrific) I would seriously LOVE to work full time unfortunately I can’t, my sons attendance at school is 49%, the nearest SEN childminder is just over 30 miles away, nobody would employ me as I would have to take time off at short notice for his poor health. To be honest with you I mostly go to work to meet and chat to people, I earn a pittance (work in a cafe) life is horrifically lonely as a single parent with a disabled kid and those 16 hours spent out of the house every week saves my sanity. Before anybody judges me and says £250.00 a month for rent is nothing, I genuinely struggle to get that together every month!

I work for 19.5 hours a week but with unpaid over time the reality is more like 45/50 hours a week. A lot of people in my sector work part time in the vain hope of getting a better work life balance.

Phoenix1973 That is incorrect. 16 hours pw on NMW and you would be earning too much for JSA/ESA, although you might still get your component on ESA.
!6 hours minimum means a single parent or disabled worker can get working tax credit.
Doesn't matter how many hours you work for Housing Benefit. It is based on your income and there is a point where taking on more hours would mean your income increases to a point where you no longer qualify for Housing Benefit.

I have a feeling the 16hrs might be to do with NI contributions.

It isn’t necessarily true that you’re better off only working 16hrs because that maximises your benefits either. It might be for some people, but the ‘better off’ calculation will be different for different people.

If it’s still the same as it was 10 years ago, JSA starts to reduce once you earn £20 a week. It has nothing to do with hours. The 16 hrs was the amount of hrs permitted work you are allowed before you are deemed not to eligible at all because you are not spending enough time job hunting.

Housing benefit/council tax benefit has nothing to do with hours. It’s only income that is used for that.

Tax credits are where it gets complicated. Some groups need to be working at least 16 hours to qualify, for most it is 24 or 30. There’s a bonus 30hrs element for people working over 30hrs. Working tax credit starts to decrease after you hit the income threshold rather than with a set number of hours. It doesn’t decrease £ for £ though, so if you don’t end up with huge extra childcare costs then working more hours would mean you are better off. Especially if you hit 30hrs.

Sixteen hours is the minimum people can get away with working to net thousands a year in WTC and avoid the benefit caps.

It was one of the worst things to be introduced, huge waste of tax payers money and a whole generation of children growing up on benefits very likely to repeat the same pattern as their role models.

@oliveinacampervan
no, I'm happiest working full time, although maybe it would be nice not to have to do full days all the time, but it's a choice between working and paying the bills etc (as I said before, I don't think it's an easy life on benefits, from what I know - which is not much it seems really hard)

Yellow you are wrong it only applies to to lone parents for wtc purposes, others have to work 24 or 30 hour minimum.
You can do a quick google for correct info.
Also having kids and working 16 hours may ne the most some can do and they may also work hard in their family, with their caring responsibilities so i very much doubt that the children will see no work ethic.