Full time or part time and benefits?

[DancingintheDark17]

I'm currently a working full time single mum, thinking about positively of changing to part time.

I love my work, decent salary, good hours = no paid child care needed, lots of paper work done at home when DS in bed. Being committed 5 days is really taking its toll on priorities, my son and work are always sorted, which leaves me running around with every spare minute trying to clean. Having the extra days at home would creat a perfect balance, but knowing the drop in wages it was only ever a dream.

However my friend recently explained how she's retuning part time after maternity leave, as she will be entitled to x, y, z and when added together is nearly a full time wage.

If I made the change it would permanent, and to move back I would need to reapply.

Any advice? Experience?

Neither do I, but it depends on how you got rich.

the richest person - Musk - on earth more or less deserves his wealth, imho. That the numerical value of it is just fantasy based on how the stock market works makes it rather nonsensical. But he’s genuinely been a serial entrepreneur, who has maximised his ops and a few slightly iffy deals aside, he’s done it fairly cleanly. I don’t think he’s been a rentier parasite.

however, someone who exploits the way the way the banking system works in terms of how money is created and uses that to hoover up properties is not to be admired in my book. When they then look down on folk saying ‘work harder blah blah blah’ when they are simply a product of their time of birth and done nothing more than using leverage in a crude manner to acquire one asset class, I think they should be the real tax target. Alongside big businesses who pay peanuts and let the state through things like UC top up employee wages to enrich shareholders.

I’m no Saint, I hold shares in plenty of companies like that in index funds. But yeah, we largely agree.

This has all been covered in the thread indeed.

@SwanBuster agree with you

@Babyroobs of the top of my head I am unable to recall theyre exact name, but there's quite a few, all aimed at low income families. They cover things like food over holidays ( but can still access an establishment that will provide the meal), or if child isn't at school you get a grant to for that and food payments, clothing grants, winter heating assistance, a Scottish one for children under 6.. the list goes on tbh.. like I said some of these are weekly, others at set times of the year, however they are all additional benefits/ support

It wasn't comparing as such it was more a realisation that the money she receives would likely be enough to cover the bills/ payments that I need covered.
I'm fully aware there are restrictions etc, thats is why I would do the correct amount of hours to qualify, as it wouldn't be worth my while droopy any hours unless I got the extra help

Not everyone on Uc will get these though. You would have to be on a very low income to access these. I think maybe you are referring to free school meals and the pupil premium and uniform grants but a household would need less than around 7k to qualify for these I think? Even to get free prescriptions and dental care etc on UC there has to be earnings of less than £935 a month with kids.

@Babyroobs well I wasn't expecting it to be a free for all to get, and there are restrictions, however these are all available funds or grants. My friends did state exactly what one she would qualify for, simply that the money would help her In one way or another

OP hasn't got a secondary school age child though, she has a preschooler.

No one is under the impression that you can stay on UC forever. My DS is nearly 9, I'm fully aware that I will need to start looking at full time when he's in secondary school. I'm fine with that, because by then he'll be old enough to not need to go to childcare and he can walk to and from school himself. The reason I'm part time now is due to lack of childcare.

That's not my argument anywhere on this thread.

I don't get any of that for DS and I'm on minimum wage and benefits. Those things are for very very low income families, usually those with parents who don't/can't work at all.

I earn more than that and I get free prescriptions and dental care, I'm on the old tax credits though so maybe it's different.

@Waxonwaxoff0 same. I earn just over £900 pm and don't get any of those extra benefits. They only thing I get is discount on council tax for single occupancy - none of the grants, child payments, uniform grants, holiday funds etc. you need to be on full benefits for that. I'd actually be better off not working when you take all that in to account and then add on work costs. It's no fun surviving of top up benefits such as in wok UC or tax credits. I imagine it would be a huge struggle to go from over 30k down to such a low income

People can play the system to suit their circumstances. Whether its working part-time to get more benefits or being a non dom to avoid tax. The principle is the same IMHO.

Silly comment. Some parents are part time because we need to pick our child up from school, some of us have spent the maximum limit that UC will cover in childcare you do realise its capped? There's a huge difference between working what is viable and logical than avoiding paying tax.

You sound bitter

Except it's not "playing the system." I work the hours that I'm required to, to claim working tax credits. I don't HAVE to work full time as a single parent of an under 12.

"Playing the system" is where you do something to falsely claim benefits, for example lying about being single when you have a live in partner. I'm not "playing the system" by legally claiming what the state says I'm entitled to. I don't lie to HMRC.