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?

And yes I k ie people on uc are better off working then not working but that's irrelevant to what's being discussed here.

Sorry to clarify that’s not what I think at all. I don’t believe the vast majority of people claiming benefits are scroungers, that’s what the government thinks! They’ve always made jobseekers go for employment interviews, fair enough as they are jobseekers. Under UC everyone is now treated as though they are ‘under employed’ (I know as I’ve recently come off it as I wasn’t hitting the magical 16 hours per week, so now I do and extra 10 hours work per week and I’m about £100 per month better off!) Even if you have main caring responsibilities. In the past parents and single parents would have been eligible for a bit of CTC/WTC without having to go to ridiculous weekly meetings, when it’s clear the vast majority of jobs will not pay because of childcare costs.

"UC they simply reduce your award for each and every pound you earn"
is that not what you meant?

OP, you have been honest in asking a question that is playing on your mind. So this is not aimed at you. But this question shows everything that is wrong with the benefits system. You friend, presumably an able bodied adult, is having the tax payer fund her lifestyle choices while she chooses to do the bare minimum to support herself and this has inspired you to do the same.

This is why the public has become hardened towards the welfare culture and why welfare has been cut back in the last 12 years. A vast number of people use it a lifestyle choice. No getting away from that.

A vast number?

Could you show me where you’re getting your information from?

Your pension will be massively effected, something you will regret when you hit 45/50.

Taking the emotion out of the question.
Benefits wise you would be better off speaking to an experienced benefit adviser about the bigger picture including your DM's circumstances. It also depends on your earnings now and part time and whether you rent or have a mortgage whether UC would be beneficial. Complete the online calculators and they can give you an idea but not the detail.

How much of the help that you need can you buy in whilst working full time, what would free you up? On paper it sounds great when you can wfh or partially from home but it can be hard to get that work life balance when there is less structure. It often results in trying to fit more in and actually being less productive.

How easy would it be to reapply for full time at a later date? I took a career break when my DC's were small, I traded those years at home for working longer now for my occupational pension and I have no regrets it was absolutely the right decision. As for your state pension currently working part time would not change your entitlement, barring other changes that we are all subject to.

Does reducing your hours actually reduce your workload? I would have to change jobs to go part time or I would just struggle doing a similar amount of work in less time. Would you actually benefit from and enjoy those extra hours or would they simply be sucked up by other demands (some as yet unseen).

Do you find it difficult to say no? It is not possible to be or do everything, work full time, raise a child, run a home, care for family. Add socialising into the equation and we are fucked 🤔

There's a post early on that highlights a little more of my situation. Long story short working a full week, single mum, and a DisAbled it's becoming near impossible if I want any quality time with my family. So baring in mind my sons in nursery I would be entitled to help if I worked part time, however I've worked full for last 9 trash and unsure if I could commit to the change

This is why the public has become hardened towards the welfare culture and why welfare has been cut back in the last 12 years. A vast number of people use it a lifestyle choice. No getting away from that.

What a load of tosh. A vast number of parents can’t sustain full time work and childcare costs (or even part time) and a vast number of people need their wages topped up because wages in this country are so low. The taxpayer is subsidising big business, not individuals. Living on nothing but UC is not pretty!

Your questions are exactly what goes round in my head, budgeting etc is on first priority.
The lack of structure on those days is biggest fear, during pandemic working from home was torture, I couldn't wait to back In the building. However I would be In part the week so hopefuy wouldn't feel the same as before.
Careers breaks only work for us if completely off, they used to do flexible working for things like this, but now u can reduce contractual hours anytime but can only increase if there is availability. Don't get me wrong that is possible just not gaurenteed. Yes I would be expected to do work for the dayd I work.

@sst1234 it’s really not that simple.

With spiralling costs and stagnant wages a lot of people are actually paying to work. Some can afford to ‘take the hit’ for a few years, but many can’t’!

The OP’s opening post is disingenuous and certainly got people’s backs up (no time to clean?!?!?) but there’s apparently more to the story as stated in her later posts. All of the caring that she’ll be doing for an elderly parent is something that the government would otherwise have to pay for, no? Especially as said parent deteriorates.

I suppose though that someone in the OP’s position, with no need for paid childcare could be taking advantage by going part-time + benefits if the elderly parent issue wasn’t there.

Is that how benefits work? Can you decide to work part time and apply for benefits to make up the difference?

And this is exactly why the benefits system in this country is a joke and needs a complete overhaul

This.

Why should I have to pay for you to be a part time SAHM when I am working full time myself to support my own children?

How do you think it would work if we all took the attitude of dropping some hours/days and expecting the state (by which I mean working people) to pick up people's financial
slack?

Also OP IME you experience depends on how ‘part-time’ you go and the office environment.
Theres no reason to expect your ‘PT’ hours to be respected if you’re working unpaid hours full-time. You may not have to reply to emails, or join meetings. But you still have to complete your ‘work’ no matter how many hours it takes you.
Working at least 3 days, I find is a challenge as companies don’t bother to organise cover for the remaining 2 days.

My current company has many part-timers but it takes a lot of management will and ability, coordination and suitable work. Some jobs (like sales) where face time etc is important really doesn’t suit it.

I completely agree with you, the system frustrates me daily. Ive had a series of unfortunate circumstances this year, which have left me with a lot of responsibilities, which I'm am just by the skin of my teeth coping with, and have seemed support/help all have been denied due to my salary, not the fact I'm a single mum, who also had a disabled mum she's looking after. The support is given to deprived areas and low incomes households, wether they need it or not their entitled. I don't know her full circumstances I just know she had worked out finances and would make it work being PT, too which I realised was a decent monthly amount with a lot less hours. Which got me thinking, about possibilities.. If I don't do somethg I will end up not fit for work, which might work in my favour with 6 months full pay, my chance in circumstance would ideally be until my mum no longer needs me, so not a short fix

It is a little more complicated as they pro rats so maybe hours/ meetings for u to attend, but in regards to emails they will send them at weekend/ days off but we're not expected to open and reply until in building on first day back, some choose to reply early tho..

youre a single parent. Looking after yourself and your home does need to be done. You dont need to explain yourself to anyone. Working part time as a single parent is perfectly normal and fine. You said it would be permanent as youd need to reapply for the full time hours, but I think even if you needed to do this for a year or two, most people in real life would not only understand, but think it was sensible, or at least a completely neutral and normal decision

If you read my replies further back you would realise this isn't a standard typical I want time off as a mother, I'm genuinely struggling look for options, therefore aslong advise

I couldn't agree more about the issues that's disabled people trying to claim benefits, and even when they have they move you up and down and down and down, even when your condition is progressively getting worst. My mother is disabled, dealt with all of that, it wasnt until her health took a rapid decline 4 years wnd numerous life threatening health scared since that she was awarded enough money to live on..

To consider it an advantage, you must be renting as UC won't pay for your mortgage. Don't you aspire to own your own place so that you don't have to worry about eviction etc...?

I was in your shoes. Single mum, two kids under 4 years old, no help at all and working in a professional role. At first, my office was oy 10mns drive away but we relocated and then had an hour on both side in traffic.

Life was indeed very hectic and indeed, time for myself didn't exist. It was hard. This was 15 years ago. Do I regret having stayed FT. Oh No! I got promoted, was able to provide my kids with things I otherwise wouldn't have been able to help with. I had my own home and was dependent on no one and no systems. Oh yes, their father paid no maintenance.

It's amazing how quickly time flies. Im now in my mid 50s, kids at Uni and working and I will be finally be able to go down to 3 days for the first time in my life and retire at 60 with a very good pension. I'm so pleased I've done it the way I did so I can now contemplate a very comfortable retirement.

Yes it was hard then, but it does get easier as the children get older and more importantly, you get used to having little time for yourself but make the most of it being well organised.

I am so relieved I made the choice I did.

There is one aspect of pensions that people don’t tend to focus on, I certainly didn’t when I took mine out.

That is serious ill health leading to early medical retirement. I developed a condition that almost killed me, I survived but am left with a lifelong disability. My workplace were fantastic and kept my job open for a year but I was eventually retired and receive a certainly ok pension.

I have friends who are single parents and whose dc have now left home or are at University. We are between 50 and 60. They did choose to work PT I even remember one turning down FT hours. They face really tough retirements. How they tackled their lives varied, none of the three received decent maintenance, one received nothing.

Unfortunately you have no one to share the mental load with I think thats what takes more of a toll even though laundry and housework are in your face. I would personally employ a cleaner and remain FT.

A vast number of people use it a lifestyle choice. No getting away from that.

Unless you are including pensioners in that figure (unlikely) that that's just not true.

The vast majority of people who receive benefits have worked or are in work.

The OP is not doing anything differently to someone reducing their inheritance tax liability or tax paid because they use a salary sacrifice pension scheme.

The issue is the tax bands are too low & frozen for another 5 years (ridiculous) & salaries are too low. I'd rather my taxes subsided people like the OP then big businesses paying crappy wages or shoddy landlords.

I'm of thr understanding if u have a child not at school you can

As for the comments about taxpayers funding you. The taxpayer pays for all sorts of shit I dont approve of. Supporting some single mothers temporarily while they still actually work, is probably one of the nicer things.
Taking government funded nursery hours is also taxpayer funded. Using schools is taxpayer funded.
We get no rebates on our taxes because a single mother decided to work full time and use state subsidised childcare.
All of us rely on others. Its society.

I think you should make your decision based on what is best for your child and you, and if you are entitled to help whilst your child is still little, then youre entitled to it. Its not a moral issue.