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?

Can we stop this nonsense about ‘hours’.

the only thing that matters is whether you meet the minimum income floor for your circumstances in terms of them hassling.

basically if you work 5 days for double minimum wage, you can work 2.5 instead and they won’t give a flying fk. Under UC Provided you meet their wage expectation - how many hours you do it in is largely irrelevant.

In an extreme case, you could be earning a 100k p/a, and decide ‘f**k this, I’ll work 2 days for 40k’, and then on top, salary sacrifice 20k into your pension.

You’ll still make the minimum income floor, and be entitled to claim UC, provided you don’t have savings over 16k.

that’s the system 🤷🏻‍♀️

I understood that under the UC system there was a required number of hours to work depending on the age of your youngest child. Or you must take on extra hours or look for a job with more hours.

No - the expectation is that you make an amount equal to the minimum wage X number of hours expected for someone in your circs.

The number of hours is variable - but if the higher your working hourly rate, the less hours you need to satisfy the above rule.

so if you earn 40 x the minimum wage as a high end lawyer, you can work one hour per week and that’s just dandy for claiming UC.

What SwanBuster said.
NMW is now £9.50/hour (for people age 23+).
So even if you're expected to work 35h/w, you don't have to work that much as long as you earn £332.50/week (= £1440.83/month net).
And some people would only be expected to earn the equivalent of 25h or 16h per week at NMW. So again you could be working fewer hours with higher pay.

No, that was the tax credit system - minimum of 16 hours to claim tax credits. UC is different.

Same. To me they're for if needed not for the luxury if choosing to give up full time work.

It doesn't matter what they are "to you" though. What matters is that OP meets the criteria to claim, and as a single parent she does.

Yes

For all those upset and giving comments along the lines of "why should I work full time to support you working part time" a quick Google search will tell you that approx £15billion of benefits goes unclaimed each year. I'm pretty sure the op being awarded £8k of this isn't going to harm your pocket personally.

Op, do what's best for you and your family, try plugging a few different scenarios in to the entitled to website.

Presumably your username reflects your current/recent situation and that you’re young with a partner and a newborn.

Please put a note in your diary for 7 years from now and update us with your concerns if your newborn is diagnosed SEN, your partner has disappeared, you’re older AND you’re looking after an elderly incapacitated parent.

I'd be embarrassed to claim benefits if I didn't absolutely need to

Totally disagree
i take it you are not a single parent with no support network?

i always think strategically as a single parent. It is about securing the best Situation I possibly can. For my children.

so I would and do in fact do whatever brings in the most and provides best balance for my children and I

No, but you'd need two children who were requiring 35 hours care above normal expected levels and for them to be receiving the daily care element of dla.

However, it would be worth, financially considering all options such as flexibility with employer, part-time etc, as getting back onto employment at some point could be hard, say when the children hit 16 and lots are them refused PIP when they have to swap from dla.

If I’m understanding correctly, you’re proposing reducing your hours at work partly so you can take over some of the caring responsibilities for your mother that are currently outsourced.

The problem with that, as I see it, is you’re essentially substituting time in your official job for an unofficial one. All the time spent running her to appointments or picking up medications or performing any other number of errands is NOT time spent with your son or getting chores done around your own home.

From my perspective, it seems the logical thing is to keep outsourcing your mother’s needs and on top of that outsource more of your own to maximize your own free time.

From my perspective, it seems the logical thing is to keep outsourcing your mother’s needs and on top of that outsource more of your own to maximize your own free time.

Do you think OP has a money tree in her back garden?

I don't see the logic. She might as well reduce the one day.

Op. I previously worked from home f/t but over 4 days.

I now work 32 hours 4 days a week out the house. I am a Lp with a child with adhd/ asd. I could work 37.5 over 5 days but for my mh i choose not too.

I don't really care what people think. Its not a lifestyle choice as people keep calling it. I would have burnt out long ago and be completely reliant on benefits if i didn't 5 days a week.

You may find with a little after childcare after school ( one she sarts ) you could compress days.

Do what is best for you

My son is in nursery 9am to 3pm during term time, taking that into account and my work I literally have a few hours at night to do what I need to, and the constant business is affecting life for us. I'm happy being busy doing things, however not when it's so condensed and nothing I do is quality and half hearted.
I'm simply looking at options that would work for me, while s covering my household bills.
Less hours = reduced workload and pressure
More time available while son at nursery = time to spend quality time with my mum where she doesn't fee a burden, aswell as time to ensure our home is well managed, creating a safer/calmer environment for my son.
Removing my other responsibilities from my evenings = quality time with my son, where I'm not stressed, thinking of the next thing to do.

Make sense? In an ideal world that would be perfect

The thing is other people have to work full time to support your CHOICES. Other people have to get up at miserable o’ clock every day of the week to work full time and pay taxes to support your choices. To the PP who mentioned their MH and burn out: what if everyone decided that? What if everyone wanted taxpayer funded day to clean? Many single people, older people have a work ethic which means they’ve worked to the point of exhaustion their whole lives, with no benefits whatsoever to pay for people who have decided their choice to have kids or their “risk of burn out” means they should work part time or not at all. Yes the non taxpayers and tax avoiders, huge corporations and government “pals” at the top of the tree are a disgrace but so is the notion that your life is some how more precious than others, that you need time more than other people. Everyone would love more time for life admin and relaxation. Tax is generally paid by bloody hard working people - the net contributors of this country are not exactly rolling in it in the main. They work damned hard and get sod all in return other than what they have EARNED.

So only people who work full time work hard? Only net contributers work hard?

Get over yourself. The system is in place for people like OP. Deal with it.

Yes of course people who work full
time work the hardest, it goes without saying. Anyone would love to work 16 hours over 37 or 40, the toll is far less. How ridiculous to suggest otherwise. The level of entitlement is astonishing.

OP isn't suggesting working 16 hours though. She's suggesting dropping ONE day.

People who work full time don't work the HARDEST. They work MORE. My full time colleagues don't work any harder than I do, they just work more hours and get paid accordingly.

And many full time workers work well over 40 hours and for unpaid overtime too. Weekends (or time off shift if a shift worker) simply is time to catch up on sleep and yes clean the house and sort out admin before back to the grind. Part time would be bliss for them.

Yes but if the taxpayer is funding the rest of your hours someone else is working full time to pay for that. There is no escaping that fact. Full Time workers work the hardest. Undoubtedly.

Sour 🍇