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Lone parents

Use our Single Parent forum to speak to other parents raising a child alone.

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Original poster

Better off working less hours.

30 replies

bluebell1 · 18/08/2007 13:29

Hi i went to my local job centre plus the other day for one of those calculations they do to see how much better off in work i would be.The results were shocking in the same job i would be better off doing 16 hours than 20 hours.Its ridiculous.Has anyone else found this.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

charliecat · 18/08/2007 13:39

Oh yes, my friend works 16 hours, she wanted to go full time, 30 hours. She would be £11 better off for 14 more hours work
Its a manual, not going anywhere job, so theres no chance of promotion, bla bla so shes stayed working the 16 hours.

nutcracker · 18/08/2007 13:39

Yep it is right, if I worked full time, I'd only be about £10 a week better off than I am now, but if I worked 16 hours a week i'd be about £60 a week better off depending on the job.

It is mad.

scattyspice · 18/08/2007 13:41

I cut my hours but spread over more days and took home moee cash. But that was to do with the kids nursery.

Great eh?

Pinkchampagne · 18/08/2007 13:43

Not really looked into this, but I work a 20 hour week, and if I would be better off working a 16 hour week, I will be reducing my hours pronto!!

Original poster

bluebell1 · 18/08/2007 13:46

Its so stupid they moan about lone parents not working and yet if these are the options we get whats the point.Glad im not the only one that has found this.Its come to the point i need to work now i held off for as long as poss (havent worked for a year) as ds's are only one and two.Throughout that year i must have recieved about fifty letters telling me i should get back to work from job centre.

OP posts:

DelGirl · 18/08/2007 13:46

Definitely better off working only 16 hours than say 20/21

DelGirl · 18/08/2007 13:47

thats me btw

Original poster

bluebell1 · 18/08/2007 13:53

Pinkchampagne you should definitely look into it why work more hours for less money and also its extra time we could be spending with dc's.I want all time i can get with mine as they dont see much of their dad he is too busy with his new nineteen year old girlfriend.MEN.

OP posts:

Original poster

bluebell1 · 18/08/2007 14:03

I just hope i can get the sixteen hours i want now because think my new employer would prefer twenty.If i explain though they should understand.Took me a while to find a job as not many for 16 hrs about.

OP posts:

Pinkchampagne · 18/08/2007 14:12

It's so wrong that you are no better off for working more!!

allgonebellyup · 18/08/2007 15:13

so what happens if you work around 37hrs per week, ie full time?
why dont most mums work full time? as i am planning to once my youngest is at school.

Nymphadora · 18/08/2007 15:16

Thats my problem too, If I wnet f/t (my job that would be 28 h) I would be about £20 a week better off (not inc travelling) over a 17h + o/t week

macdoodle · 18/08/2007 20:19

I work part time (but in my job that is a between 24-30 hours over 3 days depending on how busy/admin).... luckily I have a well paid job and no desire to work more hours ..but I agree the system stinks

Original poster

bluebell1 · 19/08/2007 09:42

If i were to work full time in the same job i would be £30 a week better off on 16 hours £50 a week better off.

OP posts:

allgonebellyup · 19/08/2007 09:51

bluebell:

thats shocking

saltcod · 19/08/2007 16:07

I'm going back to work 22.5 hrs per week & thought I'd be better off than 16 hours coz I'd get tax credits & 80% childcare paid, rather than income support. Is this not the case, then? Are you always better off working 16 hours or does it depend on your rate of pay & childcare costs? I thought that I could only claim childcare costs if I worked more than 16 hours ? I tried using entitledto.com but didn't really understand the results!

CarGirl · 19/08/2007 16:10

it's 16 hours or more to claim childcare, there is then a leap to 30 hours or more which they consider full time.

SofiaAmes · 19/08/2007 16:13

Yep. When I still lived in the uk, I reduced my hours from 30 to 20 because I ended up with £50 a week more. (Still kept same childcare hours, but worked less).

juicychops · 19/08/2007 16:20

yep thats why i only work 16 hours. If i worked 35 hours per week i would only be £15 per weeks better off than i am working 16! crazy

Original poster

bluebell1 · 19/08/2007 19:10

Saltcod best off going to your local job centre get them to calculate it for you they will give you exact amount for 16 and 22.5 hours.You can claim working tax and childcare element from 16 hours onwards.

OP posts:

Tinkerbel5 · 20/08/2007 10:35

there is an 'in work credit' of £40 payable for 52 weeks for lone parents going to work for 16 hours a week or more, im not sure if its in all areas or not.

Nymphadora · 20/08/2007 16:18

Thats only when you go back to work though not if you already work

GemmaSpn · 01/04/2015 19:59

Yeah I've recently found this out the hard way, I worked overtime over Christmas to pay for it averaging about 32 hours a week. Obviously I was honest and let the HB, CTB and tax credits know now I'm in debt. They say I've been overpaid and have to pay a lot of it back but more than what I actually earned, and have reduced my payments as they have averaged out the overtime over the year and not just the 2 months I did it for. I' told them my overtime only lasted 2 months as the hours are always cut to the department after Xmas and before new financial year. So I have to send my wage slips in so they can adjust it again but now I'm totally lost and confused with it all. I wish I hadn't of done it, I only wanted to improve how we live by working hard but you just get penalised. I saw a slogan saying "how can we work this hard to be this poor" it makes no sense that the more you work the less you earn!!!

justjuanmorebeer · 01/04/2015 21:21

Yep. This is my situation. I had to increase my hours from 14 to 16 to claim tc when my ex left.

I wanted more but work can't offer me anything else.

looked into getting another full time job but it would need to pay me more than the tax credit cut off to be able to cover costs. Childcare costs are out of control. Glad my dd starts school this year.

SoulSista85 · 11/04/2015 22:01

This has been my situation. I have recently decreased my hours from 22.5 hours a week to 16. As a liberal parent, it would appear to be the only way that makes sense.

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