Benefits and work - advice please

[Peppin]

I have a friend who has a 4 year old and a 10 year old. My friend has a council flat and claims (I think) child tax credits and income support and housing benefit. She has until recently had 3 cleaning jobs which she does while her 4 year old is at play group and which amount to about 8 hours' work a week at about £10 an hour.

My friend was recently reported to the benefits people by someone, as a result of which she was called to a meeting with someone at the DHSS/Job Centre. This person asked her about her jobs and threatened her with removing all of her benefits if she was cheating the system. From what I understand, the DHSS person did not indicate whether or not the amount of work my friend was doing was acceptable or not - just issued the blanket threat and sent my friend on her way.

My friend is not English and doesn't have many friends here. She was completely intimidated by this interview and terrified she would lose her benefits do immediately stopped her 3 cleaning jobs.

I don't know much about the benefits system but I think you are allowed to work up to 16 hours a week before it affects what you can claim. Is that correct? Or is there a financial limit to what you can earn as well? If so, what is it?

My friend's 4 year old will be starting school in September and she would like to work more then, but wants to know what she can and can't do in terms of hours and earnings. It seems the benefits people who in my view should offer this information have been less than helpful so I thought MNers might be more forthcoming with the info! Any advice gratefully received.

You can get working tax credits if you work up to, I think, 22 hours a week (it changed recently), however you must be in a tax paying job to qualify..

It sounds as though your friend has probably not been paying tax if she's getting cash in hand.

The rule about Income Support is that you can earn a few pounds a week, certainly nowhere near £80 per week. You could google the up to date figures.

Your friend has been cheating the system and is likely to be prosecuted if the DWP has evidence.

Sorry, must apologise, have Googled and I think I was getting muddled up with how much you can earn if you're on JSA, not Income Support.

The best bet is probably to have a look at the Gov.org website, there's tons of info there about benefits and earnings disregards.

Thanks MC. I really feel for my friend as - while I know of many people who shamelessly cheat the system, sub-letting their council houses and all sorts - my friend had only recently started these cleaning jobs, in anticipation of being able to do more once both kids are at school. As soon as she had an inkling that it might not be ok, she stopped. And when she asked the DHSS person for guidance, he just said "we're watching you and if you're pulling a fast one, we'll have you". Some help!

Well to be on the safe side she should go onto the benefits website and figure it out.

Tell her to make an appointment with CAB to review her entitlements or the Lone Parent adviser at the Job Centre if applicable.

She can work upto 16hrs per week while claiming IS.
But anything over £20 is then taken away from her benefit money.i.e wage £80-£20=£60
Benefit money £100-£60=£40

So she would be entitled to £40 IS and £80 wage.

She's probably being investigated because she hasn't declared her income from work to the DWP and the Council and to Tax Credits. Not only she will have an overpayment of all these benefits, she may well be fined too. It is a criminal offence not to declare income from work and she may struggle to convince them that she didn't know she had to tell them.
As far as IS is concerned, assuming that she was claiming on grounds of being a lone parent, she would have been entitled I earn £20 per week before it affected the amount of IS. It's not the number of hours worked that matters in this case, it's the amount of cash in hand that she got from her cleaning jobs.

Thanks all. I will check it out for her on the website as she doesn't have a computer.

hi
im just looking into benefits and if im entitled to anything.. have found a really good site called turn2us... have lots of useful stuff on website and even a benefits calculator.. i used the call line and the lady was great soo helpful.