Back to work and paying bills.

[Dolallytats]

Please can anyone advise me. I'm sorry, but I think this is going to be long so that I include everything-sorry if I leave anything out.

My daughter is 18 weeks pregnant. She and her partner live together. They have both been out of work and jointly claiming JSA for the past 14 weeks. She now has a temp job 9-5 as a receptionist at a hospital, although there are days over Christmas she won't be working (they won't need her as far as I know). She started on Thursday last week doing Thurs & Fri, starting a full week today. She has just been told that she has missed the cut off point for wages and won't get paid until Jan 26th. When she does get paid she will not get a full month, but the days she will have worked for Dec, around 12 days.

Her partner has a P/T job in a supermarket doing 14.5 hours a week, but has been offered some overtime. He has been told that he will not be getting paid until the 16th Jan.

So they have to go around 6/7 weeks with no money. They are not entitled to a 4 week housing benefit/council tax benefit run on because you have to be claiming for 26 weeks. I have told her to talk to them anyway and to also explain the situation to her Housing association to see what they say.

Although we can lend them money, it will be by using our overdraft as we are also on benefits (DH had a stroke last year and has been signed off since and I am agoraphobic) which I would rather not do as I really want to remain debt free.

Has anyone got any suggestions as to how they may pay their bills for the next 6 weeks? Is there help out there that we are unaware of? They are unlikely to be able to apply for a loan as the jobs are new and DD's is temporary.

Any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks for reading this epic post!!!

Can't offer any help I'm afraid but just wanted to post that it's a very common situation and why many people on benefits stay on benefits- for financial security.

It's such a ridiculous system- and really not ideal right before Christmas.

I hope somebody more knowledgeable comes along with some more useful advice.

Thanks Lost, if they were just allowed to have the 4 week run on for housing & council tax, things would be a lot easier.

Her jobcentre adviser would be able to use their flexible support fund to help with things like travel costs to tide them over. There's a whole list of things they can use it towards to help ease people into work. They should also be eligible for food vouchers.
Some areas have special teams with funding for things like bills so it's worth asking the jobcentre for help.

ask for a discretionary housing benefit payment?

Budgeting loan although I think there is also a back log with the applications. But you could lend it DD and she pay it back when budgeting loan comes through

Thanks everyone.
Turquoise, the job centre won't help with travel because she had already been working a day when she spoke to her advisor. She couldn't help this, she was given a start date of the very next day and couldn't get through to the advisor beforehand.

Tired, she is calling the council about this tomorrow, hopefully they can help.

Every, you can only get a budgeting loan if you are getting income-related benefits.

I wish there was a loan to help for the first few weeks. DWP wouldn't lose out because it would be a loan-would help so many people when they get a job. Thank you everyone

Try the charity Z2K, they are good for advice on things like this

It is such an annoying system.
A lot of people want workers over Christmas. Could she try to get a second part time job or bar work working around the other job just to tide her over (same for the boyfriend)?