Income Support and working??

[Rach4boys]

Does anybody have any experience with Income Support and working?

My partner recently gave up work so he could help me out with childcare whilst my youngest child was in and out of hospital, but due to an issue with Tax Credits, we've decided he is going to have to return to work. My question is how many hours can he do before we loose the Income Support and get transferred to Working Tax Credit?

I'm going to see someone at the jobcentre tomorrow but thought I'd try here first for some advice.

Oh and I'm a full time carer for my son and receive carer's allowance.

Thanks in advance

I'm not sure about someone in a couple who get income support but as a lone parent you can work up to 16 hours before you transfer onto working tax credits.

I'm not sure you can get income support at all as part of a couple?

We are already getting Income Support as a couple as it's based on myself being a carer.

I've had a quick look online and it says your partner can work up to 24 hours a week I think. That doesn't mean they won't reduce your money based on his earnings though just that you'd still qualify for it....

They will discount the first £20 of his earnings and then reduce the income support by whatever he earns after that, although bear in mind that even at minimum wage it will only take 12 hours @£6.50 to be earning more than income support pays.

Ah right, that sounds ok then. We don't really want to come off Income Support completely as the cost of hospital trips for my son is huge as we have to travel quite a way a couple of times a month. I know that Tax Credits go by last years income so we'd be buggered if we had to come off Income Support.