Leaving work/ getting benefits

[justdeeeee]

Hi,

Just looking for some advice please.

Both me and my OH work full time, claim no benefits, LO is in full time with the childminder/pre-school. We've always been really tight with money, and it's now gotten to the point we are seriously considering the potential of me leaving work.

We've used the benefits calculators and sadly it works out as about £400 better off if I was not working and claiming benefits instead.

As far as I am aware you can't just quit your job and start claiming benefits?

How do other mums deal with this?

I would love nothing more than to get to spend everyday with my LO, I feel like I miss out on so much time with her.

Obviously we can't just quit willy nilly and hope for the best- we barely make it through living paycheck to paycheck and it's getting embarrassing repeatedly asking family for financial help.

So basically I'd like advice from mums who have chosen to leave work and then had to claim benefits.

Did you have to wait before claiming?

Saving up so that I can leave if that is the case is not an option, we really do struggle every month.

Please help, we're so stressed out.

Sorry you'd be mad to give up a steady job to put yourself at the mercy of the benefit system in this climate, especially with your DC starting school soon and your childcare costs going down. My DP works full time and I can't work currently due to having disabled child, and having to rely on carer's allowance, tax credits etc is a constant source of stress. I'm absolutely dreading UC coming to our area as it will be even worse.

Expatinscotland-… If I was reliant I wouldn’t have worked up until my due date and gone back to work as soon as possible after having LO?

FYI my LL is lovely and we’ve had these discussions with him, he isn’t going to kick us out no matter what. We’re some of his longest tenants and have a great deal of trust. We’ve had to pay him HB before, and he was absolutely fine about it. He knows it wouldn’t be for the long run if it did happen again.

I know plenty of people who never went back to work or chose to leave. I am simply trying to work out the best solution, even if it is only a temporary fix.

PigletWasPoohsFriendTue 29-Aug-17 16:16:08

I stated that one of our ‘options’ to stay legit- was to effectively break up. He wouldn’t be living with me if this happened.

So basically you want to cheat the system. (No, as I’ve also said we’re close to the end anyway. Would that change this opinion?)

If you have nothing useful to contribute then please don’t

Maybe don't talk about deliberately playing the system. Talk about breaking up with your OH to get more etc.

You can't dictate who posts either.

HTH

At the end of the day I will do what I decide is best, I do not wish to “play the system” or commit fraud. I simply came here to ask for advice from people who may have found themselves in a similar situation. However a lot of you forget the benefits system is there TO HELP. More so to working people. Good for you if you’re managing to successfully juggle it all- we are not. I’m simply asking for advice, not an attack or 12. I’m not dictating who posts, but if you have nothing constructive to say and you keep returning just to be a bit of a tit, then doesn’t that creep into bullying?

I'm still not sure I understand how two full time working adults over NMW in a 1 bed flat are so up to their eyeballs they are borrowing from family and straits are quite so dire. I'm not saying I think it should be a life of caviar and lobster with childcare costs to consider, but something isn't adding up.

The only two choices you really have are

1. Reduce expenditure (was the £14 travel costs a typo, because I can't see how that makes a job prohibitive to get to?)
2. Increase income (what skills do you have that would enable this?)

At the end of the day I will do what I decide is best, I do not wish to “play the system” or commit fraud.

Yet one of your options is to do exactly that.

No one is going to day that is ok because it isn't!

'Expatinscotland-… If I was reliant I wouldn’t have worked up until my due date and gone back to work as soon as possible after having LO? '

That's the past, what you're proposing now is being reliant on benefits instead of income you earn from work. That's beyond foolish in this political climate, and the online calculator might well be erroneous, they're famous for that. But hey, it's your family's life . . . .

' However a lot of you forget the benefits system is there TO HELP. More so to working people. Good for you if you’re managing to successfully juggle it all- we are not. I’m simply asking for advice, not an attack or 12. I’m not dictating who posts, but if you have nothing constructive to say and you keep returning just to be a bit of a tit, then doesn’t that creep into bullying?'

It's there as a safety net when there's nowt else. The responses here are not bullying, but lots of people trot that out when they don't get the responses they want. Anyhow, your tax credits are bound to get screwed up because they'll be first based on your last year's earnings, then you report the change and they'll make you wait forever, or not pay up or come back and tell you you owe them thousands and guess what? Unlike other debt, even in bankruptcy, debt to the HMRC is not excused.

It does sound like you must have some outgoings that can be cut down on.

Look into the pre-school and what before/after school clubs they offer if any, would be much cheaper than a childminder who charges for a full day to do just pick up/drop off (WTF! Did I read that right?)

Not one person is bullying you.
Pretty sure the benefits system isn't an option if you both have jobs and you will voluntarily leave?
Can you not see how this may infuriate people who also work bloody hard and won't sponge off the state? Because that is exactly what you want to do.

And couldnt you speak to the CSA (or whatever they are called now) about chasing your ex up for maintenance?

I'd look into the direct gov website they have a calculator where you can look into what you may be able to clam. I'm not going back to work once my maternity leave ends. luckily my partner is supportive and I can clam a bit to help out. I don't see stay at home parents as cheating the system. This is why the help is there in the first place. It's a shame to put all stay at home parents in the same boat jest because of a fue bad people.

OP I stopped working after having DC as the cost of childcare was prohibitive for me due to both myself and DH doing shift work. However I do have a reasonable amount of knowledge of the benefits system.

How much does your OH earn per year, and how much do you? Based on what you have said then it would seem unlikely that you will get a huge amount of help if you quit work so I just want to check if your calculations are correct.

To all the people being so rude to the OP - her partner works, she has contributed financially to the system prior to this, if she wants to quit work to raise her child and would be eligible for some tax credits to enable her to do this, I don't see the problem? Also those who are talking about sanctions, this wouldn't apply in her situation so please stop saying that it would!

I stated that one of our ‘options’ to stay legit- was to effectively break up. He wouldn’t be living with me if this happened.

But you wont be splitting up.
So its playing the system.

her partner works, she has contributed financially to the system prior to this

Doesn't matter. Pretending to break up so you can get more benefits is playing the system and potential fraud.

'luckily my partner is supportive and I can clam a bit to help out. I don't see stay at home parents as cheating the system. This is why the help is there in the first place. It's a shame to put all stay at home parents in the same boat jest because of a fue bad people.'

And this attitude is precisely why those benefits are coming to an end and the government people voted in is going to force through UC. Because people grew sick of working FT to pay for SAHPs and so they went and voted for this shower of shite government and now even people who cannot work at all are being punished.

'Also those who are talking about sanctions, this wouldn't apply in her situation so please stop saying that it would!'

On UC, sanctions can and do happen to people whom they don't deem are working enough. That's a fact. And whilst there aren't any on tax credits, the HMRC can and do at any time decide they have overpaid you or they need to review your claim and stop all funds or demand whatever they find they have overpaid and claw it back. That happens. That's why relying on benefits is folly unless you truly have no other choice.

OP i have been unemployed in the past. My DS has a disability and I had to give up work to care for him. I got full benefits plus extras due to his DLA and managed fine. However if he hadn't been disabled I would have on basic benefits and I would have really struggled.
I've been working for the past 4 years and I'm better off in work, not just financially but emotionally and socially.
You need to bear in mind that some of your bills such as insurances will increase when you are unemployed and some companies will not offer you the option of Direct Debit. It will be harder for you to rent somewhere if you are on benefits when you apply. It's harder to save and the appointments at the job centre are soul destroying.
You have no financial stability while on benefits, you can easily be sanctioned. I had a friend who was sanctioned for 6 weeks as she missed her job centre appointment as her kids were ill.
It's not as simple as the state looking after you because they don't. The State want you off benefits and into any work asap. You will not be able to apply straight away if you have voluntarily given up your job so you will be without any benefits for at least 6 weeks (it might be longer now). Your benefits will also be reduced when you are moved into universal credit.

The system does not work on a "you've paid in a bit so now have it back in the form of benefits" basis. Neither is it there to "help out" because someone wants a better standard of living or to spend more time with their child rather than earn their own money. It's supposed to be a safety net for the desperate who cannot work for some reason. You can work, and therefore I think you should.
Sorry if that's seen as being a bully. ]

OP

we are reliant on benefits and it is shit, I am disabled and have had an uphill battle which is still on going.

I fucking hate it, I am always on edge as to when (not if) they might take away any of the benefit money.

I am one of the fortunate ones that hopefully, I will be able to get back into work, not all of the people who are reliant on benefits have that.

Have you considered working nights? No childcare costs then. I worked 3 nights a week in a nursing home for 4 years when my DC were little. My DH worked f/t 9 - 5 and we got by.

I'm a SAHP. It's great. But we don't claim anything other than CB. If we couldn't afford to get by without being reliant on benefits, I would go back to work. The stress and strain of being on benefits are horrendous. A few friends have been through it and I don't envy them in the slightest.

If you're able to outline income and outgoings, perhaps we can suggest ways to make life more affordable? Posters are pretty on the ball here, and the Money Matters board is great for saving the pennies.

Relying on benefits is utterly terrible. It's depressing and incredibly scary. I was forced to stop working due to health, eventhough I'm at the point where I struggle to stand up and can't pick up a cup or dress myselfI still have to jump through hoops to get any help. It took me over a year to find a landlord or agency who would even let me look around a flat, once you mention benefits it just doen't matter, it's a no. You say you are secure but nothing ever is, what if landlord suffered a bereavement or financial turmoil and had to kick you out- it can happen- being on benefits essentially reduces chances of finding a place to almost nothing.

I first applied for PIP, the specific benefit aimed at people with physical and/or mental disabilities well over a year before I saw a penny. For that and ESA you have to jump throguh hoops, go through incredibly invasive questions and examinations and fight for any help at all. For able bodied people it can be even worse, the assumption is you can work. Universal Credit is one of the worst things ever for disabled and other people on any benefit. the 6 weeks mandatory wait on top of any other waits, the grilling and interrogations. I've had people calling about my savings as they fluctuate- well yes of course, my payments go in one week, payments out for rent and bills go a differentweek, so yes my balence changes during the month. It is so stressful and 100% not worth.

If you do leave a job you will have to give a very good reason why and if that reason doesn't meet their criteria you won't get a penny. if by chance you do you will need to spend a lot of money meeting the requirements set, travelling miles for interviews you know you would never get, and accepting any job however bad it is- and this would likely be worse than current job- you get sanctioned and jump through more hoops.

I live in fear that one day I'll get a letter or call saying something was wrong, something overlooked, I owe them money. I'm waiting my next medical because even long term conditions with proof there will very unlinkely be any chance of getting aren't believed, they reassess very often and can cut everything off if the person I see decides I don't meet their strict criteria.

I'm not sure how old your DC is but it may be possible to find a childcare student to do some hours. I only say that as it's something I did when I studied, accepting less pay than a qualified nanny or childminder knowing I'd get a glowing reference at the end. Not sureif it would help but it's all I can think of.

'Also those who are talking about sanctions, this wouldn't apply in her situation so please stop saying that it would!'

The pp who wrote this - where are you getting your info from? Even under the old (JSA) system someone leaving a perfectly good job completely voluntarily is not able to claim for 6 months. UC is much harder to claim and people literally on their death beds are being denied payments.

Have you listed your income and outgoings and tried to cut back as much as possible? Most people in my experience are overspending somewhere.

Obvious luxuries that people tend to have are latest phones, high cost broadband, landline, pay tv, high/unnecessary insurance costs, high energy spending, spending more than necessary on food/clothes...

Trust me when you're on a tight budget you soon learn what is and isn't necessary.

What Thatdearoctopus said.

Regardless of whether you have paid taxes or not, unless you and/or your DH/OH are earning £40,000 per year (can be jointly) you are not net tax payers, so you are already taking out of "the system" more than you are paying in. Too many people doing this and the whole "system" collapses (Greece is a recent example). HTH!

one of our other "options" is for my OH to move out... obviously this is last resort, but then benefits would help me to stay in work as I'd be classed as a single parent :/

🙄

OP, if you can't make ends meet you MUST be entitled to something. Tax credits, housing benefit etc. DH and I pay £1400 per month for childcare but 2/3 of it is covered by the childcare element of working tax credit.

I've gone part time because otherwise I couldn't have afforded the childcare to work. My husband has also negotiated compressed hours so he covers some of the hours I work.

You say your office is too small for a part timer. Would your boss consider a jobshare? My office won't accommodate part timers, but they have allowed me to split my job in half and share it with someone else. I work 2.5 days, my husband negotiated compressed hours to cover the half day and I then only have to pay for childcare for the two full days.

I had a multiple birth so my childcare costs are over £16 per hour which simply wasn't affordable.

Have you signed up for tax free childcare? That would save you 20% of your childcare costs.

And then with the 30 funded hours you ought to be able to cover a good old chunk of the remaining costs. Particularly if you could make any adjustments to reduce your costs.

Would your boss be amenable to you moving your working hours a bit later so that you don't need any before-preschool care? And then you need to find a childminder who will only charge for the after school session.

Or, what my husband and I have considered for when the kids are older is seeing if he can negotiate a late start (and late finish) every day and seeing if (if there was any way my job wanted me back for a full time contract) I could work stupidly early hours every day (my office opens at 7!) and I'd be finished in time to rush home for the kids.

My children only attend two days a week, but spend significantly more on childcare than I do on my mortgage so I do know how it is.