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.

I think the system is unfair when people are better off not working than working. I thought the system was meant to have changed to make it fairer. Look into reducing your hours. Less childcare and commuting expenses. Or Look into working evenings or weekends when you won't need child care if your partner can look after the DCs.

'OP, if you can't make ends meet you MUST be entitled to something. '

Not if they have a lot of debt, which it sounds as if they do. But there is help for that, too, and free help.

I also second that tax credits and other benefits are scary. When there was a mistake on my account (not my fault) they sent the file off to compliance for investigation and were quite happy to leave me receiving pence per week when I was entitled to well over £100 per week and all they could tell me was that they couldn't change anything whilst my account was with compliance and they'd try to speed things up but no guarantees and it could be several months.

It was 3 months I think I recall, and I survived by borrowing from family and maxing out my credit card.

It feels so unpredictable and temperamental. I will be so pleased when I'm no longer eligible for/ requiring of them.

It's also occurred to me that you're counting down to her starting school. What will you do about before and after school care when she's at school? Will your childminder still charge for a full day? Will you actually be able to accommodate school hours?

Op,
I assume you mean leave work and claim a top up on your partners earnings from tax credits, (working tax and child tax credits).

And I don't think you mean you intend to sign in 'the dole' / jobseekers .

The old/being phased out system of tax credits would allow you to do this, based on your partners income being under a certain thresh hold, you could apply for tax credits and receive them while he received his wage. But what you have to factor in is this system is being faced out quickly.. and replaced with universal credits. Also tax credits are usually based on the previous years earnings..

Most areas are live now for universal credits.
Meaning, that new claimants and people with a serious change in circumstance, are put straight into a universal credit claim, rather than applying for housing benefit with their council, and tax credits with DWP as it used to be.

You can check if you are in a live universal credit area online, but it is likely.

Be warned, universal credit is no game..

If you have a child over 1 you will be expected to look for work, but especially with a three year old. You will be made to sign an agreement, saying you will actively seek work, over 35hours. It will not matter what your partner works. They will monitor your online job searching and applications on the website they give you.

Universal credit is a hell hole.

You can be sanctioned for the slightest thing, and because it is a one monthly payment of all benefits, that can mean losing ALL monthly benefits. You will be forced back into work. Or you will go mad first.. one of the two.

You may know people who have managed to do what you are trying to, but they may have existing tax credit claims and not YET be over into universal. Which is hugely different.

I'm not sure about the partner moving out comment. If it is to claim benefits as a single parent.. not a good idea.
Plus, if you are in a live area for universal, you will be put on it anyway and forced into work because of your child's age..

Beat in mind universal payments are also less than tax credits were with the old system.
Inviting them into your life would be a lot More stressful than you anticipate, and I guarantee , you would regret it.

Hope this was helpful and Everything works out

Threads like this aren't received well on here OP. Best to check if you are in a universal credit area, we're not yet so it's not everywhere. If you're not you could claim housing benefit, as far as I know you can still do this if you quit your job and have a child under 5. Tax credits are an absolute mess of a system, we didn't get anything for the first year as we earnt too much the year before, but they then paid the underpayment as a lump sum after the end of the tax year. Also, it is risky assuming you can get back into work easily unless you have a job lined up or know you can walk straight back into something. There's a lot of competition in my experience.

'If you're not you could claim housing benefit, as far as I know you can still do this if you quit your job and have a child under 5. '

Housing benefit/LHA has nothing to do with having children or their ages. It's possible to claim it and be in FT work, it's not just for the unemployed. Every council has its own criterion. Oh, and that's another can of worms! They can cut that off at any time for 'review' and if you have to move you have to transfer the claim and then they cut it off whilst that's processed, and it's paid a month in arrears.

Threads like this are not well received because in an era of zero hours jobs that expect you to be flexible 24/7, agency jobs, lack of job stability especially in lower-paid sectors, in an era of Tory government that people have voted in in part due to seeing so many jack in FT work to claim benefits, hence reforms like UC, it is utter folly to leave a secure job that you love to try to get benefits, especially when you have a partner and a child who is 3 (having another doesn't help because on UC you're expected to be in FT work when the child is 1).

It's bad advice to support someone doing this because it is risking the roof over their heads, quite literally, particularly as it sounds like they are already in lots of debt and are unable to borrow money if left without money for any length of time.

I think you've made an error with your calculations. If you're currently over the threshold for tax credits, then your income on benefits will not be more. Are you perhaps using your actual rent for the local housing allowance figure? Because your rent is probably higher and housing benefit doesn't take that into account. Or using your dps net income rather than his gross? Calculating for childcare costs which you'll no longer be entitled to?

Thankfully it has at last been acknowledged that couples don't need a sahp funded by the tax payer. Unfortunately for you and anyone else, they'll be expecting you to seek work, and sanctioning you when you can't meet ridiculous demands, in the same way they have done to lone parents for years.

As to pretending to be a single parent, people like you are the reason the genuine are vilified. However if you do, even if it's still tax credits rather than uc in your area, as a single parent you don't just get money with no questions asked to be a sahp like you would with your dp. Instead you'll be refused jsa for quitting your job, and then made to jump through hoops.

And if it's debt and/or lack of budgeting skill that is making you skint now, they'll both still be there on benefits.

I had to prove I lost my job and didnt just leave.

I had to provide my walking papers. Hth.

Prove I hadn't just left a job to be able to get benefits

The OP asked for any experience so I gave it, you seem to be blaming people who give up work because they just can't afford childcare costs for all the Tory wrong doings!! I doubt this was a major vote winner, and they're not doing it to genuinely save the country money, there are plenty of more effective ways of doing that than targeting SAHPs, corporate tax evasion for example.

Anyway OP, in my experience housing benefit was not 'cut off' at anytime for review. They send you a letter saying it will be suspended if you don't provide information by X date, you provide the info and the money continues to be paid.

If you're not you could claim housing benefit, as far as I know you can still do this if you quit your job and have a child under 5.

HB is nothing to do with a child's age.

I was referring to being in a couple with one working on a low income and the other caring for a child under 5. In my experience there were no 'sanctions' for claiming housing benefit having quit work.

The OP asked for any experience so I gave it, you seem to be blaming people who give up work because they just can't afford childcare costs for all the Tory wrong doings!! I doubt this was a major vote winner, and they're not doing it to genuinely save the country money, 'there are plenty of more effective ways of doing that than targeting SAHPs, corporate tax evasion for example.'

Of course they're not doing it to save money! They're doing it for ideological reasons, and 'benefit reform' was a major vote winner. People fell for all the Murdoch and co. claptrap, and now people who genuinely cannot afford even to live and are completely unable to work at all, much less couples with kids whinging about childcare costs, are being punished. It's super foolish to rely on such an unreliable source of income in this climate, especially if you have a stable job you like.

caz of course it's for votes. However even if the country was ran properly, there wouldn't be enough money to allow every family, not just those with 2 parents, to have a good quality of life with a sahp.

"in the same way they have done to lone parents for years." Hear hear!!!

Op several of us have asked/queried about your debt/expenditure but you don't seem to be considering cutting back there except for the childcare.

Also a pp mentioned hiring a student/novice child carer to work in your home that is an excellent idea. Nanny sharing is another possibility.

OP ... my understanding of your proposal sounds more like benefit fraud.
Why not sit it out or better, change job now? Why wait 12 months and commit a crime in the process?

A quick summary of my experiences...

Married with 2 primary school aged children.
Worked for 30 years - last 10 years with the same company.
Made redundant Jan 2016.
Lived off redundancy money then signed up for JSA.
Awarded contribution based JSA for 6 months.
Then nothing we had to live off his wages.
Marriage fell apart.
Split up.
Now a single parent
Reapplied for JSA
Awarded income bases JSA £70ish p.w. - paid fortnightly
Receive child tax credit £117 p.w.
Receive CHB £34.40 p.w.

This is what I receive plus the child support payment from him paid monthly. At the moment he is paying the mortgage but I know he will stop paying given half a chance.

Can you really afford to live on the above?

My advice is to stay in work if you can. I am asked at every appointment what jobs I have applied for. I apply for a lot but I do not have anyone who can help me with childcare so I take the kids to school and pick them up. Then there's school holidays. It is so difficult to get a part time term time job which is what I need. I am applying for full time too but I don't know if that would work for me and the kids.

You can't deliberately make yourself unemployed and claim benefits. It's not allowed. You have to get sacked or made redundant. Then there is a waiting period. What you get will depend on how much you've contributed (national insurance and for how long) OR on your overall savings and on other family income. You will have to prove that you are making a demonstrable and consistent effort to get work. You can only claim jsa for a limited period. If you don't get a job in that time you will have to attend courses to retrain, help you get work etc. As a general comment, your situation is probably shared by a very large percentage of the population. We both have full time jobs (35+ hours per week) and, as I have a shorter commute, I also do FIVE part time jobs to try and bump up our income. We are lucky that my mum t child minds for us (no charge) but that means we can't claim childcare benefits / vouchers either. We don't go out or on holiday. I haven't bought new clothes in years and wear the same two or three outfits to work day in day out. I have three pairs of shoes and one pair of trainers - with glued soles. We have a cheap phones and a decrepit freeview tv. We have always worked and never claimed a day of benefits. But we are in our own place and spend every free moment with our children. I wouldn't dream of expecting the state or anyone else to prop up our choice to have children.

Sherpa you can say all that but you aren't paying out a fortune in childcare like op so it's irrelevant.

And op can quit and claim benefits. She would be claiming tax credits. It would just be based on her dps income.

You work for a small company which means they're not tied to "pay scales". If they knew that you were considering quitting for financial reasons, they might offer you a pay rise in order to keep you. Could you negotiate an extra £50 a month?

Really? So now, not only is the Government a charity, but companies are too! No, going to the boss and saying you're short of money, can they 'up' your wages is not how it works. And with each vacancy being chased by 50 other people in some areas means they'd let the OP go and get someone in on less money.

As PP have said, don't give up the day job. Being in work is the best passport to getting a better paid job, provided you have the skills. There are opportunities to self-improve, using free/low cost internet-based and adult education skill building. Look at developing your skills, OP, for the long term.

I had a thought (whilst up with the kids in the middle of the night - always the way!). I know you live in a small flat so this may not be feasible, but how much work would it take to childproof your flat sufficiently and would you consider putting the work in to set yourself up as a childminder? Do you think you could do it and provide a good environment for the kids? And do you think you'd enjoy it? (I considered it but my house would have taken too much work and I like that my job is a complete change and a break from the kids)

If childminders near you are able to charge a full day rate for post preschool pickups then clearly there's a shortage. It sounds like the rate is quite high (presumably because of the shortage). You say you'd enjoy spending more time with your child - how about chucking some other kids in the mix?

I do have a couple of friends who have given up their jobs and taken up being a childminder. One did it all the way through their kids being in school. The other only did a couple of years and then got a job as a TA in a school (she had previously been a teacher which would significantly help here!) and so she is available in school holidays and only needs minimal around school hours care.

It's not necessarily about wanting to be a SAHP or whinging about childcare costs, it can be because if you are both low earners living in an expensive part of the country you're not left with enough money to cover your basic living expenses because rent and childcare are so expensive. So, we're not talking about everyone in the country who wants to be a SAHP. It's easy to say 'move to a cheaper area' but it's often not as straight forward as that. We have moved to a much cheaper area now, but could only do it once my step-daughter reached 18.

And op can quit and claim benefits. She would be claiming tax credits. It would just be based on her dps income.

Apart from the fact the OP is considering 'technically' splitting with her DP and claiming as a single parent!

No getting sacked = you're considered to have made yourself unemployed and would not be entitled to anything for at least 6 months again.