Been a while since I did agency work - in those days it was hard to claim “jobseekers poxy allowance” as you couldnt work more than 16 hours.Now it seems its changed with uc so you can work any hours and they adjust the benefit.
Has anyone done agency work while claiming UC recently and what are your thoughts on it? Did you get anything off your council tax?
Did this a while ago, and may of changed, but basically as you’ve said, you earn and then they deduct what you earn from the amount your due.
For me it worked out basically even with just 1 day a week meant ended up with no payments, but at least was off benefits.
Also you risk …
You won’t get any cost of living payments, like the £600 one if earning during the period they asses, and if the work drys up, you could end up worse off and bills to pay.
Also I ended up owing them a couple of hundred quid the way they worked it out, paying me, then saying they shouldn’t of and wanting it back, if I hadn’t had savings could of seriously messed my finances up if living hand to mouth, and even asked them at the time and told I was due the amount… but then two weeks later letter saying I owed them…
Council tax i dont know, as at time lived on a barge, cheapest form of living, wish still did, these brick boxes just put you at mercy of goverment theft.
Overall though
Better to be working, but be careful to ensure constant work, and more than just the odd day here and there.
Thanks for the reply Tonka. Im hoping I get 3 or 4 days a week but if I get no work at least I will get a bit of UC.
Maybe you should just do the work and keep it quiet. I was unemployed for a short while 25 years ago. I did some ad hoc work and told the Job centre about it. I was grilled by them and they caused trouble to the guy I had worked for. He didnt give me any more work.
alamcculloch:
Maybe you should just do the work and keep it quiet.
Maybe people who advocate benefit fraud that rips off the hard working taxpayers should keep quiet.
Conor:
alamcculloch:
Maybe you should just do the work and keep it quiet.Maybe people who advocate benefit fraud that rips off the hard working taxpayers should keep quiet.
Yes.
And note that if anyone does accidentally make an error in claims, or intentionally commit fraud, be it many hundreds or just a few pounds, there is a big department to find them out and penalise them.
(Screw the Gov for millions and it`ll be written off though)
I once worked with a chap who was on this UC and he only worked for 16 hrs, if he worked an hour over time he lost his benefits for that week or it was adjusted. I always personally found him to be lazy and always wanting to do the least work (not just less hours) than anyone else. Now my thoughts were if he were to do a normal weeks work then he would have no need to be claiming this UC.
It seems to me that once people get onto claiming UC or any benefit that they then stop looking at the help as a crutch and it becomes more of a long term career move that is then difficult to get off as they fear losing this income.
They then stop actively looking for full time work and only ever consider doing the minimum to gain the most benefit from topping up their UC.
I always find that these people know more about the legality and become experts at working the system than to channel their efforts into how to better themselves through gaining better employment in order to help themselves rather than rely on handouts.
I may well have come from a more privileged background than others due to my parents doing well in life but I have never had any handouts from them once I left University and was told to find my own way in life.
I have the deepest sympathy for anyone who finds themselves in need of this UC and needs the support of any benefit system but it was meant to be a crutch and a support whilst in this position and why it is something not to be abused.
I also believe that this topic aired on Truck Net does not throw a good light on drivers in general as this is an industry that should not need such benefits same as the use of food banks. You wouldn’t expect it.
Conor:
alamcculloch:
Maybe you should just do the work and keep it quiet.Maybe people who advocate benefit fraud that rips off the hard working taxpayers should keep quiet.
I dont know how the system works nowadays. I told the Job centre that I had found some work for two days just here and there. I would have been happy if they said on those days that you found work you dont get job seekers allowance. It didnt work that way. They said that I was no longer unemployed and woulld get no benefit and would have to reapply for job seekers allowance. The Members of Parliament on the other hand can make MISTAKES with their expenses but that doesnt matter.
I know that the rules are different now, but back in the days when I was a TM (in the NHS), I tried offering work to the unemployed brother of one of my drivers for a few weeks to cover holidays.
He worked for six weeks (at the same rate as the regulars) and then went back to what was then the Job Centre. They made him start over as if he had not been claiming previously, so the next time I asked, he wouldn’t do it.
I wrote to the JC, to ask them why they were so obstructive but got no reply. I also wrote to our local MP, who said that “he would look into it”. Of course, nothing came of it.
It’s a big problem that needs reform. Part of it is, as mentioned above, that apart from the actual allowance, there are several ‘fringe’ benefits: Heating allowances, free prescriptions, free bus fares and probably others I don’t know about. There is little incentive for a young person to get off benefits and start work, even at above the minimum wage.
Santa:
There is little incentive for a young person to get off benefits and start work, even at above the minimum wage.
The incentive is to better yourself and to gain more experience from working these type of jobs and to realise that life isn’t simply handed to you on a plate, also to give you the self respect of being able to fend for yourself and become a more productive person in society rather than a cavalier attitude of simply expecting everyone else to do it for you! Britain was not built by sitting on the dole and moaning about things. Norman Tebbit, coined the term" get on yer bike" a real shame that principle has now dwindled into profanity.
Yorkshire Tramper:
It seems to me that once people get onto claiming UC or any benefit that they then stop looking at the help as a crutch and it becomes more of a long term career move that is then difficult to get off as they fear losing this income.
They then stop actively looking for full time work and only ever consider doing the minimum to gain the most benefit from topping up their UC.
I always find that these people know more about the legality and become experts at working the system than to channel their efforts into how to better themselves through gaining better employment in order to help themselves rather than rely on handouts.
I have a neighbour who daughter is a career benefit specialist, 40yr+ old, a couple of kids and has no intention of getting a job but knows the system inside out.
She sarcastically says to me when she sees me in my shiny car, or off on holiday again, “it’s alright for some people spending money left right and centre”
So I always reply “get off your lazy ar$e and go get a job and you can have lots of these nice things in life.
She doesn’t realise that I was doing 50- 60hr/week to earn the money to pay for these things. However now I’m getting less work I can’t claim benefits because I worked hard and saved up my money
If you work and get paid driving, the company pays tax, and HRMC inform benefits, unlike days of past its all linked digitally now, and this is how they make the deductions not what you tell them, but what the HRMC notify them of, impossible to cheat unless cashing hand, and dont know any agencies that do this.
They have also changed with UC the fact some may only work for a limited period and then be out of work again, and why even when earning above any payments being made (all payments reduced to zero as your earning too much) you stay on UC just not receiving payments, but should you suddenly have no work the paymenrs start again without the need to re-sign on again.
Just for clarity, so if anyone is on benefits and looks to get into work again, don’t be scared off by some of these posts, it used to be as they say, you come off then have to sign back on, but not with UC.
Don’t cheat or you’ll likely be caught, alot of interconnected goverment departments now all digital, and you don’t need to as a driver as our wages with just 3 days is earning way above any payments, and helps you get back into full time work.
My second time in life had to use the system a while ago, and compared to the first time JSA (nightmare) this second time round with UC, it actually worked to help me get back up and working full time with less worry about if the work stopped etc.
Santa:
I know that the rules are different now, but back in the days when I was a TM (in the NHS), I tried offering work to the unemployed brother of one of my drivers for a few weeks to cover holidays.He worked for six weeks (at the same rate as the regulars) and then went back to what was then the Job Centre. They made him start over as if he had not been claiming previously, so the next time I asked, he wouldn’t do it.
I wrote to the JC, to ask them why they were so obstructive but got no reply. I also wrote to our local MP, who said that “he would look into it”. Of course, nothing came of it.
It’s a big problem that needs reform. Part of it is, as mentioned above, that apart from the actual allowance, there are several ‘fringe’ benefits: Heating allowances, free prescriptions, free bus fares and probably others I don’t know about. There is little incentive for a young person to get off benefits and start work, even at above the minimum wage.
This really is the problem. My experiences are of about 25 years ago before I had my C and D driving qualifications. I asked for work carrying coal as it was Winter, I did second man on the lorry when they were busy. The Job Centre couldnt/ wouldnt understand that there was no work in warmer weather. I also worked in a potato packing ware house. Again no work after all of the potatoes were packed. Those were hard physical jobs for little wages but mug that I am I did the job rather than do nothing. Its not worth the risk of losing benefit because if you lose one you lose housing ,dental and all sorts of other things. A female can just pump out babies and be entitled. Its a sad state of affairs.
I went onto universal credit for a few weeks and got the full award for my cirumstances never did get the housing benefit payment just the part for day to day living for a single person with no dependants. what i can say is the payment i got for 4 weeks could easily be covered by 2 days driving a lorry.
I was on UV from September last year, worked some of July, got some payment, worked full time August got nothing, same September which meant I missed out on the £300 something payment, worked six days October got £20, not worked on day in November yet. Got a letter telling me I will get £150 help towards heating a week ago, get free prescriptions, free dental care.
You can’t cheat the system as they know how much you have earned and work it out automatically, unless you get paid cash I guess.
On a course next week
Just add I am single, own my own house get £334 UV a month if I do no work. I get relief from council tax and pay I think £12 a month but three weeks into August got a letter telling me I had to pay full council tax as my circumstances have changed
The tax credits/ uni credit and all that stuff that is interlinked has always been a thing. Even pre New Labour the conservatives topped up low wages but hey didnt have the 16 hour thing and it wasn’t called tac credits…but I can recall people in the 80’s getting low wages topped up.
A few things spring out
IF you are earning lets say £150 a ■■■■ then imho you would be a bit mad not to work a full time job as surely even 1 day over your 16 hours would wipe out the need to claim them (Im guessing here). Add another 2 days and you are in lots of extra cash area and really what would be the point of ■■■■■■■ around filling in forms and complying with this that and the next thing when a 5 day week would see you well into a higher income than 2 days plus UC.
The UC top up for 16 and under is surely really handy for single parents, It might also be a factor that low wage/min wage may well make it simply that you would be financially worse off by working >16 hours. If your living on those sort of wages you simply can’t afford to do it imho. It’s nothing to do with morality or laziness it simply means they can’t pay the bills…Blame the low wage not the player playing the game.
The other cohort is those who are couples but both on low wages so anything other than say 2x part time or 1x full time with 1x part time…anything more strays into childcare and a min wage worker doesn’t earn enough to cover childcare …again they would simply be in a financial loss.
I don’t think the answer is to reduce benefits. I think the answer is to raise the minimum wage to a level that means a person can afford all the basics without extras on say a 35 hour week.
The state has made up peoples wages for decades now all the while those companies employing them post record profits and pay out record dividends to their shareholders.
Somethings wrong somewhere lol.
neighbour of mine has never paid any tax just worked below the limit as a parttimer and then any hours over gets cash in hand .Recently his autistic wife had a change of heart went from a bed- bound -leadswinging- benefit -wallah to working 6 days all hours in a warehouse last i heard has a forkey licence too! it takes all sorts
Mate of mine did this in the 90s, a day here and there on agency. He even parked his truck outside the dole office to go in and sign on!
About the same time I did my class 1 while claiming benefits, they insisted I signed off as I wasn’t available for work whilst training therefore couldn’t claim jobseekers allowance.
Just proves that one size does not fit all. I was unemployed and tried to get work. There was a thing going back then called New Deal. You could be given training to be a bus driver. In some areas it was lorry driver. To qualify you had to be six months unemployed. I asked if there was any way that I could be fast tracked as I didnt want/ intend to do nothing productive for six months. The answer was no, the entry qualification was do nought for six months.
JeffA:
Thanks for the reply Tonka. Im hoping I get 3 or 4 days a week but if I get no work at least I will get a bit of UC.
Be very careful you could do 3 days and up with no UC.
I think every pound reduces your UC by 66p or similar. A weekend at good rates,could be your only money that month. Self employed is the way to go if you’re only doing a couple of days 