Hi all, just a quick question.
If you work P/T (less than 16 hrs per week) when claiming jobseekers allowance, do you still recieve the full amount of around £50 a week or does that amount decrease dependant on the amount of P/T hrs the person does?
Many thanks.

Depends on how much you are paid. Call the JSA number on your book and ask them to work if out for you.

I don't think so

Hi all, just a quick question.
If you work P/T (less than 16 hrs per week) when claiming jobseekers allowance, do you still recieve the full amount of around £50 a week or does that amount decrease dependant on the amount of P/T hrs the person does?
Many thanks.

I think a small amount, £10, is ignored but over that you will lose pound for pound what you earn.

from what i have been told...

if you work less than 16 hours per week you can still claim JSA


but you have to declare the money you earn, and that money will just be deducted from your £50 JSA.


which means your working for money you would get anyway, also if your not claiming JSA it means your not entitled to housing benefit, or council tax benefit.


so if you claim housing benefit, your wasting your time working part time as a part time income will never pay the rent, unless your a lawyer or doctor of course

if you are a single person they will disregard the 1st £5 of your earnings and deduct anything over that from your benefit

if you are claiming as part of a couple/family they will disregard the 1st £10 of your earnings and deduct anything over that from your benefits..

from what i have been told...

if you work less than 16 hours per week you can still claim JSA


but you have to declare the money you earn, and that money will just be deducted from your £50 JSA.


which means your working for money you would get anyway, also if your not claiming JSA it means your not entitled to housing benefit, or council tax benefit.


so if you claim housing benefit, your wasting your time working part time as a part time income will never pay the rent, unless your a lawyer or doctor of course

However it will give you a foot in the door for full time work and a valuable sentence on your CV.

here is the website for job centre www.directgov.co.uk it should tell you everything you need to know on there

However it will give you a foot in the door for full time work and a valuable sentence on your CV.

yes, but what good is a foot in the door if you cant pay your rent for months? and become homeless?

its a good idea to work part time, just make sure you do less than 16 hours, that way you can still be on JSA (even tho you wont get any money), which means u can still get housing benefit and dont have to lose your home.

Hi

Lots of conflicting stuff here! I work pt and claim JSA. I still get housing benefit and council tax. As long as you get JSA - even if its £1 - you are entitled to the full benefits. The Jobcentre work out an average for your wages and knock down your JSA accordingly - I currently get the princely sum of £3 per week! However the council tax and housing benefit are very welcome.

In the end, I am only about 15 per week better off but I have filled a gap in my cv, got loads of experience and have just found a permanent job - so worth doing in my opinion.

Ring up the Jobcentre - they will work out your entitlements for you. Just watch out you don't go over the limit or you will lose everything. You still have to sign on, look for work and get hassled but, hopefully, you will find a job with more hours soon.

Good luck!

yes, but what good is a foot in the door if you cant pay your rent for months? and become homeless?

its a good idea to work part time, just make sure you do less than 16 hours, that way you can still be on JSA (even tho you wont get any money), which means u can still get housing benefit and dont have to lose your home.

Oh! Forgot to say - if you do work more than 16 hours you will get working tax credits and, depending on your wage, may still get some housing benefit - ask the JC for a "better off in work" calculation.....

You also get your NI credits whislt claiming JSA too, even if only £1 a week since you may not earn enough from the employment to claim NI credits. Without knowing what your pay is though, it's hard to say.

However it will give you a foot in the door for full time work and a valuable sentence on your CV.

If only everybody on benefits took that view :)

However it will give you a foot in the door for full time work and a valuable sentence on your CV.

Don’t waste your breath, some people have all the answers for watching Sprinker or Jeremy rather than getting up a 5am to go to work.

Somebody told me that you could earn up to £75 whilst on benefits but I'm not an expert.

Oh! Forgot to say - if you do work more than 16 hours you will get working tax credits and, depending on your wage, may still get some housing benefit - ask the JC for a "better off in work" calculation.....

No you will not, unless you have children or are over 25, and I think for those whom are single and 25+ you need work 30+ hours bringing a minimum wage to a level equivalent to combined benefits, but disregarding travel costs.

The people in this thread are quoting benefits of £50pw, thus they are the under 25s, as over 25 they would be getting £65 and higher rates of housing benefit.

It's a joke, you can see on this thread from only a few posts, people are scared of working and becoming homeless, but they would rather work than be on benefits, but the only options are often a choice of the two :(

from what i have been told...

if you work less than 16 hours per week you can still claim JSA

but you have to declare the money you earn, and that money will just be deducted from your £50 JSA.

Not quite. Sheffkim has got it right above.

which means your working for money you would get anyway, also if your not claiming JSA it means your not entitled to housing benefit, or council tax benefit.

Nope. The claim to Housing Benefit/Local Housing Allowance and Council Tax Benefit would be assessed as a low income claim. If someone is working part-time, they may still be in receipt if JSA in any case.

People working, who are on a low income, and not in receipt of JSA can still get help with rent and council tax. It's also not reduced pound for pound either. In these circumstances, it's best to speak to a CAB who can work out the level of benefit which could be payable in each individual case. Remember that this isn't dealt with by DWP, so Jobcentre Plus won't be able to provide anything at all in this case. You could of course also ask at a council office.

so if you claim housing benefit, your wasting your time working part time as a part time income will never pay the rent, unless your a lawyer or doctor of course

See above fella.

Hi

Lots of conflicting stuff here! I work pt and claim JSA. I still get housing benefit and council tax. As long as you get JSA - even if its £1 - you are entitled to the full benefits. The Jobcentre work out an average for your wages and knock down your JSA accordingly - I currently get the princely sum of £3 per week! However the council tax and housing benefit are very welcome.

The minimum weekly award is actually 10p! As you say, it might sound piddly, but it is the passport to HB/CTB?prescriptions, etc.

In the end, I am only about 15 per week better off but I have filled a gap in my cv, got loads of experience and have just found a permanent job - so worth doing in my opinion.

Ring up the Jobcentre - they will work out your entitlements for you. Just watch out you don't go over the limit or you will lose everything. You still have to sign on, look for work and get hassled but, hopefully, you will find a job with more hours soon.

Good luck![/QUOTE]

You can get a Better Off Calculation from them, but I would advise getting a second opinion about the housing element of it.

Somebody told me that you could earn up to £75 whilst on benefits but I'm not an expert.

Only in some cases of incapacity, or when claiming Carer's Allowance. Certainly not on JSA.

depends on the ammount u earn, they ****ers aswell so make sure its all ligit with them cus the dun me for working 4 hours a week n im geting dun for benifit fraud, for fk all

so just be careful

so how many hours per week can one actually work for the JSA to still be paid at the full rate?

so how many hours per week can one actually work for the JSA to still be paid at the full rate?

Hi
you are allowed to keep the first £20 of anything you earn before your JSA is lowered accordingly and it has to be less than 16 hours. When you work it out, it's only about 3 hours! The only way to do it is work more hours and let them deduct it from your JSA (ok you're not earning much more than you would on JSA but you will at least get something on your CV and it may lead to a "real" job). I guess this is why many people sit at home watching tv all day ....