My Income drops if I work!

FreedomJoe

Today after many months I was offered a job.

Its nothing great, and its only 20hrs per week, but its a job.

But guess what, after going to my local welfare office and number crunching at home Ive discovered my income drops if it stay at home!


At the moment I receive dole and my wife receives half rate carers allowance.

Should I return to work I have to wait 8-12 weeks for FIS, and my wife also has her carers allowance stopped.

She then has to apply again for full rate carers allowance, and this is harder to receive because the government are trying to cut claims by any means. (according to my welfare officer!).

So chances are we would loose our carers allowance.

And because they have scrapped the back to work allowance scheme, it actually workd out that I would be €6 per week worser off If I work, WHEN I receive my FIS, and that is not taking into account money for petrol etc.

I have calculated that I could be around €60 per week worser off by working.

This is madness, when If they had kept the BTW scheme I would actually be around €300 per week better off!

Do they actually want people to work?

Or are we expected to work for less to live on?

r3nu4l

Would you be only temporarily worse off for a few weeks?

What are the chances of getting more hours once you've established yourself in this job? What about using this job as a springboard to a better paid job in a few months time? What about working full time in the future?

Sometimes we have to take a hit now to be better off in the long run. Is this the case with you? I don't know anything about your personal circumstances but what I'm trying to say is don't just weigh up the immediate and say 'that's it', take a longer term view.

FreedomJoe

r3nu4l wrote: »

Would you be only temporarily worse off for a few weeks?

What are the chances of getting more hours once you've established yourself in this job? What about using this job as a springboard to a better paid job in a few months time? What about working full time in the future?

Sometimes we have to take a hit now to be better off in the long run. Is this the case with you? I don't know anything about your personal circumstances but what I'm trying to say is don't just weigh up the immediate and say 'that's it', take a longer term view.

Its a perm part time position.

The problem is that FIS are taking 12 weeks on average to process claims.

I would have to claim supplementary welfare each week untill FIS is paid.

Welfare would only pay out the difference between my wages and my allowance.

If I earn overtime Welfare will know this, and FIS will alter my average weekly payments, meaning that if I earn more than 20hrs per week over the 12 weeks of waiting for FIS, I will actually have my FIS payments changed accordingly.

So I am stuck between a rock and a hard plate.

If they never canceled the BTW scheme I would be better off.

But as it is, I am actually well short.

Just realised because we get carers, we also get around €100 of our ESB bill every 2 months, and €30 towards the telphone line each month.

I am actually around €100 per week worser off if I work.

Its crazy and stupid.

I really cant afford to take that sort of cut with a family.

Nickibaby*

That's crazy. The government need to assess each case individually, nobody should be worse off if they go out to work. The government really need to encourage working in order to get things in order!

I know myself I would rather be working even if I was not earning anything extra (I wouldn't take a cut though). Could you look into doing voluntary work or go on these schemes by the government where you don't lose any welfare entitlements but get a bit of experience

jape

Have you taken into consideration the various social welfare cuts which will be in Decembers budget and implemented in January? That's not that long away. If you ask me, iIt's always better to have a job, than depending on a bankrupt state for your livelihood.

Black Lead

jape wrote: »

Have you taken into consideration the various social welfare cuts which will be in Decembers budget and implemented in January? That's not that long away. If you ask me, iIt's always better to have a job, than depending on a bankrupt state for your livelihood.

How are people meant to see in to the future regarding these cuts ? No one knows whats going to be in this budget and the amount of money given out by the social welfare doesn't need to be cut but the amount of people on it needs to be cut.

As for getting more money for staying at home welcome to my world and allot of others aswell, Yes you could take the Job and the hit in money and hope for the best but ask yourself is it really worth it.

FreedomJoe

:mad:

Black Lead wrote: »

How are people meant to see in to the future regarding these cuts ? No one knows whats going to be in this budget and the amount of money given out by the social welfare doesn't need to be cut but the amount of people on it needs to be cut.

As for getting more money for staying at home welcome to my world and allot of others aswell, Yes you could take the Job and the hit in money and hope for the best but ask yourself is it really worth it.

Thats the question.

Its ok to say that in the future cuts may come, but in the future the planet could get by a meteor!


And Im guessing FIS will get cut aswell, so its a lose lose lose situation.

I agree, the problems lie with too many people on welfare.

The government should never have cut back to work allowance. If they handy there would be 1 less person on the dole today.

jape

Black Lead wrote: »

How are people meant to see in to the future regarding these cuts ? No one knows whats going to be in this budget and the amount of money given out by the social welfare doesn't need to be cut but the amount of people on it needs to be cut.

As for getting more money for staying at home welcome to my world and allot of others aswell, Yes you could take the Job and the hit in money and hope for the best but ask yourself is it really worth it.

It's inevitable the rates will be cut. The government is only taking in roughly €30bn, and spending €21bn of that on social welfare. It is unsustainable. And they can't cut the number of people claiming, what are they gonna say "sorry no more income for you, go off and die now"? No, they will cut the rates for everyone instead, across a lot of payments (jobseekers included).

The rate increase in the October 2008 budget was forecasting 3% inflation for 2009. The current rate of inflation in 2009 is -2% I believe. So that was technically a 5% increase on rates for 2009. To think it won't even be cut by 3% (back to 2008 levels) is naive. Read a newspaper.

OP I would think strongly about that job, if anything it is MUCH easier to find another job when you have an existing one, than when unemployed.

cee_jay

Have you calculated how much the FIS will be worth to you?
Will you be working the 20 hours over 3 days or over more? If its over 3 days have you asked your Local Office about changing your claim to a casual claim and just claiming your Jobseekers for the days you don't work? Would that be means tested and how much would you receive from that? Ask your hatch who may be able to give you a better idea on that.
Why will your wife's Carer's Allowance be stopped completely? She is still caring for someone I presume - is it not just a change in rate and review of means?

yabadabado

Joe ,why would your wife lose her half rate cares allowance?

If I earn overtime Welfare will know this, and FIS will alter my average weekly payments, meaning that if I earn more than 20hrs per week over the 12 weeks of waiting for FIS, I will actually have my FIS payments changed accordingly.

FIS is a 52 week payment so whatever you are assessed at the time of application will be set for the year.Your employer must fill out details of your employment(4weeks) so thats wot will be assessed.if you send in your application the week you start work ,they will contact your employer for the 4 weeks details.it wont be over the 12weeks waiting.

EDIT:did you have a similar query lately?

FreedomJoe

cAr0l wrote: »

Have you calculated how much the FIS will be worth to you?
Will you be working the 20 hours over 3 days or over more? If its over 3 days have you asked your Local Office about changing your claim to a casual claim and just claiming your Jobseekers for the days you don't work? Would that be means tested and how much would you receive from that? Ask your hatch who may be able to give you a better idea on that.
Why will your wife's Carer's Allowance be stopped completely? She is still caring for someone I presume - is it not just a change in rate and review of means?

yabadabado wrote: »

Joe ,why would your wife lose her half rate cares allowance?


FIS is a 52 week payment so whatever you are assessed at the time of application will be set for the year.Your employer must fill out details of your employment(4weeks) so thats wot will be assessed.if you send in your application the week you start work ,they will contact your employer for the 4 weeks details.it wont be over the 12weeks waiting.

EDIT:did you have a similar query lately?

Claiming FIS and working will bring me in 6 euro less than the dole and Carers.

My Wife loses Carers because it would no longer be half rate, she would have to claim full rate. A brand new application!

According to the welfare officer they are tougher on new claims now and are looking to refuse claims.

I said surely because we already had the payment we would get the full rate. Her response was chances are we might not.


Anyway I look at it im worser of by working.

All because they took away the BTW allowance.:mad:

dresden8

FreedomJoe wrote: »

Today after many months I was offered a job.

Its nothing great, and its only 20hrs per week, but its a job.

But guess what, after going to my local welfare office and number crunching at home Ive discovered my income drops if it stay at home!


At the moment I receive dole and my wife receives half rate carers allowance.

Should I return to work I have to wait 8-12 weeks for FIS, and my wife also has her carers allowance stopped.

She then has to apply again for full rate carers allowance, and this is harder to receive because the government are trying to cut claims by any means. (according to my welfare officer!).

So chances are we would loose our carers allowance.

And because they have scrapped the back to work allowance scheme, it actually workd out that I would be €6 per week worser off If I work, WHEN I receive my FIS, and that is not taking into account money for petrol etc.

I have calculated that I could be around €60 per week worser off by working.

This is madness, when If they had kept the BTW scheme I would actually be around €300 per week better off!

Do they actually want people to work?

Or are we expected to work for less to live on?

You're right, social welfare is too high.