Started a business on Social Welfare payments?

Boardieman

Hi,

I wonder if anyone out there could shine a bit of light on a question I have regarding starting a business and Social Welfare payments.

There seems to be a lot of infomation out there regarding this BTW scheme the goverment are offering, where you can set up your own business and stay on the dole for 2 years in order to allow your income to grow.

The problem I see here is that I have been on the dole for 3 months while at the same time quietly testing the market with an online retail business I set up a year ago, that lets face it, makes money, not a lot of money, but money all the same.

My question is do the social welfare and revenue just expect businesses to appear out of the ground or do they actually take on board that in order to apply for this scheme you may need to spend a bit of time testing the market?

In order to pay my mortage and buy food for my family I will need to stay on the dole for another year or so, but I am confident my self earnings will make up the added income I need to surrvive and grow my business into a sustainable income within a year. This will in turn allow me to sign off the dole.

My question is how do I approach the people who run this scheme and tell them, I've tried this business out, it works, but I havent been making enough money up to now to sign off the dole or declare that income.

I dont think ive been dishonnest! All I am doing is trying to better myself and do the honnest thing of registering this business with the back to work scheme now I know it is potentially going to work.

Thanks

StillWaters

They won't look kindly on it. The Btwea allows participants the opportunity to try the business out for a year relatively risk free, whilst retaining their SW payment. But only whilst sanctioned for the s heme.

I cannot advise you obviously, to lie to DSP, but if you are honest with them you will probably face a claw back of payments.