Need to drop hours at work

Twitterbird

Have worked full time for years and now need to drop down to 3 days(part time). For numerous reasons including stress (finding it extremely hard to manage homelife, Childcare etc). Work have agreed to me dropping days but cannot, as I had hoped, provide me with a letter to state my hours had been reduced. Which would have allowed me to claim jobseekers benefit to get me through a few months until I was in a better position. Can anybody advise me on a way that I could hopefully work around this without being means tested(jobseekers allowance). Partner would make our income over the threshold for me to claim if u was to go that route. We have 1 child. Thanks in advance. Really stuck on this

Del2005

Why can't work write a letter saying that you have dropped hours? Unless you are keeping the same wages I can't see why they can't write the letter.

Silent Shrill

You cannot make a claim because you dropped the days. That is why the company would not give a letter stating they had reduced your hours.
If they had reduced your hours you could make a claim, but it will be means tested.
All claims are means tested.

Twitterbird

Del2005 wrote: »

Why can't work write a letter saying that you have dropped hours? Unless you are keeping the same wages I can't see why they can't write the letter.

According to citizens information they need to say that they reduced my hours, not that I have requested it. They will need to hire another body to cover my hours and reckon if they get caught hiring after claiming that my hours had been reduced theyll have trouble with workplace commissioner?

whippet

Twitterbird wrote: »

According to citizens information they need to say that they reduced my hours, not that I have requested it. They will need to hire another body to cover my hours and reckon if they get caught hiring after claiming that my hours had been reduced theyll have trouble with workplace commissioner?

your employer can't lie to a state body .. that would be illegal.

Twitterbird

Silent Shrill wrote: »

You cannot make a claim because you dropped the days. That is why the company would not give a letter stating they had reduced your hours.
If they had reduced your hours you could make a claim, but it will be means tested.
All claims are means tested.

Citizens information said that jbs benefit isn't means tested as it goes on your prsi contributions?

Twitterbird

whippet wrote: »

your employer can't lie to a state body .. that would be illegal.

I understand that

RossieMan

Your work are dead right here I'm afraid. They'd be mad to write you a letter for this. It's leave them wide open.
You aren't available for work, so claiming any kind of job seekers would be fraudulent.

Silent Shrill

Twitterbird wrote: »

Citizens information said that jbs benefit isn't means tested as it goes on your prsi contributions?

But you cannot claim jbs, you made yourself unemployed for those days.

Twitterbird

RossieMan wrote: »

Your work are dead right here I'm afraid. They'd be mad to write you a letter for this. It's leave them wide open.
You aren't available for work, so claiming any kind of job seekers would be fraudulent.

No I know that. The letter isn't what I'm wondering about anymore. I'm wondering is there a stress related way of reducing hours and getting some sort of payment. I know that you can claim illness benefit if you are out of work altogether but what about still working part time?

Mrs OBumble

Will your reduced income entitle you to more Working Families Payment?

splinter65

Twitterbird wrote: »

Citizens information said that jbs benefit isn't means tested as it goes on your prsi contributions?

Jobseekers Benefit is not means tested. By all means make your claim for JSB but you may be penalized the whole 9 weeks.

Twitterbird

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Will your reduced income entitle you to more Working Families Payment?

Not with partners income taken into account. He pushes us over the limit. He has a steady wage but with the price of our rent childcare etc it leaves us with very little

Twitterbird

splinter65 wrote: »

Jobseekers Benefit is not means tested. By all means make your claim for JSB but you may be penalized the whole 9 weeks.

Thanks. I hadn't really considered the 9 week penalty. It may be worth the sting in the long run

TCP/IP

This is ridiculous and fraudulent to the rest of us as taxpayers.

With the reduced cost of childcare could you give up work full time and stay at home is that possible?
Maybe you just need to take some stress-related sick leave or else suck it up like the rest of use and get on with it.

whippet

I am a bit lost - you seem to be looking for some sort of social welfare payment that doesn't exist ... even though its due to stress - you are reducing your own hours and between you and your partner earn above the threshold. You can't expect social welfare payments to increase to suit your own voluntary reduction in earnings

Sardonicat

Surely you would be better off giving up work and claiming WFP? Is your husband's income alone taking you over the threshold for that?

Silent Shrill

With the cost of childcare it must have eaten most of your salary anyway.

You are in a position that 1000's of families are in. Your only option is to cut everything to the bone. If you have 2 cars sell 1, get rid of sky and a home phone. Choose the cheapest broadband using a dish instead of a landline. Stop drinking and/or smoking....or cut down/roll your own. Get prepay phones instead of bill pay. Shop at cheaper stores and give up buying brand name foods.

If you had become fully unemployed you could have looked after the kid yourself saving all the cost of childcare, and probably get some sort of unemployment payment, plus rent allowance.

We do not all get the salary of a minister.....plus expenses, plus somewhere to live.

Sardonicat

She could not get rent allowance!

Silent Shrill

Sardonicat wrote: »

She could not get rent allowance!

She can if she becomes separated.

tracey01

I had the same problem. Just not worth the stress to work the extra days. But there are no benefits you are entitled to if you opt to reduce your hours.
What we did was cut back every single thing we could. No TV subscription, no netflix etc, we drive two old cars (96 and 99 toyotas). We have no monthly expense that aren't tax, insurance or mortgage.

I budget at the start of the month for every single cent we spend and anything left over goes towards extra house payments. I use everydollar.com for it.

I buy in bulk where I can on things I know we will use and do batch cooking.

It was crap at the start but now life is way easier.

All stuff for the kids is either gifted or second hand. Charity shops are great for clothes and toys.

Im just sorry I didn't start doing it years ago. Now I look back at all the money I wasted. I have even managed to cancel my credit card as I no longer need it to get me through the last week of the month.

Sardonicat

Silent Shrill wrote: »

Sardonicat wrote: »

She could not get rent allowance!

She can if she becomes separated.

Oh, for heaven's sake! Why the hell would she do that?

Silent Shrill

tracey01 wrote: »

I had the same problem. Just not worth the stress to work the extra days. But there are no benefits you are entitled to if you opt to reduce your hours.
What we did was cut back every single thing we could. No TV subscription, no netflix etc, we drive two old cars (96 and 99 toyotas). We have no monthly expense that aren't tax, insurance or mortgage.

I budget at the start of the month for every single cent we spend and anything left over goes towards extra house payments. I use everydollar.com for it.

I buy in bulk where I can on things I know we will use and do batch cooking.

It was crap at the start but now life is way easier.

All stuff for the kids is either gifted or second hand. Charity shops are great for clothes and toys.

Im just sorry I didn't start doing it years ago. Now I look back at all the money I wasted. I have even managed to cancel my credit card as I no longer need it to get me through the last week of the month.

Exactly.

Silent Shrill

Sardonicat wrote: »

Oh, for heaven's sake! Why the hell would she do that?

Are you telling me that every woman in Ireland claiming single mothers allowance does not have a man working and living with them?

Sardonicat

There is no such payment anymore.

This thread has nothing to do with that.

OP, it seems your 2 options are to take the financial hit, or give up work completely and save on childcare fees and claim WFP if your husband's income allows.

Silent Shrill

Sardonicat wrote: »

There is no such payment anymore.

This thread has nothing to do with that.

OP, it seems your 2 options are to take the financial hit, or give up work completely and save on childcare fees and claim WFP if your husband's income allows.

Of course there is. How are unemployed people paying their rent?

ashes2014

You should be entitled to 3 days JB per week after 9 weeks, thats if they penalize you for the full 9 weeks. JB is not means tested either.

mp22

Closed