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Hall cleaner-need advice on benefits

(16 Posts)
Katek Sat 25-Jun-16 11:21:58

We (hall committee) would like to employ a local single mum as our Hall cleaner. She's keen to do it but says she has been told by dss officials that she would lose tax credits. She's a stay at home mum with two daughters, one aged 9 and the other not quite 2. The younger one has significant developmental delays so not sure if she may be in receipt of carer's allowance. We pay just under £200 per month but apparently she would lose £300 of tax credit leaving her £100pm worse off. We live in an area where universal credit has been rolled out which I thought meant that claimants are no worse off if they work part time. Or are tax credits outwith this scheme? It's an ideal job for her, she only lives 100 yards from the building and can work her hours to suit. Any of you have knowledge of how the system works and if she would indeed be worse off?

Jenty61 Sat 25-Jun-16 11:53:13

I think if you are on benefits you are only allowed to earn up to £20 a week if it goes over then you lose your benefits...

grannylyn65 Sat 25-Jun-16 12:40:02

Hasn't this been posted before ?

Katek Sat 25-Jun-16 13:05:12

Don't think so......only occurred in last few weeks. Unless I posted about old cleaner but I can't find anything in my history for past year.

Katek Sat 25-Jun-16 13:05:53

Perhaps I'm really losing the plot though....there's always that!!

FarNorth Sat 25-Jun-16 13:09:20

I was sure I'd seen it before too. Maybe someone else with a similar situation?

f77ms Sat 25-Jun-16 13:34:27

She will lose benefits and be worse off . It used to be that you could earn £16 but think it is now £20 per week . That few extra pounds may just take her over the threashold for receiving a benefit , I am sure she is not lying to you . Can you not pay cash or with a Tesco voucher (or some other supermarket) , single Mums on benefits really struggle.

Stansgran Sat 25-Jun-16 13:56:33

Ask again on Mumsnet . There will someone who will know. But don't let on you are a wicked old person.

grannylyn65 Sat 25-Jun-16 14:01:46

I remember because I thought it was so unfair !
Vouchers a good idea x

FarNorth Sat 25-Jun-16 14:05:34

Paying/accepting cash without declaring it would be illegal. Don't know about vouchers, tho.

gettingonabit Sat 25-Jun-16 16:49:24

Could she set up as self-employed for the purpose of your cleaning?

She should still be within the personal allowance limit. Trying to think this through better but having a post-brexit-pre-Wales match vodka...blush

Could she offset any expenses (materials, cleaning stuff) against that so she's not actually making anything?

chelseababy Sat 25-Jun-16 18:10:47

I think vouchers would be taken into account as "payment in kind"

M0nica Sat 25-Jun-16 21:09:27

ASk CAB. They should know.

rubylady Sun 26-Jun-16 04:28:00

I thought I was having a case of deja vu. I remember something like this before too. grin

Grannyknot Sun 26-Jun-16 08:11:54

What a completely bonkers system if it disempowers people and discourages or prevents them from taking on employment, effectively trapping them in the system - where is the benefit in that? No wonder it is said it needs an overhaul.

Jenty61 Sun 26-Jun-16 08:22:16

I agree Grannyknot the whole system needs a overhaul! here is another example of the benefits system...a friend of mine had to give up work to look after her sick husband...she was able to claim a carers allowance as her husband needed 24/7 care...when she reach 60 she got her state pension and they stopped the carers allowance as she was now retired and able to look after her husband!

someone else I know left her husband and she was able to claim sickness benefit as she was riddled with arthritis....after a few months she reconciled with her husband and they stopped the sickness benefit as her husband worked and was able to keep her!