Catch 22 help

Paulbee1122

Good evening.

Just a quick question.

I applied for a wfh job 12 months ago. Made it to final stage but not successful. Anyway I got a call today. Can I start in Febuary.

Issue is I fought for 18 months for pip and just been accepted for lcwra.

I'm not certain I can do 35 hours a week, I don't think I'm upto it, even wfh.

What happens if I take the job, then leave after a few weeks. I know my pip is safe, but will I need to go through all the lcwra proccess again?.

Taking the job I will be about £300 a month better off so not even a massive difference. For reference I got offered 30k as salary.

Thank you for any advice.

poppy123456

Your UC won't just stop if you take the job. People do work while claiming LCWRA for UC. There's no maximum amount of hours you can work. You also have the work allowance, which means some of your earnings you receive each month are ignored before any deductions.

If you claim for help with the rent it will be £404/month, if you don't it will be £673/month. For every £1 of earnings over those amounts your UC reduces by 55p. Whether there's any entitlement will depend on what your maximum UC entitlement is and what your net earnings will be each month.

If you decide to take the job when you start you'll need to report the changes and then click work and earnings and tell them you've started working. You do not need to close your claim.

If your UC then reduces to zero your claim will remain open for 6 months. During that time if you decide you're unable to continue to work then you will start to receive UC payments again and will not need another WCA. As you have LCWRA you won't be sanctioned for leaving your job. You just log into your journal and report the changes that employment has ended.

If it's longer than 6 months your claim will close and you'll need another WCA again.

You do need to be aware that if the work contradicts the reasons why you're claiming LCWRA then it could go against you at your next review. Same applies for PIP, even though PIP is not about your ability to work.

Good luck with the job if you decide to accept it.

Paulbee1122

Thank you very much Poppy.

Yes it's a very hard decision. I have really painful arthritis and some days I cannot get out of bed. Like yesterday.

Obviously like anyone I don't want to rely on benefits, but I'm not certain I can sustain the hours.

I will decide over Xmas.

Thanks again Poppy you are always extremely helpful.