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Looking to get a job to increase our income
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racyguy
Community member Posts: 560 Pioneering
As we do not receive any means tested benefits the only way to increase our income to compensate for the reduction in benefits payments is to find a job. We are both in our late 70's.
We need £50 a week minimum to compensate for the loss of Pension Credit, another £160 for the TV licence and a further £2300 to cover the annual CT.
Based on the minimum wage I would have to do say 14 hours a week to break even after tax and NIC has been deducted.
The only issue I could think of is that any work I do cannot compromise why I receive PIP.
Does anybody know if there are any grants out there that could help finance the self employment - say £1000 to get me started.
I have been offered self employment as a window cleaner already by a neighbour but feel that it would be a bit difficult given my useless legs.
We need £50 a week minimum to compensate for the loss of Pension Credit, another £160 for the TV licence and a further £2300 to cover the annual CT.
Based on the minimum wage I would have to do say 14 hours a week to break even after tax and NIC has been deducted.
The only issue I could think of is that any work I do cannot compromise why I receive PIP.
Does anybody know if there are any grants out there that could help finance the self employment - say £1000 to get me started.
I have been offered self employment as a window cleaner already by a neighbour but feel that it would be a bit difficult given my useless legs.
Comments
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Could you spend some of those 14 hours a week working on the paperwork to support your pension credit claim instead? I know with the fluctuating pensions it is a lot of work to upkeep each month but it wouldn't be as much as 14 hour work weeks and it'll then help with your CT as well.
You could try and get a monthly appointment with CA or someone that can help with the paperwork -
Biblioklept said:Could you spend some of those 14 hours a week working on the paperwork to support your pension credit claim instead?
OP, self employment takes you into a completely different world of filing information with HMRC for income tax. (There wouldn’t be any NI payable because you are over pension age.)Information I post is for England unless otherwise stated. Rules may be different in other parts of UK. -
You keep saying you can't mentally keep up with the constant paper work for your benefit claims but then ask about self employment. Surely it would take less than 14 hours per week to keep onto of that and would be less stressful than working? I give up.
I would appreciate it if members wouldn't tag me please. I have all notifcations turned off and wouldn't want a member thinking i'm being rude by not replying.If i see a question that i know the answer to i will try my best to help. -
I work self-employed and earn a reasonable amount from it but I can't manage my personal email inbox.
I work self-employed and manage my taxes but I couldn't manage my own PIP claim.
I work self-employed involving attention to detail but I can't cook a simple meal.
I work to deadlines but I forget to eat.
I work self-employed and even accounting for taxes, reporting, keeping records and doing the actual work, I find it less stressful than remembering to wash my body. Or the transition between being wet and dry.
Just because something seems simple or easier doesn't mean it is to someone else. I'm sure I'll get hated on for this and I'm sure it isn't meant to be, but comments like "I give up" seem pretty rude to someone that's struggling.
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@racyguy did you hear anything else from those people that came to the house? I can't remember about your wife but what does she think about having people in to try and help?
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Biblioklept said:Just because something seems simple or easier doesn't mean it is to someone else.Information I post is for England unless otherwise stated. Rules may be different in other parts of UK.
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Biblioklept said:comments like "I give up" seem pretty rude to someone that's struggling.We have given lots of advice through several threads. There’s only so much advice we can give.I would appreciate it if members wouldn't tag me please. I have all notifcations turned off and wouldn't want a member thinking i'm being rude by not replying.If i see a question that i know the answer to i will try my best to help.
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poppy123456 said:You keep saying you can't mentally keep up with the constant paper work for your benefit claims but then ask about self employment. Surely it would take less than 14 hours per week to keep onto of that and would be less stressful than working? I give up.
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I find it odd how i wasn't the only person to advise that maybe you could spend some of that time on a benefits claim, yet you only quoted my comment.
I would appreciate it if members wouldn't tag me please. I have all notifcations turned off and wouldn't want a member thinking i'm being rude by not replying.If i see a question that i know the answer to i will try my best to help. -
Biblioklept said:@racyguy did you hear anything else from those people that came to the house? I can't remember about your wife but what does she think about having people in to try and help?
no nothing more from them. I did leave the Council Benefit guy a message on his mobile but nothing since.
I was going to ask him if he could arrange, at his office, monthly review meetings etc for him to keep the Pension service up to date if I was to make a claim. -
calcotti said:Biblioklept said:Just because something seems simple or easier doesn't mean it is to someone else.
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poppy123456 said:I find it odd how i wasn't the only person to advise that maybe you could spend some of that time on a benefits claim, yet you only quoted my comment.
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Well as you can see, i wasn't the first and only person to give exactly the same advice.Biblioklept said:Could you spend some of those 14 hours a week working on the paperwork to support your pension credit claim instead? I know with the fluctuating pensions it is a lot of work to upkeep each month but it wouldn't be as much as 14 hour work weeks and it'll then help with your CT as well.I would appreciate it if members wouldn't tag me please. I have all notifcations turned off and wouldn't want a member thinking i'm being rude by not replying.If i see a question that i know the answer to i will try my best to help.
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poppy123456 said:Well as you can see, i wasn't the first and only person to give exactly the same advice.Biblioklept said:Could you spend some of those 14 hours a week working on the paperwork to support your pension credit claim instead? I know with the fluctuating pensions it is a lot of work to upkeep each month but it wouldn't be as much as 14 hour work weeks and it'll then help with your CT as well.
You consistently miss the crux of the problem, Having plenty of time on my hands does not mean that I can cope with PC or CTS monthly monitoring - my head will not cope with it. -
It matters to me because you constantly quote me, making me out to be the bad person, when infact im not. Over several threads i've tried to advise you, trying to give you some options but each time a brick wall is hit and we end up going round in circles.I also advised you that they would help you send the paperwork when you need to send more evidence in the future, so that you could continue with pension credit and CTR claims. Yet, you told me "no they would not." You said you pleaded with them in the past and they refused. Comment here. https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/527756#Comment_527756Now you're saying you're going to ask them to do this.So you see, we go round in circles and i'm not missing the crux of the problem at all.racyguy said:poppy123456 said:Well as you can see, i wasn't the first and only person to give exactly the same advice.Biblioklept said:Could you spend some of those 14 hours a week working on the paperwork to support your pension credit claim instead? I know with the fluctuating pensions it is a lot of work to upkeep each month but it wouldn't be as much as 14 hour work weeks and it'll then help with your CT as well.
I would appreciate it if members wouldn't tag me please. I have all notifcations turned off and wouldn't want a member thinking i'm being rude by not replying.If i see a question that i know the answer to i will try my best to help. -
Good hearing from you @racyguy I understand better now why you can't manage the PC claim and the CTR as a result. I said before I definitely couldn't manage the upkeep giving the tiny variations in your income each month. I hope the guy from the council gets back to you and is able to help with some options.
How long ago did you contact him?
Will any of your current income be affected if you managed to find some small work alongside?
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We have approached this problem from so many angles I'm almost dizzy, just one comment on this thread, someone in their late 70's with in their words useless legs" is considering a job as a window cleaner, and yet they turned away help to sort out PC etc <shakes head>2024 The year of the general election...the time for change is coming 💡
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woodbine said:..someone in their late 70's with in their words useless legs" is considering a job as a window cleaner, ..Information I post is for England unless otherwise stated. Rules may be different in other parts of UK.
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Biblioklept said:Good hearing from you @racyguy I understand better now why you can't manage the PC claim and the CTR as a result. I said before I definitely couldn't manage the upkeep giving the tiny variations in your income each month. I hope the guy from the council gets back to you and is able to help with some options.
How long ago did you contact him?
Will any of your current income be affected if you managed to find some small work alongside?
I contacted him over 2 weeks ago.
All i really want is help on a monthly basis to put together a report showing what my income for that month has been together with evidence to support it. I will be telling the guy if he rings that that is all the help I need and that is the only thing that is in the way of getting me back on PC and a reduction in my CT.
I will have to see what he says when he makes contact.
No, whatever I can earn will not make any difference to the benefits that we both receive. I purposely have not claimed any means tested ones because of the rule of reporting weekly/monthly what all of my net pensions have been. Obviously I will have to ensure that there is not a problem between PIP and working.
If no help is forthcoming and I do make a claim for PC I will be looking at another compliance/fraud investigation in the future. That I do not want - I have had two already since 2019.
As an example I have before me the results of the 2021 investigation into just 2 of my pensions.
13/12/19 - 26/12/19 2 weeks amount paid £50.49 amount due £50.44 recoverable 10p
27/12/19 - 16/1/20 3 weeks amount paid £50.37 amount due £50.32 recoverable 15p
etc etc -
woodbine said:We have approached this problem from so many angles I'm almost dizzy, just one comment on this thread, someone in their late 70's with in their words useless legs" is considering a job as a window cleaner, and yet they turned away help to sort out PC etc <shakes head>
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