part time work and jobseekers allowance

A question about : part time work and jobseekers allowance

im getting jobseekers allowance and a part time job has come up which could lead to more work.. but it doesnt pay enough for me to live on... if i can still claim jobseekers allowance while doing this job then ill be okay to do it and hope that it leads to more hours quickly and/or ill still be looking for another part time job...

the job is a lot less than 16 hours a week and pays about £70 per week before tax... which im guessing will work out about the same as my dole money!

will i still be able to claim jsa? if so, will i get a reduction? does anyone know how much ill get?

im trying to work out if its worth taking? and how much i could make between the job and the jsa to keep me going until i can get more hours or another job...

can anyone advise?

thanks

Best answers:

• i think ive found some reliable info saying that the money i earn is deducted pound for pound from my jsa although they let you off the first Ј5... so it looks like ill end up with a fiver a week from the jobcentre..
  unless the hours im working are taken into consideration too..?
  its a crazy system coz its pushing me to not take the job! ill be working but making hardly anything more than doing nothing and signing on!
• As long as you're not worst off you've nothing to lose. You could get another part time job to go with it and it will also look better on your CV than being unemployed. It must be better to be independent than to live on benefits.
• The important thing is the hours - as soon as you work 16 hours or more your JSA will stop. £5 will be disregarded then the rest taken £ for £ from JSA. If you are below the tax threshold you won't pay tax or can claim it back.
  Direct.gov - Tax etc. info.
• BUT you'll be out there, adding to your cv, which DOES make getting the next job easier, in any field of work I would have thought.
  Plus £5 is £5, which on a low wage must be worth more than it is if you're on a high wage, IYSWIM.
  Have you put some figures into the entitled to website? You might find there are other things you can claim on a low income, although things like Housing Benefit and Council Tax benefit can become a nightmare if your income fluctuates ...
• Just read this thread and it answered my questions too, so thanks! Thanks for the benefits heads-up too, I can see that becoming tiresome very quickly.
• you could try working tax credits or speaker to the job seekers and rthey can say wether as fluctuating hours if they can average them for you as long as keep the amounts up to date you still get ni paid help with housing
• Some time ago, in 2003, I was offered the chance to do some part-time teaching whilst unemployed: about 5 hours a week. I didn't follow up on it, because I found full-time work, but the guy who offered the work to me told me that there was a way to keep the lion's share of my money. Basically, he told me that there was a loophole in the law. Actors were able to work for a few hours a week and keep most of their dosh, and other workers could use this provision too (hence, a loophole). Has anyone heard of this, whether what I was told is correct or how it might work? I'm thinking that if you're not paid PAYE, but in some other way, you might be able to swing it... How are actors paid when they work part time?
• Even if there was such a loophole in 2003, I wouldn't rely on it still being available now.
• It didn't make sense the first time you said it!
• I think actors have freelance contracts and it is up to them to declare, but I am not completely sure.
  I am on JSA and Iґbe been offered casual market research work for the next 2 o 3 weeks. In order not to loose the JSA I can only work 15 hours per week and they pay Ј8 ph, so It adds up to Ј120 from which JSA will deduct Ј60 and most probably they'll inform Housing Benefit that will deduct some money from the Ј95 weekly they give me. So in the end for 15 hours casual work I am going to get almost no money and plenty of hassle. What your view on this? Should I take it or not?