my entitlement

[crunshiepunc]

i am a single parent of many years having one daughter . my daughter who is 19 teen has just left full time education and is seeking work . my tax credits have now been stoped and i have �600 pound a month to live on i pay full rent of �280 amonth and �55 c tax then the rest of it electricity gas phone food bus fare to work i have always woked but now my out goings are by fare out waying my incomings is ther any thing i am entitled to that i do not no about. or would i be better off finishing work altogether .

[Ethel]

If you deliberately make yourself unemployed you may have trouble getting any benefits.

Phone your local JobCentre Plus for advice re benefits you may be entitled to, and see if you are entitled to council tax benefit by telephoning the Council.

[loublou1971]

Sometimes when your on a low income i thought that tax credits could still help? even when your children had grown up, try and ring the Inland Revenue but Ethel is right about the local council, there may still be help with them. Have you tried asking for more hours at work? and check your not on below the legal min wage it will probably be changing this month.

[loublou1971]

�5.52 is the min wage per hour for over 22 years old

[crunshiepunc]

i work 24 hours aweek for the local council who only give p time jobs.

[Ethel]

Plenty of free time for a second part time job then. :)

Hurrah!

And I think you already get council tax benefit - �55 per month is very low.

[themas]

If the �280 is the full rent then you might be entitled to some Housing Benefit from the Council. They will want to know what your daughter's income is (I assume she is getting Job Seekers Allowance, as she is not now working). When she starts work they will want to know what her wages are, as this affects the amount of any Housing or Council Tax Benefit.

If you can get your hours up to 30 per week you may well be entitled to some Working Tax Credit.

[crunshiepunc]

ethel and themas thanks for your reply in answer iwork 25 hours aweek woking different days each week and different days off each week on my days in i work 9 to 5 i do get single discount of �9 on my c tax .my daughter will be going to uni in august .

[bednobs]

it might be better for you to get another, full time job and then resign from this part time one. it's unlikely you will get benefits if you just resign (at least i hope you dont) surely people who just decide not to work even though they can don't get everything paid for? plus, it's not good for your mental health or physical health to just give up work and go on benefits as you will be branded a benefit scrounger, which is fair, if you are able to work you should.

If your daughter is not a student anymore, you will also have to pay full council tax if she is living in the house. she should get a job to help with household expenses

[themas]

You say you get a single discount of �9 on council tax. Now your daughter is an adult and not in education, you are not entitled to this. You need to notify the council. But do put in a claim for housing benefit if you are not getting it.

I agree with bednobs it would be best for you to get a full time job if you can.

[crunshiepunc]

i got a single parent dicount while she was in education now i do not.