please somebody shed some light, recently my husband was awarded ESA, he is still in the assessment phase. currently im not working, his claim is income related, my question is if I was to start working 12.5 hours a week on minimum wage, will this amount be deducted from the £113.0 a week he has been awarded
Last edited by nafoo; 23-07-14 at 22:47.
Any earnings will affect any Income Related benefit payments, if your at all unsure what to do contact a qualified benefit adviser like your local CAB, explain the situation to them and ask for a full benefit check. This will provide you with a view of your full entitlement, they can also help you apply for anything your not already receiving.
The rules on earned income are rather complex - DWP's guidance to their own staff fills 142 pages!
The simple explanation is that your net earnings, that is the amount of money you bring home after any tax and NI has been deducted, are deducted from your husband's ESA(IR).
However, there is a small disregard on earnings - in many cases, this is £20. You get to earn the amount of this disregard without any deduction from benefit.
In other words, if you earn £80/week, I would expect your husband's ESA(IR) to be reduced by £60/week.
Your husband needs to inform the office dealing with his ESA claim of any earnings or other income. I endorse Jard's advice to consult an advice provider, who can do some calculations for you and check you have claimed everything you are entitled to.
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