tough times

[clare]

Well I spoke too soon,they have postponed the work few a few days but hopefully he will still get it.
I did contact the CAB but it has a national number now (the call is 5p a minute not what I wanted to hear with us cutting back)and the options threw me to a money management agency which basically said because he is self employed it is doubtful he will get anything but jobseekers allowance but without going to the dole office and having the"interview" it is not confirmed and at the moment he feels job interviews are more productive.We already get some child tax credit thank god so we will just have to manage.Role reversal is not an option as I have been at home for 10 years so my potential earnings are low and will not pay our bills.We will keep plugging away got more stuff on ebay this week and a couple of craft fayres coming up so fingers crossed...............

[Thomzo]

If he's entitled to jobseekers allowance then he should go for it. It does mean registering at the dole office but so what? He's genuinely looking for work and that's what the allowance is for.

Zoe

[pelmetman]

If your other half is self employed then working tax credits is available to him .......copied from Directgov website

What are the current income limits for getting tax credits?
If your annual income is not above one of the following 'limits', you can probably get tax credits:
if you have children it is £41,300
if you're single without children it is £12,900
if you’re in a couple without children it is £17,700
These are the limits for getting tax credits in the current tax year - ending on 5 April 2012.
You're not likely to get anything if your income is above these amounts. But it's important to know that:
these income limits don't apply to everyone - for example if you have a large family, pay a lot in childcare, or have a disability, the income limit could be higher
you need to make a claim to get a definite answer to how much you are entitled to
Will you qualify based on your income?
For a better idea of whether you're likely to qualify for tax credits based on your income, you can use:
'at a glance' entitlement tables - follow the link below that applies to your situation
a quick online questionnaire - this will tell if you're likely to qualify for tax credits, but it won't tell you how much you can get
The entitlement tables are only a rough guide to how much you could get for the current tax year - ending on 5 April 2012. They will be updated with the amounts for the next tax year on 6 April 2012.

[clare]

As I said we already get some child tax credit so I have advised them his earnings have droppped so we might get a bit more I am waiting for the award,when you are self employed it goes on the years earnings so It is hard to calculate when it has been 3 weeks without and I don't want to drop it too much in case we have to pay any back next year.
Clare

[boboff]

If you underestimate your earning by £5k ( it was £25k!) you don't have to pay it back mind.

[clare]

Well Hubby has 2-3 weeks work so we can breathe again until the stress of christmas.I kept busy during his time out of work making gifts,ebaying(another £82 earned)and collecting firewood,other than my usual preserving,tending the veg and chickens,keeping house etc.It's very quiet now he's not here.............
Chester our Labrador helped with the 4 barrow loads of fire wood.......