Carers allowance and earning over £102 (now £110) per week.

[lesley_16021]

a question
partner pays no tax earns £556.56 pm = £137, no national insurance ,hes my care giver works 25 hours per week,misses care allowance ,are you saying the extra money can be used to fund a pension for himself thus bringing his wages to a level to be able to claim

[Henrietta]

Earnings that are paid monthly are calculated differently.
Monthly allowable earnings are £110.00 x 52 /12 = £476.66.

This means your partner's earnings are over the allowable limit each month by £79.90 and so he would need to put double this into a pension each month i.e. a minimum contribution of £159.80 per calendar month

[Scally]

It is very clear and explicit what expenses we can claim for, and yet millions of people do not understand the rules, and there is far more underclaiming of benefits than benefits fraud.

So, take this week for example. Or take today, when I earned about £110 in under six hours.

I am employed as a casual research worker, working the hours that suit me, and take home around £250 a week in around 20 hours - paid in a mixture of commission, hourly rates, and expenses. Our staff do not need any qualifications: just graduates of the school of life. We employ people from all backgrounds and none. They need to drive and be able to hammer a computer, and the gift of the gab helps: emotional intelligence if you like. Sure, sometimes we have to knock a few doors, and sometimes it is cold and rainy. Usually when the weather is that bad I just stay at home all day, I also dislike getting wet and cold, but on sunny days being out and about is a real delight.

I can deduct my tax and national insurance, and also any mileage expenses from my pay packet. I can also deduct the £50 a week cost of having a personal lease vehicle, plus 50% of any pension savings I make.

Because my car is electric, it costs me about 3p a mile to run, so my mileage is 90% profit. If I am driving a long trip I can top up my batteries for free at any one of a number of rapid charging points: tonight I charged up with 12 kilowatts - about 36 miles, for free, whilst taking a break for a coffee and a sandwitch.

So, I run around in a fancy eco-friendly car, save a fortune into my pension plan (which I can pull out at any time as I am over 55) , and have a good pay packet, whilst getting carers allowance. And I only work when either Mrs Scally or one of our care-workers is providing the care. And the care workers are paid by the Council through direct payments, so it doesn't cost me a penny either, though I do have to throw the odd hissy fit.

Yesterday I cashed in a pension plan for £15,000 to pay off the mortgage ... that's cool! And two weeks ago I cashed in another one to pay off the solar panels on my roof - they also earn me money - around £450 a year or so - through the governments feed-in tariff, and it is tax free and does not count as income for CA purposes.

Whats more, I love my job - tonight I was interviewing a young carer on behalf of the local health board. What's not to like?

The remarkable thing is that all social research agencies like mine have great difficulties recruiting staff. I really cannot figure this out. But if you want a job earning good money for flexible hours, then PM me by all means. I get a commission for new staff referrals of £200 and will donate it happily to Carers UK ..

[Scally]

I interview people for a living, trying to research what life is really like for ordinary families, in order to influence and improve public policies. My job takes me across Scotland, from the inner city slums to remote rural areas. Today I was working in the wildest and most beautiful parts of the Southern Uplands, in lovely weather, interviewing three young mothers - chosen at random and cold-called from pre-selected postcode areas - about their childcare needs, on behalf of the local authority. Not a single door was closed in my face.
I can think of worse ways of making a living. And the drive was great. All electric, naturally. Tomorrow I pick up my new British built Mark 3 Nissan Leaf, and sadly, my Mark 1 Japanese built classic goes to the auction, after three years and 26,300 very happy miles.
I thank the Carers Allowance for paying for my car lease: it gives me a lot of fun, and enabled me to earn (today) £30 mileage expenses on 90 miles driving that actually cost me only £2 in electricity. Tax free, naturally. And expenses do not count as income for CA purposes. As for the rest of the earnings, another £70 or so, most of it gets paid into a pension plan, to keep below the earnings threshold.
I'll draw the pension funds back when I need them. Might be next week, maybe later. Plus an extra 5% provided by the government tax free as a notional 'lump sum' - but none of that counts as earned income for carers allowance purposes - imagine any other rock-solid investment that not only earns 5% profit in a week but also delivers a bonus of £62 a week in benefits - being a working carer is not easy, but we might as well make hay whilst the sun shines !

Meet the trusty all-electric Nissan Leaf, my companion and work-mate.

P1220103.JPG (110.99 KiB) Viewed 5234 times

[Henrietta]

Yesterday I cashed in a pension plan for £15,000 to pay off the mortgage ... that's cool!

Sounds like reason to celebrate

[Scally]

I have figured out that in practice, there probably isn't an earnings limit, as long as you choose the right occupation. The ideal jobs are those that require the use of a personal car and that pay a lot of mileage - because expenses do not count as income.

Let's say you earn £360 a week - and save half of that - £180 - into a pension plan, of which £90 is an eligible deduction.

You will also be paying up to £76 income tax (depending on circumstances) and another £27 in National Insurance.

Add up the deductions: £76 + £27 + £90 = £193, leaving you with £167 per week.

As long as your car lease and/or care costs are over £58 per week, you are under the magical £110 by a pound.

Sure, you will not have much left in your pay packet, but you will have a nice fat pension pot, and under the new rules you can draw that down in small lumps whenever you want to once aged over 55.

[Suzanne_1507]

There is a big problem with Carer's Allowance and working that has been flagged up on our local radio but ignored elsewhere:

On 06 April, 2016, the new minimum wage of £7.20 per hour was introduced. This is a great thing - unless you are a carer! If you are working part time for 16 hours per week, the new minimum wage will give you earnings of £115.20.

Under the rules for Carer's Allowance you can only earn £110. Carer's Allowance has not been increased to allow for the new minimum wage.

The result is that thousands of hard working carers are at risk of losing the small benefit they get for doing an incredible job for the small amount of £62.10 per week. Bearing in mind that you have to do 35 hours of caring per week, it pays the grand total of £1.80 per hour - which is far below the national minimum wage.

Interestingly, somebody from the DWP department in the Government was interviewed on my local radio station and he couldn't understand that there was a problem.

It is exactly the same problem for people on tax credits: you must earn X amount of hours to qualify - but now with the increased Living Wage you automatically go over the threshold. The Living Wage is a great thing if you don't receive any kind of benefit, but it is poverty by stealth for many families.

If part time workers/full time carers don't get the Carer's Allowance earnings threshold increased accordingly, they face a very stark choice.

[Henrietta]

Hi Suzanne
Don't forget you can offset the extra earnings by putting double the difference into a pension pot so you can still claim with a little effort and get a small saving pot for later on at the same time

[Mavis_1606]

I have mentioned this before but I am new at this so apologise in advance.

It is truly shocking the way carers are treated by local authorities. I can say about Cheshire Council, there was not a shortage of funds when it came to the Adults with a Learning Disability Team having their "jollies".

A day on West Kirby beach, a trip to Anglesey, to visit an ex s.w. who now has a hotel, a day on a canal barge etc.

Carers. What carers.

When social workers were informed carers should be offered an assessment in their own right (as far back as 2004/2005) some of the ALD social workers refused, saying they will all want one.

[Scally]

Sure so what was your response?
1: OK, I give up?
2: OK, let battle commence?

Your Carers Assessment is a legal right, not a jelly bean thrown into the crowd. You do know that, don't you?
In which case, screw their skinny arses to the Council flagpost with a sharp implement, or, more realistically, ask your local solicitor to send them a polite letter.