The Work Thread 2 - Get back to work!

[aayl1]

The company I freelance for is shutting down for the duration so that's all my income gone.

Not a complete disaster as I'd saved to take a year out to study so this was more a top-up than critical to my survival, but still not great overall, especially as with this massive recession coming I'll be lucky to find a job straight after graduation so I'll need a bit extra to tide me over.

Will you not get the self employed 80% payment?

EDIT: I've not looked at it too closely as I'm not SE, so apologies if you're not eligible.

[Jenuall]

Really sorry to hear about people on here losing roles or being furloughed as a result of all this, hope everyone manages to get through it okay.

Spent most of the last couple of days re-arranging our office so that people can sit whilst maintaining the 2m distance rule. It's obviously something that had to be done but has resulted in some odd positioning of people. I'm basically sat on the doorway to our server room now. It's strawberry floating freezing!

[Hexx]

Think I said a quick ‘luvyoubye’ (as I do to friends) in end of video call with boss

[Red]

The company I freelance for is shutting down for the duration so that's all my income gone.

Not a complete disaster as I'd saved to take a year out to study so this was more a top-up than critical to my survival, but still not great overall, especially as with this massive recession coming I'll be lucky to find a job straight after graduation so I'll need a bit extra to tide me over.

Will you not get the self employed 80% payment?

EDIT: I've not looked at it too closely as I'm not SE, so apologies if you're not eligible.

Maybe, I've not really checked it out - it depends how they calculate it as the work has fluctuated considerably over the last few years. Will certainly be looking at it.

[Green Gecko]

The company I freelance for is shutting down for the duration so that's all my income gone.

Not a complete disaster as I'd saved to take a year out to study so this was more a top-up than critical to my survival, but still not great overall, especially as with this massive recession coming I'll be lucky to find a job straight after graduation so I'll need a bit extra to tide me over.

Will you not get the self employed 80% payment?

EDIT: I've not looked at it too closely as I'm not SE, so apologies if you're not eligible.

Maybe, I've not really checked it out - it depends how they calculate it as the work has fluctuated considerably over the last few years. Will certainly be looking at it.

I read up on this early in the week when it was announced. It's a grant paid as a single payment based on an average of your income over a certain period that you pop into a form they obviously haven't developed yet, I believe the first payments are expected to be made from 1st June. The grant is only based on your profit and self employment must have made up at least 80% of your income.

Btw you should also claim tax credits / UC because those are paid up to 30 days prior to your application if eligible but are not backpaid any further. The payment is based on the day you applied not the day they actually make a decision. At least the system for that actually exists at the moment.

They'll probably ask for money back if your actual income from self assessment for tax year 19-20 (which ends in about 3 days) and 20-21 is lower than the amount you claimed so bear that in mind.

[Red]

I've never bothered to look into UC/tax credits as I assumed it would be complicated by my full time student status, but I probably need to research all this properly now.

[darksideby182]

Is it worth keeping payslips for around 2008-2013 and P11 etc
Just having a sort out.

[Choclet-Milk]

We all have to join a massive conference call every morning at 11am to receive updates on the current situation.

I just now got on the call before it started, and I swear the hold music is Spice Up Your Life by the Spice Girls.

[pjbetman]

The company I freelance for is shutting down for the duration so that's all my income gone.

Not a complete disaster as I'd saved to take a year out to study so this was more a top-up than critical to my survival, but still not great overall, especially as with this massive recession coming I'll be lucky to find a job straight after graduation so I'll need a bit extra to tide me over.

Will you not get the self employed 80% payment?

EDIT: I've not looked at it too closely as I'm not SE, so apologies if you're not eligible.

Maybe, I've not really checked it out - it depends how they calculate it as the work has fluctuated considerably over the last few years. Will certainly be looking at it.

I read up on this early in the week when it was announced. It's a grant paid as a single payment based on an average of your income over a certain period that you pop into a form they obviously haven't developed yet, I believe the first payments are expected to be made from 1st June. The grant is only based on your profit and self employment must have made up at least 80% of your income.

Btw you should also claim tax credits / UC because those are paid up to 30 days prior to your application if eligible but are not backpaid any further. The payment is based on the day you applied not the day they actually make a decision. At least the system for that actually exists at the moment.

They'll probably ask for money back if your actual income from self assessment for tax year 19-20 (which ends in about 3 days) and 20-21 is lower than the amount you claimed so bear that in mind.

50% isnt it?

[Green Gecko]

The company I freelance for is shutting down for the duration so that's all my income gone.

Not a complete disaster as I'd saved to take a year out to study so this was more a top-up than critical to my survival, but still not great overall, especially as with this massive recession coming I'll be lucky to find a job straight after graduation so I'll need a bit extra to tide me over.

Will you not get the self employed 80% payment?

EDIT: I've not looked at it too closely as I'm not SE, so apologies if you're not eligible.

Maybe, I've not really checked it out - it depends how they calculate it as the work has fluctuated considerably over the last few years. Will certainly be looking at it.

I read up on this early in the week when it was announced. It's a grant paid as a single payment based on an average of your income over a certain period that you pop into a form they obviously haven't developed yet, I believe the first payments are expected to be made from 1st June. The grant is only based on your profit and self employment must have made up at least 80% of your income.

Btw you should also claim tax credits / UC because those are paid up to 30 days prior to your application if eligible but are not backpaid any further. The payment is based on the day you applied not the day they actually make a decision. At least the system for that actually exists at the moment.

They'll probably ask for money back if your actual income from self assessment for tax year 19-20 (which ends in about 3 days) and 20-21 is lower than the amount you claimed so bear that in mind.

50% isnt it?

Yes, I fact checked this last night and then pegged it for a correction today

The calculation is made based on an average of up to 3 previous tax years ending tomorrow I think. You need to have had made at least one tax return last January for tax yea 19-20 - and if for some reason you didn't file that on time, there has been an extension to allow that. Maybe it's for people who only started trading within the last 6 months or something, as if you hadn't filed a self assessment already you would have been fined ages ago.

[Green Gecko]

Is it worth keeping payslips for around 2008-2013 and P11 etc
Just having a sort out.

Personally I see no harm in keeping them or at least scanning them in. Should you ever become self employed you need records for 6 years, and so I would, keep these documents for up to 6 years.

You can however correct a mistake in your tax calculation going back quite a long time but probably not quite that long ago.

They are also evidence of your jobs and where and when you did them for referencing purposes. Say for example you say on your Cv you did a job 10 years ago at a certain company and a bigger employer wants to prove this through a CV screening company like the one I used to work for. A payslip is evidence that job actually happened. A lot of people lie on their CV, especially if they think it was so long ago nobody will check. I pulled up GCSE certificates for people who took them 20, 30, 40 years ago, so yes, they will check.

Personally I would keep them, but then I hoard everything.

[Green Gecko]

I've never bothered to look into UC/tax credits as I assumed it would be complicated by my full time student status, but I probably need to research all this properly now.

Do you get a professional development loan or loan from the SLC for your MA etc? Unfortunately that is treated as income by JSA etc (it happened to me, they used my partner's student loan as my income as well and said it was enough for two people to live on in private accommodation ) so seeing as that is also the department for work and pension they would include it.

If it's more than 50% of your income (so loans and grants) then you won't be able to claim self employed relief.

However, tax credits and housing benefit are income contingent but awarded regardless of how you get the income. You can work part time or possibly even full time on a terrible wage and still clam some tax credits or UC. It shouldn't matter that you're a student, I think.

The fact that being a student counts as an "occupation" (I.e. A job), I'm not sure that counts against you claiming any sort of benefits you may be entitled to. It's certainly worth checking out.

I think what's maybe being implicated here is that most students have a temporary and permanent residency I.e. Term time address. If you are living independently and paying your own rent etc etc then you are under the same financial obligations and potential strain as anyone else, regardless of what you do for your occupation. With that in mind, I'd be surprised if you weren't entitled to tax credits (as you do work as well) or housing benefit simply because you study at the moment as well. There are a lot of people, with for example children, who are studying part time for an MA or BA etc while working.

Seeing as most funding for post graduate study at the moment are shite and all they really cared about is your money and where it's coming from it would again surprise me if you weren't elgiible. I know I wouldn't agree with that but who cares what I think.

Btw, I appreciate this is really confusing, but you can't claim tax credits or housing benefit anymore, I only understand those rules. You have to claim Universal Credit now if it's a new claim, but the rules should be similar. Generally speaking if you're earning below a certain amount, regardless of where the income comes from (student loan or other benefits or work or just some work) you are entitled to universal credit.

You will have to make a joint claim if you are living together with your partner - even if you aren't married. So they will want all of their details as well, I'm afraid. It's a right ballache. You can claim you're financially independent and equal split etc, and most couples are. They don't care. They treat you as one glob of money.

[Red]

No, I'm self-funding through my savings/freelance work. No loans this time round.

Will look into the ins and outs properly, thanks!

[Green Gecko]

Cool, then I wouldn't even mention it as you're not getting paid anything. It's simply not relevant. It's unpaid work.

[pjbetman]

Has anybody else been trying to get through to the Universal Credit place and it's saying line busy? The website application system is broken too.

[Ecno]

We all have to join a massive conference call every morning at 11am to receive updates on the current situation.

I just now got on the call before it started, and I swear the hold music is Spice Up Your Life by the Spice Girls.

I know the hold music you're talking about.

[darksideby182]

Is it worth keeping payslips for around 2008-2013 and P11 etc
Just having a sort out.

Personally I see no harm in keeping them or at least scanning them in. Should you ever become self employed you need records for 6 years, and so I would, keep these documents for up to 6 years.

You can however correct a mistake in your tax calculation going back quite a long time but probably not quite that long ago.

They are also evidence of your jobs and where and when you did them for referencing purposes. Say for example you say on your Cv you did a job 10 years ago at a certain company and a bigger employer wants to prove this through a CV screening company like the one I used to work for. A payslip is evidence that job actually happened. A lot of people lie on their CV, especially if they think it was so long ago nobody will check. I pulled up GCSE certificates for people who took them 20, 30, 40 years ago, so yes, they will check.

Personally I would keep them, but then I hoard everything.

Cheers binned off the stuff that is pre 2013. I have evidence that i worked for that company if needed.

[Victor Mildew]

We've been told that letters should be arriving today if we've been selected to be furloughed, which will last until the beginning of June. I'll be amazed if I'm not selected really, but it's better than being made redundant.

More annoyingly we've been told our pay rises which were due to kick in at the beginning of June, have now been put off until next year. I had a really good performance review so was due to be getting a proper bump, so that is going to cost me over the rest of the year.

[Rocsteady]

It's looking increasingly likely I'll be furloughed.

My predicament is that I work in a industry that won't recover in 2020 and will take years to get back to the state it was in a few months ago.

I was promised a pay rise and promotion come the next round (July), back in December. Multiple higher ups had promised me this in order to keep me happy/ with the company. Clearly that won't be happening now, and I'll be starting to update my cv as a precautionary measure.

My question is, what do people think is the best way to approach this in a CV? Does writing essentially the above info seem a bit disingenuous considering my job title will be the same? I'm frustrated in that even with the promotion my title will still have been below what I was actually doing in the company, meaning that if I do have to search for jobs my current title massively undervalues me.

[Green Gecko]

It's looking increasingly likely I'll be furloughed.

My predicament is that I work in a industry that won't recover in 2020 and will take years to get back to the state it was in a few months ago.

I was promised a pay rise and promotion come the next round (July), back in December. Multiple higher ups had promised me this in order to keep me happy/ with the company. Clearly that won't be happening now, and I'll be starting to update my cv as a precautionary measure.

My question is, what do people think is the best way to approach this in a CV? Does writing essentially the above info seem a bit disingenuous considering my job title will be the same? I'm frustrated in that even with the promotion my title will still have been below what I was actually doing in the company, meaning that if I do have to search for jobs my current title massively undervalues me.

Always include a byline in your CV of what you actually did in your last 3 relevant positions, most people know the title doesn't really mean gooseberry fool.

My official job title once was "online marketing specialist" that doesn't mean I still don't write in house web developer, video marketing strategist and IT technician because that's what I actually did, they literally just made that up on the spot to tell HMRC.