Help with Joint Claim and partner working?

[Aqueousdan]

I'm just seeking a little advice in advance of signing off of jobseekers and
wondered if someone could give me any pointers.

Basically my girlfriend and I after university and a sort of cooling down
period started signing on. After 6 months and plenty of knockbacks from evil
companies later my girlfriend finally got a job (she has a computing HND and
is now working for minimum wage in an opticians. I have an engineering
degree and cant even get employed by the local college.)

I'm wondering what i'm gaining by continuing to sign on. Since were
elligible for some benefit from the working families tax credit thing and
i'm not getting any actual monetary benefit from signing on what is the
point?

Thanks for any help

Dan Bowles

 

[anthonyberet]

I'm just seeking a little advice in advance of signing off of
jobseekers and wondered if someone could give me any pointers.

Basically my girlfriend and I after university and a sort of cooling
down period started signing on. After 6 months and plenty of
knockbacks from evil companies later my girlfriend finally got a job
(she has a computing HND and is now working for minimum wage in an
opticians. I have an engineering degree and cant even get employed by
the local college.)

I'm wondering what i'm gaining by continuing to sign on. Since were
elligible for some benefit from the working families tax credit thing
and i'm not getting any actual monetary benefit from signing on what
is the point?

You do get half your National Insurance credits paid while signing on.
As ou have just left education, it is unlikely that this will matter to you
much, so you could stop signing without it affecting anything else.
-If you are claiming HB or Council-Tax benefit, it might be wise to check
with your council in case stopping signing-on will affect those (it probably
wont, in your case).