Information for Tenants & Service Users
Your benefits
If you are in receipt of benefits and are looking at starting work, you are advised to look at the possible effect of working on your benefits.
There are pros and cons to working. Pros are the benefits of working, cons may be the hidden costs of working.
When you first start working, your income may not be much more than what you were receiving whilst on benefits. It may even be less.
It is therefore essential that you work this out before you start a job.
It is worth knowing that there are more than just financial benefits to working. There are also social benefits to working. These may include:
- Work being the key to independence
- Work being good for your mental well-being
- Work creating a sense of purpose and a way to feel better about yourself
- It's a way of meeting people
- It can lead to earning more money than you receive on benefits.
It is also important to think about the hidden costs. These are usually financial costs and may include:
- Paying for your own doctors, dentists and opticians prescriptions
- Paying a larger proportion of your rent
- If you lose your job and it's seen to be your fault, you may not be able to claim benefits for up to 13 weeks.
How working affects your benefits will depend on the type of benefits that you are on. Before starting work it is essential to get advice on what effect, if any, work will have on your benefits.
For more advice you can:
Speak to PRHA's Specialist Services or Housing Management Team who will help you identify your options around employment.
You can:
- Discuss the pros and cons of working and how working at a particular salary may affect you
- Contact your local Job Centre Plus
- Visit work-related websites such as:
