Hi I haven't but I do no if u have a part time job u can still get carers allowance cos I do I jus have to make sure I dnt earn over 100 pound per week nd I have to ring the carers allowance wvery mnth wen I get paid to inv
Form them!

Hi, when I called DWP carers unit to inform them I was working - sessional work. I was told that as long as you earn less than £100 a week AFTER deductions like National Insurance and pension and a few other deductions - check the website for more details, you can still receive Carers Allowance so it would be very interesting to see if the extra £6 - £11 you were earning was before the acceptable deductions etc. If it was after the deductions, then that would mean you were not entitled to receive the CA.
Hope this helps? :-)

Ring up the Benefits Enquiry line and ask them the question. I know they average variable earnings over 5 weeks but where you regularly work 39 weeks in term time - which is predictable income, I cannot see why they shouldn't average it over the year. After all you are not going to be doing the job in school holidays. It is net after deductions for tax, NI and half of any pension contributions you make - some people deliberately put double the amount which takes them over into a pension rather than lose their CA. You can also deduct the following:
* The first £20 of any income for renting out rooms in your own home.
* Foster care allowance from a local authority.
* Payments made to someone (other than a close relative) to look after the severely disabled person you normally care for while you're at work (up to half your net earnings can be ignored this way).
* Payments made to someone (other than a close relative) to look after your child (or children) under 16 while you're at work. (Up to half your net earnings can be ignored this way.)

Sarah, I would leave this for a solicitor to work out – it’s what they get paid for. Its complex at best but being an ancillary school worker only further complicates it.

If you really want to do the leg work yourself (advise against) then have a look at this.

Find on DWP website the DWP decision makers guide. Go to volume 3, chapter 15 (earnings) and what is in here is how they work out earnings as they affect benefits. Sub-section 15145 looks specifically at special rules for ancillary (non-teaching staff) school staff, however be warned its often legal jargon and difficult to work out and often consists of several hundred pages. Lawyers go to law school to do this work for you and I wouldn’t bother trying to understand it. It also must be read alongside many other chapters including, CA which I think is in volume 10 (can’t remember the chapter sorry) but again will consist of several hundred pages.

You also will have to take into account earnings and benefits for the other 13 weeks including any retention payments etc paid during the holiday period or on top of wages meant for that holiday period. It takes DWP many months to work these things out as they are so complex and I, if I was you would leave this for my solicitor to work out.

P.S. don’t mix up your situation with any educational staff as they are treated differently to non-educational staff.