Reply to: Cancel contract after one week

[NotAllThere]

Thread locked.

[MrMarkyMark]

You make it sounds like its shameful to claim benefits....

It is, if you don't need them.

[psychocandy]

Clearly.


Hmmm, we are pretty much forced to work in the way we do i.e. LTD. You can choose whether to take JSA.



Certainly not me and I have been benched for over a year before.
I have never let myself get that hard up.
The only reason he admits it is because he seems to want to tell everyone on here about everything he does in life and he sees no wrong in it.

You make it sounds like its shameful to claim benefits....

[psychocandy]

Clearly.


Hmmm, we are pretty much forced to work in the way we do i.e. LTD. You can choose whether to take JSA.

This is true. But no-one forces you to structure the company the way we do. We do it because the system forces us to go ltd and claiming expenses, small salary, dividends is the best LEGAL way to do it.

I'm with you totally on this. This is the system we have been given.

BUT, no-one is forcing you to claim expenses, pay a small salary etc. You could just pay out your entire gross income as salary after all? Its a choice.

[psychocandy]

i bet every time this conversation cycles another few contractors sign up to JSA the next time they're benched... PC is just the only one who openly admits it

Oh yes. Easy to take the moral high ground when no-one knows whether you'd do it yourself anyway.

[pr1]

Clearly.


Hmmm, we are pretty much forced to work in the way we do i.e. LTD. You can choose whether to take JSA.



Certainly not me and I have been benched for over a year before.
I have never let myself get that hard up.
The only reason he admits it is because he seems to want to tell everyone on here about everything he does in life and he sees no wrong in it.

nor me, and I never will, but I will also never try to climb atop a moral high horse about it either, knowing that I pay myself in a tax efficient way

[MrMarkyMark]

For JSA, I don't care whos the most deserving though.

Clearly.

Typical attitude of people on here. I'll massage the tax system because that's ok but I'm going to get all indignant about someone claiming £72 a week.

Hmmm, we are pretty much forced to work in the way we do i.e. LTD. You can choose whether to take JSA.

i bet every time this conversation cycles another few contractors sign up to JSA the next time they're benched... PC is just the only one who openly admits it

Certainly not me and I have been benched for over a year before.
I have never let myself get that hard up.
The only reason he admits it is because he seems to want to tell everyone on here about everything he does in life and he sees no wrong in it.

[pr1]

i bet every time this conversation cycles another few contractors sign up to JSA the next time they're benched... PC is just the only one who openly admits it

[psychocandy]

Stop trying to justify your actions by talking about Apples vs. Pears.
We are talking about directly claming something from the state that you certainly don't need.



Totally disagree, you are taking it out of all our pockets.
gables girlfriend may disagree on this point too.



Sure have, when I was claiming dole, for 6 months, when I was 17.
Why would you say you are more derserving than these "pondlife" you talk so freely about.

If you are worrying about where the next £1000 is coming from, I suggest you are in the wrong game.

Typical attitude of people on here. I'll massage the tax system because that's ok but I'm going to get all indignant about someone claiming £72 a week. Same could be said if you earn £100K per year contracting. You don't need all that so you could offer to pay a little extra in tax.

For JSA, I don't care whos the most deserving though. Legally I can claim it because I am looking for work. My point is a lot of people are not and thats not legal. So yes someone who claims benefits, illegally plays the system is pondlife.

Didn't say I desperately needed the £1000. But, its £1000 less taken out of my warchest which makes it last longer so thats fine by me.

To be honest, we've been over this 100s of times on here. If you don't want to claim it then don't claim it, but its legal. End of. I have no issues with claiming and I'm hardly going to change my mind because a stranger on an internet forum says they don't think I should, am I?

[MrMarkyMark]

Claiming for travel expenses that the permie sitting next to you has to pay out of his taxed income, setting your salary level so you don't pay any NI, then using dividends and splitting them with your spouse to mimize tax = morally bankrupt in some peoples eyes.

Stop trying to justify your actions by talking about Apples vs. Pears.
We are talking about directly claming something from the state that you certainly don't need.

Claiming JSA is not as if its taking it out of someone elses pocket is it?

Totally disagree, you are taking it out of all our pockets.
gables girlfriend may disagree on this point too.

BTW. Ever been to a jobcentre and seen the pondlife hanging around? There are bigger issues with benefits then people like me claiming for a few months and genuniely looking for work

Sure have, when I was claiming dole, for 6 months, when I was 17.
Why would you say you are more derserving than these "pondlife" you talk so freely about.

If you are worrying about where the next £1000 is coming from, I suggest you are in the wrong game.

[psychocandy]

Personally I think it's disgraceful.

My girlfriend can't get JSA at the moment due to not having paid enough NI in the last three years (who thought that rule I don't know) despite having been employed for over 30 years!! She decided on a career change from nursing, she went a did a degree and whilst doing that had part time work (limited to 16 hours by course) so it's not like she hasn't paid anything.

Yet contractors on the bench can claim it, ffs!!

I believe the rules are that you need to have earned over the minimum threshold in the last two years. Of course, as we all know, we can pay ourselves salary to exceed this so you get credited with NI but not actually pay any.

Unfortunately, I don't make the rules but I think this two year thing is a little unfair. Like in your girlfriends case where shes worked previously. Plenty of people out where have never worked and never intend to can claim.

[psychocandy]

Indeed but same poster would drop his clients in a heartbeat to suit himself. He has a mercenary attitude to everything so being morally wrong isn't an issue. It's down to personal choice this one I am afraid. The rules sadly say it can be done.

Just for the record, I have never quit a contract with no notice period. I have only ever left a contract early - and that was a week early giving notice - client was fine about it for a contract that wasnt extending. And only once have I declined a renewal and gone to do something else.

[psychocandy]

Taking out something from the system that someone else will need, morally bankrupt IMO.
I can't see £70 PW being needed by you, in any case, unless you spend most of your time on the bench.

Claiming for travel expenses that the permie sitting next to you has to pay out of his taxed income, setting your salary level so you don't pay any NI, then using dividends and splitting them with your spouse to mimize tax = morally bankrupt in some peoples eyes.

Claiming JSA is not as if its taking it out of someone elses pocket is it? Yes its not a great deal but be on the bench for 3 month and it adds up. 13x£72 is my morgage paid for another month or so.

Be on the bench for two weeks and you'll think bugger wasted all that time doing the forms for £150. Be on the bench for 3 months, you'll be thinking, hhm warchest is going, that £1000 would have been handy. But its too late to backdate it.

But to answer you're question, in the last 4-5 years, Ive had two weeks on the bench, then three months on the bench. For the 2 weeks one, I wish I hadnt bothered, for 3 months Im glad I did.

BTW. Ever been to a jobcentre and seen the pondlife hanging around? There are bigger issues with benefits then people like me claiming for a few months and genuniely looking for work

[gables]

You need to provide a P45 to yourself and stop paying salary. Bit of a grey area but its advisable to stop dividends too.

Not sure of the limit now but its a lot more than £6K I think for savings....

I've had discussions with senior people at the jobcentre in the past about this and they are happy. Its because you are "temporarily without work" or "laid off due to lack of work" - that is all above board.

The jobcentre staff are perfectly happy to allow this. From they're point of view, they are happy to pay out for someone temporarily who they know will sort themselves out with something else shortly, won't give them hassle, or make every attempt NOT to work. Unfortunately, they deal with people like this on a daily basis.

Personally I think it's disgraceful.

My girlfriend can't get JSA at the moment due to not having paid enough NI in the last three years (who thought that rule I don't know) despite having been employed for over 30 years!! She decided on a career change from nursing, she went a did a degree and whilst doing that had part time work (limited to 16 hours by course) so it's not like she hasn't paid anything.

Yet contractors on the bench can claim it, ffs!!

[MrMarkyMark]

Indeed but same poster would drop his clients in a heartbeat to suit himself. He has a mercenary attitude to everything so being morally wrong isn't an issue. It's down to personal choice this one I am afraid. The rules sadly say it can be done.

And we wonder why he, constantly, has so many problems running his show .