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If you are currently getting benefits as incapable of work or receiving disability living allowance and you are considering doing any work, even permitted work or voluntary work, get advice from an advice agency before doing anything else. Even a small amount of paid or unpaid work can affect a finding that you are incapable of work and may affect your disability living allowance.
If the work is paid, rather than voluntary, you should also get a better-off calculation done by an advice agency. This will tell you whether you will be financially better or worse off in work. There are a lot of factors to be taken into account in doing such a calculation, so much so that many agencies now have specialist computer software to do the job.
For example, the number of hours you work may make a big difference to which benefits you can continue to claim or start claiming for the first time. In addition, a small amount of your income, between £5 and £25 depending on your circumstances, may be disregarded (ignored) for some benefits.
You may also be able to claim various bonuses, run-ons or grants, depending on the benefits you are receiving.
It's also vital that you get advice about linking rules. including the welfare to work linking rule which may allow you to go back onto your old benefits if you start work and have to stop again because of your health.
Information for Benefits and Work members
If you are a Benefits and Work member, you can download the following work and benefits related guides:
Work and benefits (6 pages). A brief guide to how work affects benefits.
The Permitted Work Rules (6 pages). An explanation of the different types of paid work claimants can undertake without it affecting the finding that they are incapable of work.
Getting the best from work-focused interviews (11 pages). This guide sets out the minimum level of participation required of claimants at a work-focused interview and what you can and can't be required to do.
If I do any work, can I continue to claim my . . . ( 4 pages). A brief look at what happens to your existing benefits if you start voluntary, permitted, part-time or full-time work.
Caution! It may not count as voluntary work ( 5 pages). This guide sets out some of the possible pitfalls for claimants in undertaking voluntary work and explains how to avoid them.
Which benefits can I claim? (9 pages). A very simple overview of who can claim which benefits.
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