Help. I'm broke

(and a bit drunk/shocked).

What are my options (until/if I get a full time job)? Turns out I get paid a lot less from my part-time job than I thought (I suspect there might be an error on my payslip because there is no way I worked that few hours last month, and for some reason we’ve/I’ve had my payment cut from £8.20 an hour to £7.50). I’ve just found out I got paid a stupidly low amount last month compared to the months before, to the point that I basically won’t cope next month. Can I apply for some sort of benefits if I’m earning below a certain amount (given that I work part-time)? If so can it be backdated? Turns out I’m a bit screwed.

Seriously tempted to give up my job (which I hate anyway) and go on the dole for the meantime, as I would probably get 3 times the amount I get now. But is that a sensible idea? Would it look bad on my CV?

  1. I would assume there are benefits you can get but with this government in charge who knows?

  2. I once worked part time at a ship where the company confused me and the other part time person and paid us each the wrong wages, so it’s possible this has happened where you work? Like is there a younger guy with similar role to you who might have done fewer hours.

Anyway, I really hope it improves for you. This sounds mega shit.

It’s possible, most people there are in 6th form and do the exact same job but work fewer shifts than I do. It would explain a lot if my wages were mixed up with someone else’s, because (I’m 100% convinced) I worked more hours last month than what my payslip says, and according to previous payslips I’ve been paid more than that per hour.

But I find my boss way too intimidating to talk to about stuff like this.

Well mate, I think you are going to have to. As it stands you clearly can’t afford to live on this job so I guess if he laughs at the idea there’s a mixup you have to leave anyway? If there’s an HR person in the office though you could just go to them and check. Your boss isn’t the one giving you your pay, or shouldn’t be? :confused:

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Most places aren’t in the business of reducing your wages by about 10% without telling you, generally even if they are shit jobs. You are definitely gonna need to talk to someone about it. If you find your boss too intimidating to talk to then that might be a sign this job isn’t for you long term, but in the short term is there someone else senior you can ask about it?

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Probably, I have no idea tbh. I don’t know how I’d find out, it’s not in an official building/site or anything, it’s basically just a shitty little sports club building that’s temporarily used for something else, don’t really have a clue who the senior figure(s) would be.

My boss is pretty rude and childish, although I’m probably just imagining it.

Maybe, maybe not. Adults are quite often childish. I would ask around and see if you can find someone else with some influence to talk to about it. You’ve gotta talk to someone man, can’t just be accepting a wage decrease that puts you in a position like this.

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Can’t offer much but happy to look over your CV if you want to look for a new job

As dd says you can’t usually resign from a job and then get jsa or benefits,

if you’ve got rent costs and you’re on a low income you’ll probably qualify for housing benefit. they can backdate it, but only for a month from when you first contact them so it’s important to do it as soon as possible

Sadly, this is true. The system’s such a mess that plenty of people still do it, but it’s not advisible. If it comes doen to your word vs theirs they’ll take theirs every time.

If you can’t resolve the issues, or wing it whilst finding someone else then you could try to get sacked (providing it’s not been a longterm job you’d need a reference from). It’s tricky, though. You’d still have to turn up as expected and do your hours, but not do anything that could be classed as gross misconduct. Maybe others disagree with this being a valid course of action, but again the system’s fucked to the point it’s better than having no money.

We should really all chip in a few quid every week/month/as and when for some sort of emergency pot for people who end up in tight spots financially. Borrow people a few quid when they need it and they pay back in weekly or something, or even not at all. Seems a bit silly to me that some people have got two houses whilst others haven’t got a fiver to their name.

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If you’re unsute about what hours youve worked, make a note. Every month I record myself how much overtime Ive done to match that up on the payslip

Payroll might be outsourced to another company, if there’s a number you can call on the payslip then get in touch with them and ask them to give you a breakdown of the difference in your pay this month. They may have made an error, and will be able to correct it if so.

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You are an expert after all

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According to one of those links it turns out I am entitled to weekly benefits, backdated for 3 months, which would help me out instantly. But I just have a feeling that if I fill out the JSA form they’ll somehow say no. There’ll be another bit of information which means I actually get nothing.

The problem is I work slightly different hours different months, so I have no idea if I filled the info out properly.

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I don’t think I even have a contract anymore, as I’ve gone past the original one year contract and have just sort of carried on there…

:smiley:

Some friends of mine have done this in London (obviously), I think they called it social insurance. Paid for one of their friend’s work tools to be replaced when his van got broken into, and for another friend’s dental work after she was assaulted. Obviously a bit of a logistical minefield, but a nice idea nonetheless.

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Then the contract your originally signed likely holds true.

I strongly recommend you look into what you are actually entitled to under your job before you start considering benefits based on one months potentially incorrect wages. Even if you are still entitled to benefits after getting them correct wage, better to know that before applying.

I don’t live in the UK, but I run a recruitment company in Australia so if you need any assistance at all with resumes or talking about where you go from here I am happy to help you out mate.

Shit. Does that mean I’ll get no benefits?

The thing is I always get payed less than what the contract says, even when I am paid correctly. We’re paid by the minute rather than the hour, we always arrive slightly after and leave before the official start and end times, including the boss.

if you do plan on applying for benefits I’d suggest doing it pretty quickly tbh, as under the new(ish) rules you have to wait for 5-6 weeks before receiving your first payment. (this might just be for universal credit though and not jsa? depends on where you live) no idea how they expect you to stay alive while you wait though. tories, eh.