1. Employment Benefits 1. Job Seeker’s Allowance 2. Working Tax Credits 3. Minimum Wage

2. 1. Job Seeker’s Allowance

3. Basic benefits We are lucky in this country to be part of a welfare state. This means that the government provides certain amounts of help to people in difficulty such as people unable to find employment or struggling to survive on low wages. Three of these benefits are: 1.Job Seeker’s Allowance. 2.Working Tax Credit 3.Minimum Wage

4. What is Job Seeker’s Allowance? Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) is for people who are available for and actively looking for (seeking) work. To get this benefit, you will need to discuss, usually every 2 weeks, when you are available for work and what you are doing to find a job.

5. How much is Job Seeker’s Allowance? Jobseeker's Allowance (per week) –Person aged 18-24: £46.85 –Person aged 25 or over: £59.15 –Person aged 16-17: £35.65

6. 2. Working Tax Credits.

7. What are Working Tax Credits (WTC)? Working Tax Credit is a payment to increase the earnings of low paid people who work (whether employed or self- employed). You don't need to have children to qualify. Working Tax Credit helps to make work pay for low income workers.

8. Who can claim WTC? To claim Working Tax Credit … The rules are different if you belong to one of the following groups: disabled people you must usually be aged 25 or over and working at least 30 hours a week. over 50s parents - if you are responsible for a child you have to be aged 16 or over and work for 16 hours or more a week

9. Working Tax Credit elementsMaximum amount due for the 2007-2008 tax year Basic element paid to everyone who is entitled to receive Working Tax Credit £1,730 Second adult element£1,700 Lone parent element£1,700 An element payable if you work 30 hours or more per week £705 Disability element£2,310 Severe disability element£980 An element payable if you're aged 50 or over £1,185 (if you're working between 16 and 29 hours per week) £1,770 (if you're working over 30 hours or more a week) A childcare element, where you can get back up to 80 per cent of your costs for eligible childcare £175 maximum eligible cost per week if you're paying for one child £300 maximum eligible cost per week if you're paying for two or more children

10. How much can you get? If your income is more than £5,220, this will affect the amount of WTC you can get. As a very rough guideline, if you're a single person without children and you aren't disabled, you're unlikely to get WTC if your income is £12,000 or more a year. If you're a single person without children and are disabled, you can earn up to £15,000 or £16,000 a year, depending on how many hours you work a week, and still be entitled to WTC. If you're a single person with children, you can earn up to £3430 as WTC.

11. 3. Minimum Wage

12. What is the minimum wage? It was introduced in 1997 by the Government to raise the wages of the lowest paid workers. It is a minimum amount of money that workers must be paid. The figure is set and altered every year by the Government and enforced by law. To be entitled to the minimum wage, you have to be at least 16!

13. How much is the minimum wage? The “development rate” for 18-21 year olds is currently £4.60 The “development rate” for 16-17 year old is currently £3.40 The main rate for workers aged 22 and over is currently £5.52 an hour.

14. A …………..means the government provides certain amounts of help to people unable to find employment or struggling to survive on low wages. Jobseeker's Allowance: Person aged 16-17: £……….. Job Seeker’s Allowance TASK!

15. If you're a single person without children and are disabled, you can earn up to…… You have to be ……or over to claim WTC if responsible for a child To claim Working Tax Credit, you must usually be aged…… or over and working at least……… hours a week Working Tax Credit is a payment to increase the earnings of……………… Working Tax Credits TASK!

16. The minimum wage development rate for ……. year olds is £3.40 Minimum Wage TASK!

17. A Welfare state means the government provides certain amounts of help to people unable to find employment or struggling to survive on low wages. Jobseeker's Allowance: Person aged 16-17: £35.65 If you're a single person without children and are disabled, you can earn up to £4,040 per year You have to be 16 or over to claim WTC if responsible for a child To claim Working Tax Credit, you must usually be aged 25 or over and working at least 30 hours a week Working Tax Credit is a payment to increase the earnings of low paid working people who are employed/self- employed. The minimum wage development rate for 16-17 year olds is £3.40 Answers!