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Should I inform the benefit office of (unpaid) work?

R

Raze

Greenlighter
Joined
Aug 18, 2012
Messages
32
Hi there. Advice please?
I'm on ESA. Technically I can work up to 16 hours a week of permitted work. (I did this earlier this year and they blocked my benefits for 6 weeks, which was hard as I had to wait 6 weeks for my first pay cheque.)


Last month I started a job. I worked two shifts (about 8 hours in total), then the company went bust and everyone was made redundant. I wasn't paid for the 8 hours I worked, they told us to 'get it from the government'. I'm not sure what to do now, I was going to tell them once I had received my pay cheque, so I had something to live on. But now it's not coming.
Should I still inform the benefit office? I don't want to commit fraud.
Is there a time limit?
Thanks.
 
Yes you should tell them this since you did the work, and should be paid for it. I'm moving this to education and careers for you.
 
In your situation I can guarantee that telling the benefit office what you've posted here will cause you unnecessary aggravation, bureaucracy and heartbreak. It looks like you are going to have to write off that unpaid money from what appears to be a scummy company.

PS I've worked for the Benefits agency (when they were the DoE). I do have some idea of what I'm talking about, not just an opinion.
 
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Yeah, in my experience, all information disclosed to any sort of social security/welfare/dole bureaucracy should be strictly on a need-to-know basis.
Interesting question (and reply from SHM) though.
I've wondered about this kind of thing in the past, when friends of mine have been ripped off and never paid for work.

What they (the benefit office) don't know can't hurt them (or more accurately; you).

Not that i am advocating lying or trying to cheat the system. But what you're asking about is far from that.
Always really sucks to hear of workers not getting paid what they are owed, whatever the reason.
 
I don't know about the UK, but here, every employment must be reported to the government by the employer... did they do that?
 
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