What will happen to the benefits that I am currently getting if I start work? Each benefit has different rules about working, and these are outlined below.

Can I work for just a few hours a week?

One of the limitations with the benefits system is that people are treated as being either incapable of all work, or else fully fit for work. There is no structure to support people who may be able to work occasionally, or who can work for part of a week, or those who can work full time but with limited capacity. If you are well enough to do some work, then the DWP will usually treat you as fit for work and you will then lose your entitlement to sickness benefits. There are a few exceptions to this, such as rules on Permitted Work, which are discussed below.

If the work is low paid, can I get any benefits to top-up the wages?

It is worth remembering that the disincentives to take up employment because a future salary would be lower than your current benefit entitlement, the benefits trap, is now largely a thing of the past.  There are many benefits you can claim if you work part-time or your wages are low, and details of those are given below, and you are likely to find yourself financially better off than if you just stayed on benefits.

What happens if I have to stop work because of illness - will I be able to go back onto benefits at the same rate I currently get?

There are linking rules, which allow you to go straight back onto some benefits at the same rate, and under the same conditions, after a break in claim of up to 52 weeks. These linking rules only apply however if you have been claiming benefit on the basis of your incapacity for 28 weeks and stop claiming because you have gone into work. Over recent years there have been changes to many benefits. If you have been continuously in receipt of benefits, you may have been shielded from these changes. However, if you break your benefit claim without being able to take advantage of the linking rules described above, you will usually have to reclaim under the new (often-harsher) rules. Some of the main changes that you need to be aware of are included below.