Artist's Resource Pack

Permitted Work is a benefit arrangement. It means you can earn a small amount of money for working without your main disability-related benefits being affected. You do not need approval from your doctor or have to have a medical test just because you are doing Permitted Work.

At its most basic, you can earn up to £20 a week for an unlimited period. This is called the Lower Limit of Permitted Work.

If you are exempt from the personal capability assessment you can work for an unlimited period, providing it is for less than 16 hours a week and your earnings do not exceed £86 a week after deductions.

Any other disabled person can work for less than 16 hours a week with earnings up to £86 per week after deductions, but only for a 52 week period.  This is called Permitted Work Higher Limit. After 52 weeks work there must be a gap of at least 52 weeks before another 52 weeks work is permitted.

Another choice is Supported Permitted Work where you can earn no more than £86 a week for an unlimited period but you have to be supervised by someone who is employed by a public or local authority or voluntary organisation which provides or finds work for people with disabilities.

If you work as part of a treatment programme done under medical supervision whilst someone is an in-patient or regularly attending as an out-patient of a hospital or similar institution you can do this for an unlimited amount of time and again, the financial ceiling for your earnings is £86 per week.

You can work and earn up to the Permitted Work limit of £86.00 or £20.00 - depending on the type of permitted work you do - and this will have no effect on you receiving Incapacity Benefit.

However, if you start Permitted Work, you may be liable to pay tax on your extra income.

If you get Income Support, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit and you do Permitted Work, any earnings will be taken into account when assessing these benefits.

You can get further information on Permitted Work from many places, including the Disability Alliance or Job Centre Plus

This link will take you out of the artist’s resource site and to the Permitted Work section on the Disability Alliance site (www.disabilityalliance.org/work3.htm).

This link will take you out of the artist’s resource site and to the information on Permitted Work on the Job Centre Plus site (www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/Customers/ WorkingAgeBenefits/dev_008431[1][1][1].xml.html)

For more information and to talk through your own situation, you can contact a personal adviser or Disability Employment Adviser at your local Jobcentre or Jobcentre Plus office. This link will take you out of the artist’s resource site and to the Disability section on the Job Centre Plus site (www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/Customers/Disabled/index.html)