How difficult do they make it to get back into employment?

Joyous news, my husband has found a full-time permanent job, which he started the other day, brilliant.

My thoughts were, excellent, now we will be more financially secure and not so reliant on benefits.

But now I am beginning to think that the time between him starting his job, and when he gets paid will break us. I don't know how we will survive financially.

He is on monthly pay, but doesn't know what the pay date is, he thinks it might be the 20th, and is going to check today.

Our JSA got stopped the day before he started work, and it could take them up to 4 weeks to decide if I am still entitled to any, I think I am, but we get no more money from them until they reach their decision. I still have to go to the Job Centre each week to sign on until the decision is reached.

We are entitled to a Housing Benefit run on for 1 month after starting employment because we've been out of work for over 6 months. We thought this would help us survive the first month of employment, and were told this payment would be automatic. But, and there is always a but, they have suspended our Housing Benefit claim and have to do a recalculation based on my husbands income, which could take up to 4 weeks, after which we will get paid the run on.

So basically, we are left with no income until either the council recalculate our housing benefit, even thought they have already confirmed that we are entitled to the run on, or until my husband gets paid which will only be a partial months pay, not a full month. Luckily we have just had our tax rebates from last year, but that will only cover food and electricity for a few weeks.

I don't know how we are going to pay the rent at the end of the month, unless the housing benefit it sorted out. We are basically financially fucked until my husbands second pay cheque. These first few weeks because we have no income, then the following month because we have to live a whole month on part of a month pay.

I'm so worried that I feel sick. It's like they want to make it as difficult as possible to get back to work. The tiny bit of money we do have wont cover food, electricity, travel to and from work, or rent, let alone other bills.