i reckon people associate claiming working tax credits with being on the dole.......simply not the case......working tax credits are a safety net for those who are working either employed or self employed (like wot most of us are) and in some cases the extra amount paid by the working tax folks is actually more than the state unemployent amount per week.....ie i think the weekly amount for the unemployment benefit is about 40-50 quid a week for a single person?......whereas if he/she were to get out and about looking for work and sevicing that work (including collecting/bookkeeping etc) at least 30 hours a week as a self employed window cleaner/painter/whatever then the highest weekly amount goes up to around 80 quid a week PLUS whatever they earn, which in the 1st couple of years of being self employed is going to be pretty much dross anyway....so in my book the working tax is the better option.