What You Need To Know About Taking A Second Job

Sometimes you might feel like you need a little extra money and need take on additional temporary work or through struggling to find full-time work have to take on multiple part-time jobs.   If you have to take on a second job there are a few things to be aware of:

Tax

When it comes to working two jobs remember to be mindful of your tax codes. They shouldn’t be the same, if they are this means you could be paying too much or too little tax. One job is supposed to be designated as your main employment which is subject to your personal tax allowance. You can read more about how taxation works when you have multiple jobs and how to ensure you pay the right amount on the Tax Aid website here. Tax Aid is a charity which aims to help people understand taxation and offers advice and guidance for tax related issues.

Contractual Obligation

In some cases you might not be able to take on an additional job. This can sometimes be a contractual issue if you work in a position where your hours are assigned week by week on a rota and could fluctuate. This is something to keep in mind, especially in retail positions where you are often asked to list when you’re available to work. Taking on a second job can interfere with the availability you have already listed and during busy periods such as Christmas this can be problematic. Even if in one of those roles you only work 4 hours a week you could still face problems for violating the terms of your contract. If you need to take on additional work it is best to discuss this with your employer in advance to iron out potential contractual issues.

Hours

Under the EU Working Time Directive workers over the age of 18 cannot be made to work more than 48 hours per week. This could possibly limit the amount of time you spend working in each job, however you can opt-out of this directive by submitting your agreement to do so in writing to your employers. This has to be done voluntarily and you can agree to do this for a fixed period as opposed to it being a permanent arrangement.

Striking a Balance

A second job and opting out of the EU Working Time Directive might sound like ways to help you make more money than you would normally expect to but be mindful of the amount of time you are spending at work. Working long hours in two roles can lead to fatigue and can be detrimental to not just your work but also your health. Being overly tired can negatively impact your performance at work, just be careful to strike a sensible balance where you aren’t running yourself into the ground. The Money Advice Service has put together a useful resource that provides advice on the financial implications of taking on a second job. You can read more on its Second job tax and pay page. If you’re interested in other ways to make some extra cash, you might like our blog post 12 ways to have more money in 2015.