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From Adviser to Tour Guide

After sixteen years as a volunteer with us, Chris F is moving on to pastures new.

We asked him a few questions about his time at Citizens Advice Ipswich.

In your time with us here, Chris, you have supported so many people. Our records only go back to the end of 2017 and in that time you have written up around 2000 client cases. Based on this, my back of a biscuit packet calculation shows that in your sixteen years with us you have supported over 5000 cases. Not bad for a volunteer one day a week!

What sparked your interest in volunteering with us?

My interest in volunteering with Citizens Advice was sparked when my wife struck up a conversation with a neighbour on the early bus into Ipswich. He told her about his wide ranging volunteering role with Citizens Advice and it grew from there.

I joined the team sometime in 2008, when I decided to dispense with the commute to my former role at a friend’s financial practice.

Tell us a bit about your time here

I trained to be a generalist adviser, offering help on a wide range of advice issues. What I have enjoyed about this role has been never knowing from one week to the next, what we will be faced with!

In the early days, the door would open and the ground swell of hopeful clients would take their allocated number and fill reception like a GP’s waiting room in the olden days. Now the way clients contact varies but the way we advise remains the same.

On one occasion, a delightful East European lady with a good grasp of the language, but an understandably vague grasp of our tax system was very stressed about a number of penalty charges from the Revenue.

A phone call was able to achieve a clarification for her, and I managed to get the penalties waived. As I explained the outcome she sat in stunned silence for a full minute – then stood up, opened her arms wide, and asked if she could hug me! I told you one never knew what was going to happen next!

You also joined our generalist money advice team – helping clients with issues around finance and debt. What stands out for you about this work?

Our money advice team are truly fantastic and deserve great credit for what they achieve.

It is of critical importance that people have a chance to learn basic financial life skills from an early age.

There is a need for parents to share budgeting and saving habits with the next generation and for schools to find a space within the curriculum to extend this knowledge. Life is a big enough struggle without the added minefield of dealing with debt.

In your time with us at Citizens Advice Ipswich you will have seen life change for our clients. What has changed in your time here and what has stayed the same?

One big change is the ever expanding range of demand on our services due to pressures on local authorities and budget cuts. Basic emergencies involving food banks, fuel vouchers and domestic replacement goods have escalated hugely.

One thing that has stayed the same is the tremendous enthusiasm and desire to make a difference to people’s lives, which I noticed at the start and has never seemed to waver.

At our Away-Days, when the various statistics reflecting our outcomes for clients over the year were flashed up on screen, I used to say to myself, I was a small part of that!

I can’t imagine you putting your feet up, Chris. What is going to be your next project?

It’s a complete change of direction for me now. I have always had an interest in historic houses and gardens and the stories behind them and so I am about to learn the art of tour guiding for the National Trust at one of our beautiful properties, Melford Hall.

You have mentored and supported scores of trainee advisers in your time here. What advice would you give someone considering an advice role with Citizens Advice Ipswich?

I would say grab the opportunity with both hands. You will encounter a wealth of first class mentoring, training, material courses and technical online resource. And that is without taking into account the pleasure you will feel when a client has their life improved by something you have done for them.

It just remains for me to extend a massive vote of thanks to you. We will all miss you, Chris.

Do keep in touch and I hope to see you at our Fiftieth Birthday celebrations.

Understanding your payslip

I’ve just got my first payslip from a new job, I’m slightly embarrassed to say I don’t understand what all the different sections refer to. How do I know what each means and if it’s correct?

Congratulations on the new job, hopefully you’re settling into the new role.

There’s no need to be embarrassed about not understanding your payslip, it contains lots of information which can be tricky to get your head around but it is important to understand. Your payslip shows your pay, deductions and tax information. All employers are required to give their employees a payslip and it’s a good idea to keep them for as long as possible.

The top left corner of your payslip is where you’ll usually find your employer’s details. Opposite this, in the middle or top right corner, should be your details. This is also where you might find your payroll or employee number, this is what your employer uses to identify you for payroll purposes.

Next, you’ll see lots of different numbers and codes. The payment date is when your pay will normally arrive in your bank account, it can be monthly or weekly and fall on any day of the month.

Your National Insurance (NI) number refers to your unique number. You must have a NI number to work in the UK.  It’s used to make sure all your NI contributions are recorded and so you can get any state benefits you’re entitled to, including state pension later in life.

Your payslip might show a tax period, the tax year starts in April and ends in March. The number here corresponds to the period in which you’re being taxed, eg. if you’re paid monthly, 01 will represent the tax period in April, while 12 would mean March.

Next is your tax code. This is decided by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and is used by your employer or pension provider to work out how much Income Tax to take from your pay. Your tax code is made up of several numbers and a letter. The numbers refer to how much tax-free income you get while the letters can mean different things depending on your circumstances. You can find out what they mean on the government website.

Make sure you’re not on an emergency tax code otherwise you’ll be taxed more than needed.

Now to your pay and deductions. Gross pay, means how much you’ve earned before anything is deducted. Deductions are amounts taken from your gross pay, common ones include: income tax, national insurance, pension or student loan payments. Income tax is the tax you pay on your earnings to fund public services, this is something you have to pay but the amount will vary depending on your earnings. You pay National Insurance so you can be entitled to certain benefits, and it also contributes towards the NHS.

Most payslips will add up all the deductions from your pay into a single amount to make it easier for you to see how much is taken from your pay each month. Your net pay is the amount of money you will receive after all the deductions have worked out.

Lastly, taxable pay is the amount of your salary, to date in the current tax year, that has been subjected to tax. This will usually appear next to your net pay figure.