To ask you all what you think the minimum a person can live off is

[Soamiasnob]

For JSA it is 72 for the mimnium pension amount it is almost double about 140.

Aibu to think for JSA it should be much closer to the minimum state pension amount? Maybe more for JSA as they have to pay for the bus and its very expensive in rural areas.

[18yearstooold]

That's a how long is a pice of string question but living on JSA is impossible

[fanjobiscuits]

JSA is a temporary emergency support measure so I would expect it to be lower than retirement provision.

[NoLongerJustAShopGirl]

JSA is like the PP said a transitory arrangement, temporary whilst folks find work (and bloomin handy to keep things ticking over if you have been made jobless )- you can also get council tax and housing benefit, free prescriptions etc.

[Soamiasnob]

But it isn't temp for many peoples, though no fault of their own

[WomanScorned]

Not all on JSA get free prescriptions etc. There are two types - contributions based and income based. When I lost my job, and had to claim it, I didn't get them, nor free school meals. That all had to come out if the JSA, which was taxable, to boot!

[Magicandsparklee]

If JSA was higher, a large amount of people would use it as a long term thing. People will become even more dependant on it. Pensioners can't go and find a job, they are on it at the end of a life that they have probably paid tax in. It is hard to live on (and I have lived on it) but there's a reason - if your living comfortably on JSA how likely are you to work hard to find a job? Also you recieve other benefits such as housing benefits and WTC and CTC and CB if you have kids and your council tax will be reduced and you'll recieve some allowance for gas, also majority will recieve free prescriptions/ dentist.

[ilovechristmas1]

JSA is a disgrace,i really dont know how people manage just on that amount (no kids etc)

it always seems to be the single people that have it the hardest sometimes

considering many will have worked and paid tax/ni and not used the services familys do eg antenatal,healthcare,schools etc it does seem unfair that a single person lives on a pittance

[hellokittymania]

I don't know how they do it... I'm single and on a good week I spend about £100

[jimmycrackcornbutidontcare]

I think JSA is absolutely terrible for people without children who don't really get anything else. I don't know how they manage to pay their electricity, oil etc and buy food and household things and clothes and pay the postage to apply for jobs etc on 70 odd pounds a week. It should be at least twice that.
People with children under 5 get income support and tax credits and do okayish but people without children are really not looked after. You can tell a lot about a society by how it looks after its poor.

[ilovechristmas1]

jimmycrackcornbutidontcare nice to see im not alone in my views,makes a change

[isseywithcats]

im single and work part time
i am allowed to earn £5 a week over jsa so £77 a week
my rent is £400 a month and i get £220 HB towards my rent
so i live on £220 a month
this is for council tax, water rates. food, gas, electric, bus fares, clothes,
yes you can do it but its bloody hard

[Theboulderhascaughtupwithme]

Not sure why £72 a week is all that bad if you can also access help with housing costs, council tax benefit, etc.

When I was a student, (full time student in the sense of the word, 37.5 hrs per week either in uni or on placement) I got just over £400 per month, that was in Central London and had to cover all costs including rent( half of income) plus travel ( at that time about £50 per month, sometimes more if placement long way away) books, clothes everything. Because we were not classed as out of work we could not claim any HB or additional benefits.

Some weeks I literally went hungry.

People I knew out of work had much easier and more financially secure lives at the time!

[Inthedarkaboutfashion]

Well most people on JSA will at some point be pensioners and will get the £140pw so they are not being done out of anything.
Pensioners have increased costs due to heating needs, washing needs etc. most of then have worked and contributed and many of them don't get other money such as housing benefit as they paid off their mortgages (yes I know some older people rent). Plus those who own their homes often end up selling the to fund their care fees.
Older people are not living the life of Riley on their pensions.

[Alisvolatpropiis]

Yabu

It is meant to be temporary.

And yes, I have experienced living off JSA myself.

[ChristmasSparklee]

My brother was entitled to claim diddly squat when he lost his job, so it would seem that the government think you can live off fresh air.

[Summerisle1]

JSA is an extremely low amount to live on but it is supposed to be temporary. You really can't compare people getting age-related state pension and suggest that one is fairer than the other because it's a bonkers comparison. Also, while bus passes are fine and dandy, anyone living in a rural area is unlikely to have anything like an adequate bus service.

[ChristmasSparklee]

My ex has managed to live on JSA + housing benefit etc for about 5 years now, he reckons it's not worth his while getting a job so clearly for SOME it isn't too bad.

[SunsineAndRainbows]

YANBU it's hard to live off, ok for just getting by day to day, but what if you need something? What if your fridge breaks or you need new shoes etc then it becomes even harder.

[ilovechristmas1]

the few i know on JSA single persons access extra money by other means as after a few months its impossible eg,working on the side

if you lived with parents and they subsidised you yes i could imagine you can get by but not if your renting,especially if you have a top up which is pretty common now

[mytartanscarf]

This is something I really struggle with, as while I wouldn't like to see anyone struggling I also feel that it would be counter-productive to indirectly encourage people not to work.

I would prefer to see more support to allow people to access work, in particular if a monthly salary assistance for the month prior to getting paid.

[ilovechristmas1]

there is some help once a job is found in my area,4wks rent paid and council tax after starting a job,it's called a run on,not sure if all area's do this

[Windywenceslas]

My DH was out of work for a month this year due to redundancy. It was a real eye-opener. I'm on mat leave receiving SMP only. Me going back to work wasn't an option as I had a non weight-bearing cast on for a broken foot at the time (it was a really great month ).

Despite us both having well paid jobs (usually) and paying the relevant NI contributions along the way, £72 a week was all DH was entitled to. Fortunately, it was very temporary and he got another good job quickly, but if he hadn't we would have quickly lost our house, since our savings have been obliterated by two recent periods of maternity leave.

Truly frightening experience. It certainly reminded me of the importance to build up our savings once I'm back at work because the State will do jack-all for people like us.

I'm a big supporter of Welfare, but it seems wrong to me to provide less per week to those people who use it in the way in which it was intended.

[PurpleSwift]

Jsa Isn't temporary for a lot of people though. The ratio of available jobs to unemployed people is 1:3. It makes it pretty obvious it is NOT short term for everyone. YANBU OP

[Suzannewithaplan]

It depends what you mean by 'live'
it's possible to sustain life on £72 a week but it's going to be a pretty low standard of living and unless you're into hardcore frugality not possible to flourish or thrive in any way.

I'd expect a pretty impoverished kind of existence considering that we are a wealthy modern country