DH has lost his job

[whoami24601]

Fuck fuck fuck

DH got a new job earlier this year and has been working his probationary period. Today he had his meeting and they've decided not to keep him on. Sales scores aren't good enough apparently!

I earn £7k a year working PT at a local school. I'm also training to change careers atm.

WTF do we do?!

Seriously panicking rn!

Why do you think you will get UC if your income isn't going to be reduced from normal for the next two months ? He can still claim the new style JSA if he's paid enough NI contributions.

I don't know what I'm doing! Everyone here said apply for universal credit so that's what we did!

I would reconsider going into the job centre and speaking to the people rather than trying to do it online as it's super confusing!

The job centre just said to do it online

Now you've done the claim I guess maybe just keep it open and accept a zero award ( unless you previously should have been entitled to some and didn't claim ). I think they may just close the claim after a couple of zero awards but you can do a rapid reclaim as soon as he has received his final bonus.

Yes well meaning people said to apply but I guess you need to look into it a bit to understand how it works. I understand why you've rushed into it and kicking myself for not highlighting that you should wait.

So do we claim JSA in the meantime? I honestly don't know how people who rely on benefits cope! It's so complicated! Easier to get a fucking job!

Yes they want people to get a job that's why they make it so difficult although of course many working people on low incomes claim UC. Yes he can claim New style JSA and it takes about 2-3 weeks. It is only about £73 a week though I think.

Maybe best to make an appointment at the job centre or with CAB to find out exactly what you can claim and how. If the Uc claim has been made online you will both need to attend the jobcentre with ID documents to make the claim live any way.

Yeah its basically JSA but it should come under Universal credit now, which will add any other stuff you're eligle for in. They have an absolute bizarre aversion to even hearing the phrase job seekers allowance at the job centre, but its the same conditions and payment paid monthly

You have to apply online there isnt another way anymore

Patroclus - The new style ( contributions based ) JSA that I am referring to is not part of UC and if op's husband's employment has finished and he is now a job seeker he would be able to claim it for 6 months maximum. They will not be eligible for Uc yet but could claim the new style JSA which is non means tested.

They would not be eligible for income related JSA which has now become part of Universal credit because I imagine their income will be too high if he is still receiving equivalent to his normal wage for the next couple of months and op is working too.

You’ve got savings and you work

Will be surprised if you get any UC... they expect you to use all savings first

You can practically walk into a Christmas job. It would be idiotic to burn through savings/out yourselves in a precarious situation instead of doing that and then job hunting from within whatever post he's taken. Decent Christmas temps can often be kept on, which then buys more time and breathing space.

There's no excuse to not work between now and christmas.

And yes social security has been made deliberately punitive and inaccessible. Because what everyone needs in a safety net is for it to be only theoretically present or available in a few weeks as you plummet towards the ground.

The first 6k of savings are completely disregarded with UC. you cannot claim UC with savings over 16k.

I don't understand why people post such wrong information when they clearly don't know the rules of the benefit. as if it isn't hard enough to navigate the system anyway without wrong information being given.

Yeah Ive heard of that aswell Babyroobs, I should have said so to avoid confusion.

Didnt see the part about savings

Go and get your mortgage changed to paying the interest only. That way housing benefit/UC will cover it. They only pay rent or mortgage interest, and nobody tells you that you can get the mortgage changed if you explain to the lender.
This is why we lost our house!

As I understand it, you should not put in a claim for UC until after you receive your DH's final payment from work. As they will make you reapply and pay you nothing until after that.

This is what happened to DD. She finished a temp job on the Friday and put a claim in straight away. She was due her last wage the Wednesday after for the week worked up until the Friday. When she went for her appointment with the JC almost a month later, they told her they had cancelled the claim and she had to reapply due to her receiving wages in the period she'd put a claim in. So because she'd got paid 4 days after she finished working, she lost almost a month's benefits! It is an utter shit show so be aware and speak to someone on the UC helpline to find out when to put a claim in.

We are in the same boat - DP was unfairly dismissed 3 weeks ago. He has an interview next week, but it is all so stressful, he is 54 so worried about finding a new job at his age. We are trying to stay calm and I’m doing overtime etc to get more money in. We have cancelled gym and other non essentials ... we rent so there’s no way to reduce that. Sending and , hopefully it will all work out.