To have my Job Seekers Allowance stopped

[Hammy02]

I am 35 and have always worked from the age of 18. I was made redundant 6 months ago and now that such a time has passed, my JSA is being stopped because my fiancee works more than 26 hours a week and I have some savings. I am so annoyed that there are generations of families that never work yet I am having my JSA stopped. It's only £65 a week but it does make a difference.

I agree that it may be the way the rules are, but it is unfair. Job Seeker's is a contributory benefit and you are punished by not being able to claim just because a partner works. It's like the house insurance company saying they won't pay to repair your roof because you could afford it, even though you paid into the policy.

It's similar to stat maternity pay - this stops after 9 months, so if you have paid your NI conts and have a job to go back to after 12 months you get nothing for the last 3 months of mat leave, whereas if you claim income support, you get this continually paid, depsite it being non-contributry.

'Like you've found. The fact you have a partner and savings has counted against you. But if you go and blow all your cash then you are then entitled to benefits again.'

No, she wouldn't because the partner is working over 16 hours/week.

She wouldn't be entitled to income-based JSA on that basis alone.

Depending on his earnings, they may be entitled to Working Tax Credit, and their child tax credit may increase, and they may still be eligible for housing benefit if they are renters.

'Job Seeker's is a contributory benefit and you are punished by not being able to claim just because a partner works. It's like the house insurance company saying they won't pay to repair your roof because you could afford it, even though you paid into the policy.'

How is this punishing someone? He/she has a partner who works, why on Earth do they need benefits then (they can still get tax credits and even housing benefit if their combined income is low enough and/or they are renters).

I think we have fundamentally different political views of the benefits system, expat!

'I think we have fundamentally different political views of the benefits system, expat!'

Eh?

It's not supposed to be 'fair', it's supposed to be a safety net in cases of need, hence, it is means-tested after 6 months, then, if your means mean you do not have need (other earnings, capital, etc.), you don't qualify.

I fail to see what is unreasonable about this and we are a working poor family who would be better off on benefits.

That's not the point.

And people who get het up about it are, IMO, have just as severe a case of entitlement culture as people who are on the dole.

I'm grateful we never have had to be, rather than being angry with people who are, or who are lone parents, carers, etc.

Not sure why you query us having a different view of the benefit system yet then go on to explain your view, which demonstrates a different view of the benefits system to mine.

LolaKnickers ... you have it the wrong way round. Contributory JSA is paid regardless of partner's earnings, but it only lasts for 6 months. Income-based JSA is paid indefinitely but it is means-tested and if you live with a partner your income and savings are presumed to be joint, you are disqualified if your partner works full time (defined as 24 hours or more, I think).

The system does therefore reward people who have paid a stamp. If you haven't paid a stamp you can't get the contributory flavour of JSA, you can only get income-based.

So the contributory element does run out after 6 months, even if you have not been able to fund a job (despite best efforts - actively seeking work etc). Would be fine with this is income support also expired after 6 months.

YABU. Why should you claim taxpayers money when you have savings sitting in a bank account?

Have to say Hammy that I am in the opposite situation to you - have just come back from making my first ever claim (depressing beyond belief) as I am out of work. Have been so since December but I have been living off savings. Those savings are just about to run out so off to the Job Centre with me.

Wouldn't have dreamt of claiming before my money dissappeared. Not because I am a 'thou shalt not claim' person but because I believe in making sure there's enough money in the collective pot and that it should go to the more needy before me. I am now more needy than I've ever been before in my life, so I feel 'ok' to claim.

That's what savings are for surely?

My sister worked from the day she left education, at 40% tax.
She is unable to work at the moment due to having cancer and the hoops she had to jump through to get any help (once her savings ran out) were ridiculous.
Too many people who really need the help are not getting it as there are too many scrounging layabouts out there sponging off the rest of us

Lolaknickers - The idea of contributary JSA etc. is just a fig leaf to appeal to peoples sense of fairness. NI is just tax. Contributory JSA is just a way of rationing benefits in a more politically acceptable way. There is no guarantee that if you pay X amount in over Y period of time you will be entitled to ANYTHING in the future.

'Not sure why you query us having a different view of the benefit system yet then go on to explain your view, which demonstrates a different view of the benefits system to mine.'

Perhaps because you didn't really expound your views in just the one post of yours I've read.

But nevermind, you have now.

Income Support is for lone parents because, of course, being partnerless and requiring childcare, their availability to work is different from those on Jobseeker's Allowance.

What bothers me about this is that it seems to be based on the slightly odd idea that once your partner works for 24 hours a week, they can definitely support two people on that wage. First of all, 24 hours per week isn't full time by any normal definition. Someone working for 24 hours per week on minimum wage can probably scarcely support themselves, never mind a partner. Why isn't it based on their actual earnings?

I was unemployed for six months last year after leaving uni, and obviously didn't qualify for contributions based JSA. DH works full time, and earns £14k, so we just had to manage on that for the both of us. It was a bit of a struggle, but we did manage. Most irritatingly of all, he didn't qualify for any Working Tax Credit because he was (and is) under 25. If he had been working only 24 hours a week and earning even less, I don't know how we would have coped.