To think everyone is entitled to jobseekers allowance?

[seekingajob]

I always believed this was the case (as long as obviously one was seeking a job) but it seems I may have been mistaken.

Could anyone explain it to me, idiot-proof?

'My ex couldnt claim JSA because I was working full time. '

Or he didn't have the relevant NI contributions.

Contributions based JSA has been in place for at least 25 years Blanche because DP has claimed in on the odd occasion.

You have to have paid enough NI and I think it lasts for 6 months. After that it is income dependent but if you have a working partner you are unlikely to be entitled to anything unless you have DCs - your partner is expected to support you.

I've just run out of my 6 months of JSA, I asked at the job centre what I get now and she looked at me blankly.
My partner is on a low income but not low enough so I'm going to be living on thin air.

To be clear, the requirements for income-based JSA are:

• You must work less than 16 hours per week
• Your partner, if you have one, must work less than 24 hours per week
• You must have less than £16,000 in savings.

Up to an income of £6,000, you get full JSA (£73.10 or £114.85 for a couple. Under 25s get less - £57.90 a week instead). If you earn more than £6,000, JSA is reduced.

Ah! I first / last claimed in about 1983, so I had no idea, Barabara

As I understand it I'm not eligible as I have a working partner. I did "sign on" at one point but was told I wasn't eligible for any benefits, even though I'm a job seeker who's recently lost my previous job.

Too ill for jsa but not ill enough for Esa. , and what do they suggest people live on ? Fresh air

I'm a student (part time). Also have a DS and am looking for work on the 2 days he's at school and college isn't on an am expected to live off £60 tax credits a week (before bills, travel money etc) because of my course (which I'm doing to stop being a scrounger which is all the more infuriating). Uni will cover more living costs thank god in September. hopefully I find a job asap.

I decided not to return to my existing work after maternity leave.It was a long commute and wasn't going to be practical. I never claimed contribution based jsa but believe I could have under these circumstances.

Now I no longer qualify as my dh works.

I quit my job as a.nurse to be my son's carer so I get carers allowance plus child tax credits and some housing benefit dh works full time but low wage It's different for me as I, m a carer but I was told you couldn't just quit your job ? Not sure how it works?

I would say what is written down is not always given. I was out of work for 5 months in 2014. I was told I was not entitled to anything. I have worked since I was 18. It was just a flat no...no reason why just that I didn't qualify. I had no income for 5 months as I live on my own so had to live off food banks etc. No sacking, walking out of a job so not a reason work wise for it. I didn't have much in savings - £1500 max. They wouldn't explain either.

I work in a job where I'm frequently dismissing people and if they then make a claim for benefits, the benefits office will usually write to us to check the reason why the person left employment, if it's their own fault (eg gross misconduct) or they resigned, they would not qualify for JSA is my understanding.

Yes but that's only for a set time magpie. Their punishment has to come to an end at sometime, surley to God.

So if you are dismissed you can't claim?

This link from the CAB contains some useful information regarding JSA which should clarify some of the confusion

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/in-work-or-looking-for-work/benefits-for-people-looking-for-work/#h-jobseeker-s-allowance-and-sanctions

My dh recently applied for contributions based job seekers allowance. He got turned down as they said he hadn't paid enough contributions, he'd been working full time for the previous 20 years at least!! I knew it was wrong so he appealed then they wrote back about a month later and said he was entitled, just wonder how many people get turned down in error and don't realise

I was refused contribution based JSA when I had been technically in continuous work for several years (but being moved from contract to contract - I was an academic). I was married so my husbands income excluded me from income JSA. I rang up and asked them why - it was because one of my employers had missed one weeks of contributions when I moved from one contract to the next (same employer - just different contract). I challenged that and using payslips to prove that I had never actually had even a weeks break in employment I won.

It has been many years - however please be aware that if you take a holiday at the end of your notice some employers end your employment on the day that you leave the office (they still take the NI off you - but they do not pay the contribution). I know my current employer does this when people leave and I know some people think of it as a paid holiday and then after that has expired start with the new employer. This effectively results in a break in your NI record - if you then fall out of employment within 2 years you may have a fight on your hands to get contribution based JSA. Always keep your payslips and be prepared to fight.

Have yiu been refused it op?

Did they give a reason?

I wasn't, because I'd been doing a PhD for three years (with unpaid teaching every week of term) and so my NI contributions weren't high enough, and DH earned over 16k.

I once applied for JSA while looking for a teaching job as I was skint and wanted to use the allowance money for fuel costs and a trouser suit.

I was deemed too likely to achieve a job in the near future to be entitled to JSA and was declined. Riddle me that!

And if you get say three months gardening leave before starting a new job and your employer pays it all up front, you are effectively not not paying any contributions during that three months, so won't qualify for JSA for up to three years - so if you're in that position get it paid monthly.

If you're dismissed and it is due to your own conduct I think you can't claim for six months but don't quote me. I know you can't claim straight away. I've had to give in depth explanations of people's wrongdoings before so that the benefits office can decide if it is due to their own conduct or not that they were dismissed. Probably as they were told a completely different story by the claimant.