To think paying tax on jobseekers allowance is just crap

[20thcenturygirlwithherhandsonthewheel]

I was made redundant a few months ago. I have worked just under 30 years and never claimed any benefits before. DH and I have always saved to make sure that we have money aside just in case of emergencies (especially as housing benefits don’t pay the mortgage), so we have over £16k in savings and can’t claim anything means tested.

fair enough.

the only benefit I could claim when unemployed was contribution based jobseekers allowance: a massive £93 a week that I could only claim for 6 months.

thankfully I was only unemployed for 8 weeks. But to my surprise I’ve just recieved a letter from HMRC telling me that the paltry £93 a week was taxable. So really; probably will end up about £70 a week.

really pissed off: being putting money in the kitty for 30 years but getting so little when we needed it

At least claiming Job Seekers keeps your National Insurance credits correct.

And if she had spent it on some vital private healthcare, she would still not be eligible.
Benefits are not for people who saved. It does not matter why.

It seems many people think that benefits are great and you get a lot.

Then when it comes to actually claiming, they find out how shit it is. Then moan on here about it.

I hope you get a new job soon, OP.

You wouldn't lose your home if you were on means-tested benefits. You would be able to take out a loan, via the DWP, to cover the interest at the average rate, and then you would be expected to pay that loan back when you were back in work, or if that didn't happen, a charge would be put on the home. The loan would then be paid back, with interest, once the property was sold.

But as I understand it op would only be able to take that SMI loan if she was eligible for Universal credit which her partners earnings could rule her out of? So really there's no safety net unless her mortgage lender would give her a repayment holiday.

You wouldn't lose your home if you were on means-tested benefits. You would be able to take out a loan, via the DWP, to cover the interest at the average rate, and then you would be expected to pay that loan back when you were back in work, or if that didn't happen, a charge would be put on the home. The loan would then be paid back, with interest, once the property was sold.

Sorry I see now you said if on means tested benefits. Apologies.

PIP is not an in-work benefit. Plenty of people in full-time work claim it. It's to cover the extra costs associated with having a long-term illness or disability.

You wouldn't get UC and HC, CTC etc. UC replaces everything else. And as for a CT refund... hahaha. I wish.

As for faking anxiety for the millions we get in benefits! I barely left my house for 2 years, got the grand sum of £0 extra as a result. Like a PP id much much rather be well enough to work like I used to.

But OP said she would lose her home and have to go into rented accommodation. That isn't the case. If she and her partner ended up on means-tested benefits, they wouldn't lose their home because there is a safety net there for these situations.

But you didn't need them. If your savings had run out then you'd need help but they didn't and so you don't.

But when renting you don’t have the security of it being your own home. I have privately rented my current house for 13 years and been given my section 21 to leave so they can sell the house I had the same in the house before, lived there 3 years and the same again, rent now in my area is 150% more now than what I pay.
I know people who have had to move every year or two due to private renting not being secure.

Wait until you become a pensioner & your state pension eats up most of your personal allowance.

I suspect OP would line to see a system in which contribution-based JSA is enough to live on, is higher for people who have paid NI for decades than for people who haven’t, is not means tested, and is linked to your previous salary so people who have paid more in get a little more out. That’s not an absurd ask, it’s essentially the system in other European countries. But it’s very different to the way the UK system works now.

£93 is far to low for a week to live upon, it needs to be raised - like most of the benefits. But unlike Norway Uk was prudent back in the 1980s under thatcher and North Sea oil lined a few happy people’s pockets instead

so whereas Norway put that money away and have over a trillion to rely upon, Uk has fuck all and massive debt

The U.K. used to be like this when it was called unemployment benefit.

www.economicshelp.org/blog/214768/economics/norway-uk-oil/

Savings do not need to have run out to claim means tested benefits. As soon as savings are under 16k a person can claim assuming they aren't ruled out by earnings/ other income.

You're doing better than most with 16k of savings. Just use that in dire straits. Hardly worth getting JSA for such a short time.

Just to point out that my main gripe here is that I’m having to pay tax on this benefit (which is low enough as it is).

I agree. It is rubbish.

That's not the case though. I have just been made redundant and my partner has to fund me. I can't claim housing benefit for my half of the rent etc. I will be able to claim unemployment benefit when my garden leave runs out though. After 30 years service did you not have about three years salary tax free? We got a month for every year worked plus the enhancement for being over 42. Although I won't get that for several months have to do garden leave first

Pretty much. Perhaps not linked to previous salary amount as that could get ridiculous: so possibly linked to minimum wage, or to previous salary to a limit (ie similar to furlough)

A lot of people won't get this kind of package though. I am on a fixed term contract which ends next year so there will be no redundancy pay at all. Fortunately I've managed to save a bit for when I have no job but it won't last long.

Well no, I only worked at this employer for 2 years so I recieved a paltry minimum amount of redundancy pay.

i worked 30 years across multiple companies.