Redundant - any other benefits apart from Job Seeker's Allowance?

[whinegums]

I was made redundant whilst on mat leave. SMP runs out at the end of Feb (39 weeks) - my SMP was paid in a lump sum on redundancy back in October, with all other outstanding payments.

I think I can claim contribution based JSA - was working continuously from 2001 until going on mat leave in May last year.

I have tried entitledto and DWP websites, but neither has helped very much in working out anything else I can get.

DP earns around £30k. We rent privately (but from a relative) and pay council tax. We get Working Tax Credits atm, as until the end of Feb, it's assumed I'm working.

Does anyone know if I'd be entitled to claim anything else - Council Tax Benefit, Housing Benefit, etc? Does our entitlement to WTC cease as I'm not working? Anything else I should be checking out?

TIA.

You will also get child tax credit instead of working tax credit. Actually a bit confused why you're getting working tax credits as thought 30k just put you out of range (not sure). No to housing benefit and no to council tax benefit.

Yes you will get contribution based Jsa for 6 months. After that nothing.

Have you been on www.entitledto.co.uk yet?

You should continue to get Child tax credit. I'm assuming that you will be actively looking for work (otherwise you may not get the JSA).

£30k won't usually get you any means-tested benefits other than child tax credit unless you have disabilities or are caring for a disabled person.

Thanks for replying Laurie. I may have made a mistake - maybe it's Child tax Credit we're getting. We definitely get something, and it's been calculated on our joint income. I've read something about a second adult rebate for council tax, but trying to find out who qualifies is not easy!

As I said I tried using entitledto website, but it didn't help.

You don't get a second adult rebate unfortunately - we are in the same position and when I did nurses training we got the council tax 25% reduction. Unfortunately you don't get it for one being out of work.

Thanks again LM and LFC. It sucks... And yes, I am looking for work. I'm not looking forward to receiving about 15% of my usual income after all!

Just a thought, but you say that you were made redundant whilst on maternity leave: have you checked out the legality of this? Off the top of my head unless your employer was going bankrupt you would have been top of the list for being kept/redeployed?

hope it works out whinegums, it's not a lot of fun
dont know much about actual benefits really but dont think you get much if partner earning..

good luck with job search and agree with ladymuck i would look into the legality of this, they could be on a sticky wicket..

LadyM and Aura - yes, the legalities all checked out and double checked - my ex-employer is in a v v bad way, so nothing I could do about it.

Didn't think I'd get much if anything in way of benefits tbh, but thought it was worth asking the collected wisdom of Mumsnet!

You will not get HB or CTB if your partner is earning that sum.

You will only get contribution-based JSA for 6 months (although even this is not a given if you or your partner have savings over a certain threshhold) and after that you are not eligible for income-based JSA or anything else.

As Laurie pointed out you'll continue to get CTC.

sorry about that
but good luck with it all, try and stay as positive as possible and stick together

hope it works out for you, take a little bit of time to get together hot cv, or maybe think of other options..other types of work?

Thanks Aura. I'm fine about it - don't want to work somewhere which is in such a mess!

PITA because I'd planned to take 14 months off and go back pt, but c'est la vie. I'm feeling pretty positive about getting another job, but a bit financial help in the meantime is not to be sniffed at!

no never sniff at that!

you sound positive, and its a re-adjustment of plans, it can be good thang....