Off to the jobcentre to discuss benefits etc...(help?)

[bronze]

Going on monday with dh who is signing on. They will also be going through what we will be entitled to with us. What do I need to take with us?
Do I need to take details of tax credits, council tax etc?

It's been a long time since I had to sign on so can't really remember but I think the best bet is to just take everything, literally everything you think they may possibly want. If they don't need it no harm done, saves you to-ing and fro-ing for proof of this that and the other, which can hold things up for ages!

Good luck

They asked me recently for recent statements for current and savings accounts, ISA, child trust fund, even the £50 premium bond in my name from 1975! They also wanted proof of a recent compensation payment that DP received as well as his profit and loss accounts for his self-employed status. Also child / tax benefit bumpfh as you've mentioned.

It is an arse-ache as they're bound to ask for something that you've lost / forgotten but worth it to get the help you're entitled to.

thanks
I have got
utility bills
credit card statements
bank statements
ctf statements
cb statement
ctc statement
details of mortgage
details of insurance for mortgage
council tax
letter from ex emplyers stating measly settlement

if theres anything Ive missed shout please

Hi,

good luck for Monday is all I can say. Dh went two weeks ago to 'sign on' for the first time on his life. They couldn't/wouldn't give us any advice with regards to any other help we could get, just gave him a number to call.

I may be naive but it seems to be incredibly unfair this benefits system business. We have both worked since leaving school,Me going back after having both my children . Im due to have our third in june and we have a mortgage. When dh lost his job a month ago , I was relieved to hear that you can get help with your mortgage, and as we are pregnant maybe a £500 maternity grant, as well as other benefits such as council tax benefit. It would certainly all help as I only work part time and earn about £200 a month.

We were told that because dh has worked and therefore paid enough NI contributions he is 'eligable' for contribution based job seekers allowance' Great I thought, because he's paid into the pot we will get help. Um,no. Thats not how it works. Because he has paid in to the fund that helps support people who cant work, he is entitled to £64 a week and nothing else. However after 6 months he can go onto an income based job seekers, which means we would get £64 a week plus all the other beneifts too, including help with our mortgage.

So basically we have to keep hold of my home on no salary for 6 mths before they help you, I have no savings - how do i keep my home for that 6 months? And if they only help people who are on income based jsa - these people mustnt have worked to pay enough NI , so how have they even got a mortgage in the first place?

Ive never used the benefits system before, but I dont understand how its fair, that the more you put into the pot the less you are allowed to take out when needed. I dont understand why the benfit people dont say ' ah hello mr so and so , youve paid NI and tax all your life, come here and let us give you full help for a while, not indefinately, maybe just for a year until you get back on you feet, or if you find a job before then'.But they dont , they put the families who have never contributed anything first.

My husband has no income. We cannot pay our bills. The same as other families I know. The difference is they have never worked, have been given a house and get everything paid for by the state.both of our families are in the same boat. Why are their children being put before mine? O I know why ... because my husband worked for a living.

It really makes me think what is the point of trying to look after yourselves, it doesnt get you any where.

Rant over.

I see I'm not the only one who didnt understand the two types of jsa then

Plum, that is not true thankfully.

The test is whether you are eligible for income based JSA. Which is basically down to whether you have £6K+ in savings.

So the 'tree' looks something like:

1. Are you looking for work, and have no job at present?

YES

1. Do you have savings over £6K?

NO - Eligible for Income-based JSA; YES - NOT elibible for IB JSA

1. Do you have sufficient NI contributions in the last 3 years?

YES - Eligible for CB JSA; NO - NOT eligible for CB JSA.

CB JSA trumps IB JSA. So if you are eligible for both, you only get CB JSA. If you are only eligible fot IB JSA, you get that. If you are only eligible for CB JSA, you get that.

BUT, even if you actually receive CB JSA, if you are entitled to IB JSA, the clock starts ticking from the first day you get it.

SO if you are receiving CB JSA, and entitled to both CB JSA and IB JSA, then after the first 13 weeks you can apply for SMI (mortgage interest support). You will then get the interest paid at the Statutory rate (around 6.09% atm). After the following 13 weeks, you will transfer over to IB JSA.

If you do have savings, you will only be eligible for CB JSA, so after the 6 months, you would have to spend your savings until you are below the threshold, then apply for IB JSA, and your 13 weeks waiting time would start from that point.

"However after 6 months he can go onto an income based job seekers, which means we would get £64 a week plus all the other beneifts too, including help with our mortgage. "

no - that's not correct - XH was on Contributions Based JSA and his mortgage interest relief kicked in after the 13 weeks (irrc it is now?)

Don't forget the new tax year is coming up. This is a GOOD thing. Basically, tax credits are based on last year's income. So, unfortunately, if last year you earned a good wage, you don't get tax credits this year.

Also, if you earn a good wage throughout the year, losing your income makes no difference, because tax credits are based on annual income, not current income.

However, if you think your income is going to be significantly lower than last year, you can ask for a 'current year assessment'. This means that you can say to them "The main breadwinner is unemployed right now, can you base our TCs on this year's income?".

If this was the case 6 months ago, they might have said, "Sorry, even with no earnings at all now your earnings for the last 6 months take you over the threshold - you can't have anything."

But, everything starts again in April of each year, so you will be OK.

What it might mean is that if your DH gets a job at some point in the year, you end up with an overpayment of TCs, but it doesn't matter, because you can pay it back in small amounts, or simply stop receiving TCs until it is paid, which ever suits.

Tocatta - you said in 2 lines what I said in 17!

Thanks guys
Lou
I'm hoping it will be one or two months maximum. Hes been to interviews left right and centre but of course we have to do all this just in case.
Its amazing how overwhelmed by it we've felt. I suspect we will get the overpayment of tax credits but if its only a months worth then it wont take much to pay it back. Just another calculation for them to cock up thats all

For us its bcjsa and insurance not quite covering the mortgage. Lucky we have good family if its all goes a bit messy for the first few months

Plum I understand your facing very hard difficulties at this moment but please dont just assume that people on benefits just have had everything given to them,its not true and its certainly a bit offensive.

Ok right
have I got it right
dh has earned too much this tax year to get any more tc. It would be pence anyway

We have to tell them hes got no job again in april
They will have to be asked to recalculate the tc so that its not based on last years earnings (09-10) as thats a full wage and instead based on the fact we have no income
We will then get a tc top up on his jsa
Then if in two months time he gets a job we will have to get them to recalculate and pay back the majority of what they gave us those two months

If thats the case then thats fine and its clear.
T&F on another thread you mentioned Income support for me? and council tax
whats that about?
IF we claim anything else is there anything else we will have to pay back?

have I got it right
"dh has earned too much this tax year to get any more tc. It would be pence anyway

We have to tell them hes got no job again in april"

NO, tell them now. Because your tax credit award changes when you aren't working.

"They will have to be asked to recalculate the tc so that its not based on last years earnings (09-10) as thats a full wage and instead based on the fact we have no income"

YES - you are asking for a current year calculation.

We will then get a tc top up on his jsa
Then if in two months time he gets a job we will have to get them to recalculate and pay back the majority of what they gave us those two months

SORT OF - you will tell them, they will revise the award, but the net result is that they will reduce your future tax credits, rather than making you actively pay it back.

"If thats the case then thats fine and its clear.

T&F on another thread you mentioned Income support for me? and council tax
whats that about?"

I'm not T&F, but Council tax benefit is payable to anyone on a low income who meets the threshold. Being on JSA automatically entitles you to full CTB. So put in a claim. You won't receive money - it will be credited to your account. You will get a rebate by cheque for any overpayment you have made this year, and CT is a daily rate, so even a few days means they owe you money.

Don't forget Free school meals (now) and Uniform grant (summer hols) if things don't get sorted as quickly as you'd like.

IF we claim anything else is there anything else we will have to pay back?

Hi. OP- looks like you have had pretty spot on advice. Can I just clarify do you work? More than 24 hrs- then yes its JSA Contributions based your partner needs to claim.

PLUM

JSA C until mortgage interest kicks in after 13wks. You will probably need to do a review to make it Income Based. Ring benefit processing around the 13wk stage- JC probably wont know.

When Income based any earning/ Maternity allowance you get will be taken in account.

NIckschick - I dont mean to offend and I'm certainly not assuming everyone on benefits has everything given to them, I know alot of people have life thrown cruelly at them and they have to deal with things the best they can. I'm not trying to start a row.

However I'm not blind - there are many families out there who have never worked, just have kids, as many as they like infact and the government continues to support them fully. All I'm saying is that when people who have supported themselves AND these families by putting into the pot that they take out from , they should get a little bit more help when needed.

All the posts are informative, can I just calrify , if you have no savings then you automatically go onto ibjsa? My dh was not asked for any details about savings at all, they just said because he had worked for the last 20 years thats hes paid enough contributions so hes on cbjsa. SHould we investigate further? the letter hes recieved says he wont get anything after sept 10 as his contributions would have run out . They are so unhelpful .You thinkit would then say ...you can then claim for ibjsa... but it doesnt.

I just wish dh can get a job and we can get ou tof this. I still dont understand about the mortgage help. The lady at the jobcentre plus said I have to wait for dh to go on to ibjsa before I can claim for help , has she got it wrong then?

Plum...no if you satify the contributions criteria you have to receive JSA C first...if you have a partner there circs are taken in account and if eligiable for a Top up you receive the additional money which means in theroy you are entitled to a bit of both...

What are your circs? do you work? How many hrs? Rough weekly take home wage?

How long as your partner been on JSA C for

What are you savings? More or less than £5550 ( thats the amount it starts to get verified from and taken into account from £6000)

I found this in the government website...is it wrong then?

Contribution-based Jobseeker's Allowance
Jobcentre Plus can pay this for up to 182 days. It?s based on how much National Insurance you have paid in the last two tax years. Generally, self-employed contributions will not help you qualify for contribution-based Jobseeker?s Allowance.

hi all great advice,

bits of paper work you will also need

child benefit numbers for both children

proof of your national insurance numbers

good luck when you get there, its pretty long and stressful process.

something I didnt know when i started claiming was:

the job centre will sort out income support and JSA etc

but its your local council who sort out council tax relief and housing benefit

I have worked for 18 years full time before I had to claim, and have been made to feel like a scrounger.

I've sent in all the documents - they have copied them and sent them back, then told me I am not entitled as I didnt send in bank statements - I had and they had sent them back - they eventually apologised and said they forgot to photocopy them.

Then got a letter asking for other documents I had again already sent them.

Its very stressful.

thanks coke break...thats what I thought, or at least thats what the sebsite and jobcentre say.

I work 8 hours a week , last year I took home approx £4000. Hubby been on cbjsa since 10.3.10 - he lost his job at the end of feb. We dont have any savings. He is frantically lokking for work, he will literally take anything. Im assuming we may get help with council tax.

But it just me that thinks its unfair that we only get limited help for 6 months because we have worked and paid enough. If we hadnt we would be entitled to more. Really , is that fair?

God Messymissy, it really is awful isnt it? It is srtessful , and they dont seem to be very helpful. Good luck tmrw OP - come back and let us know how you got on. We may have to go back down there. Joy!

thanks plum100 - yes and still waiting to hear from them. have limited savings fast running out and so far the application process has taken 2 months!!!!!!

good luck op - it takes over an hour in the job centre with a bit of hanging about, its a bit demorolising but stick with it!

Plum..Can I just check are your net earnings more or less than £47 pr week.

from April JSA C approx £65.35
Couple allowance £102.85
(ish...havent checked exact)
Difference £38...

You can earn £47 roughly and still be entitled as there is a couples earning disregard of £10.

After 13wks on JSA c you partner needs to claim JSA IB so they can consider mortgage help.

coke - they are more.