NI contributions

[Turquoisespiff]

I'm bamboozled by the NI contributions info I'm looking at online! I've been on JSA for 6 months after being made redundant in May. First prolonged period of unemployment for many years. Because hubby earns a decent wage I was only entitled to contributions-based JSA which lasts for 6 months. No-one at the jobcentre seems to know what happens after that!

Coach I saw today (never met her before) said I could continue to sign if I wanted my NI contributions paid, but I have read that if I have a child under 12 and get Child Benefit then my NI (class 3 I think?) contributions will be paid automatically. Can anyone clarify things at all?

Thanks

If you are claiming child benefit then you will automatically get that period counted as having paid NI contributions. Called home responsibilities protection it is not quite the same as Class 3.

When I was in a similar position I stopped claiming after the six months as there was no benefit. Why go through the humiliation with nothing for it??

I really wouldn't worry about classes of NICs though unless you're an accountant.

Thanks Boysandme!

As long as I still have a chance of qualifying for what remains of the state pension then I don't care what class I pay!

I think I'm with you on avoiding the humiliation when I'm not getting anything out of it - the support I've got re job-hunting has been minimal/non-existent. But I won't count in the govt unemployment stats if I stop signing and that will annoy me - I will still be unemployed after all, unfortunately.

Good luck with your search.

Thanks so much. I'm 44 years old and have never been out of work for this long in my life (so I guess I've been lucky). I can't do full-time and the sort of stuff I've done before is rarely part-time. So I've also applied for other stuff and got nowhere. One day I'll get something - and at least I got to have the summer 'off' with my boys for the first time ever, even if we had no money to do anything!

what happens if you don't claim child benefit due to having income of over 60 k in the household- even when contribution based jsa ends, do you still have to sign on to get ni contributions