Voluntary Redundancy - Can i claim JSA??

I am new to this site and the forums and would really appreciate some advice please.

I have recently taken voluntary redundancy, my final day of work will be this Friday. i would like to know whether i can claim JSA even though i have volunteered to leave employment.

Even though i am getting a nice lump sum i do need to pay off some debts so would i have to prove i've used a fair portion of the money for credit card etc??

Also i have two young children (3 and 11 months) and a partner who is temporary work would this affect my claim/tax credits?

I do think i need to contact CAB but any help would be appreciated:)

Comments

  • anna42hmr
    anna42hmr Posts: 2,841
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary
    Forumite
    yes you can claim, even if it is VR

    there is 2 types of job seekers allowance (contributory and means tested)

    if you have paid in enough National Insurance over the previous two years, then you are entitled to contributory JSA, this lasts for aprox 6 months, think its 26 weeks)

    after the 6 months then they will then check your financial status and see if you are entitled to means tested JSA. at the time i was speaking to them, savings under £6,000 were not taken into account, savings between 6-16k were taken into account and the level of jsa you would be entitled to would be on a sliding scale (ie more savings = less JSA) over 16K savings then no means tested jsa is payable.

    I beleive that if you have not paid in enough National Insurance over the previous 2 years, then they look to see if you are able to go onto means tested jsa straight away.
    MFW#105 - 2015 Overpaid £8095 / 2016 Overpaid £6983.24 / 2017 Overpaid £3583.12 / 2018 Overpaid £2583.12 / 2019 Overpaid £2583.12 / 2020 Overpaid £2583.12/ 2021 overpaid £1506.82 /2022 Overpaid £2975.28 / 2023 Overpaid £2677.30 / 2024 Target: £1800, £572.15 overpaid as at March so YTD = £355.88 Total OP since mortgage started in 2015 = £34,178.29
  • B.E.N
    B.E.N Posts: 193 Forumite
    A word of caution, however.

    Clearing your debts is fine, however, if you plan on claiming INCOME RELATED benefits (as above, Income-Based Job Seeker's Allowance, for example), and the act of paying off your debts has the consequence of bringing your capital/savings down to a level where you would be eligible for these benefits (for IB-JSA - £15,999.99), then the DWP may decide that you have deliberately 'deprived' yourself of capital in order to claim benefits and thus refuse your claim.
    Hi, we’ve had to remove your signature. If you’re not sure why please read the forum rules or email the forum team if you’re still unsure - MSE ForumTeam
  • Hi Caggie35

    My company made redundancies last year and offered an enhanced package to those volunteered. I asked if it would affect claiming JSA and was told that taking voluntary would not affect my claim. I didn't have any problems with the Job Centre claiming contribution based JSA.

    Your savings don't count for a contribution based claim.

    Good luck with it all!
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 342.5K Banking & Borrowing
  • 249.9K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 449.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 234.6K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 607.1K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 172.8K Life & Family
  • 247.4K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 15.8K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards