Confused about JSA & Pregnancy

Hi - I was in a similar situation to you last year so I shall explain as best I can!

Once your OH's contribution based runs out you will be on a joint claim for income based JSA until you are either entitled to MA or income support (11 weeks before due date)

You will only be entitled to MA if you were made redundant recently enough to have worked 26 weeks in the 66 week period prior to your due date. If you qualify this will be paid at ~ £123 or 90% of your gross average weekly earnings during the 26 week period. You would recieve it for 39 weeks from 11 weeks before your due date. Your partner will not qualify for JSA as it would be income based by this point, but you could claim child tax credits using the current tax year income.

If you are not entitled to MA:
You will be able to get income support from 11 weeks before your due date until your baby is 15 weeks old at a rate of £100.95 a week - this would be a joint claim with you and your partner & he would not have to claim job seekers.

After 15 weeks your partner can make a claim for income based job seeker as a joint claim - again the rate would be £100.95 a week - and only he would have to sign as you would be exempt due to a young child.

It will be tough as there may be a delay in the ending of one claim and processing and recieving of the next so try and bear this in mind and budget. I'd recommend saving the sure start maternity grant (£500) that you can claim from 11 weeks before your due date and any backpay you may receive in child benefit/tax credits for the changing claim period. Also remember there is the health in pregnancy grant that you can get from 25 weeks which will help when waiting for the income support claim. If your claim for income supportis taking its time (as it can do) then you can claim for a crisis loan from the social fund.

Congratulations on your pregnancy :j and i hope your partner manages to find work to save the hassle and stress of making the claims

zappster1966 wrote: »

Why not have him claim JSA(IB) for you throughout your pregnancy and after the birth ? That way he keeps in touch with the job market & has a better chance of finding work.

I was not told I could do this but after doing a search I found this http://www.lawcentreni.org/EoR/jobseekers.htm#3.%20INCOME-BASED%20JSA and it states 3/4 of the way down that "A person who is a member of a couple and required to make a joint claim, and whos partner has not made a joint claim, will continue to be treated as a couple where his/her partner is pregnant and within 11 weeks of the expected date of confinement or it is less than 15 weeks since the baby was born."

So it sounds like your partner may be able to claim JSA(IB) for the two of you with you not having to sign from being 11 weeks before due date. I'd ask at the job centre to be sure as when i'd made all my enquires last year i was told i'd have to claim income support then change over once baby was 15 weeks. It would make it alot less hassle if you can just calim JSA(IB).