holiday s whilst on jobseekers allowance?

cassieB57 · 31 March 2011 at 11:31PM

I should explain this better: if you go away from home in GB, you MUST still be available for work in order to be paid JSA. If you cannot be available for part of the time (eg when travelling there and back) you can ask for a variation of your Jobseeker's agreement. The jobcentre may ask for a Decision Maker to look at your entitlement for any BENEFIT week that there is a doubt about availability or if they think you cannot, or would not return to take up a job opportunity(a benefit week being the 7 days ending on your normal signing day)-and availability will be considered to be in doubt for the whole week even if it is actually only 1 day that you are not available.

Then, assuming you are still available you may or may not want to do any jobseeking while away; if not you can ask to be excused from jobseeking, but this can only be done for a maximum of 2 benefit weeks in 12 months. So, if you sign on a Wednesday, and go away from Sunday to Saturday, that is 2 benefit weeks affected. If you cn show that you have still taken the usual 3 jobseeking steps in the rest of that benefit week (in this example from the Thursday to Saturday, or the Sunday to Wednesday) then you should not need to be treated as ASE (actively seeking employment).

Whether you are getting actual JSA c or ib, or just signing for NI credits, the same rules re ASE and availability apply.

the "2 week rule" therefore ONLY applies to the ASE aspect, not to availability. (and btw the two weeks do not have to be at the same time)

savvygranny · 1 April 2011 at 12:19PM

Dear cassieB57 -

Your clarification on this is very much appreciated.

I have benefited from your previous informative responses to other posters' queries too.

You must feel a great deal of satisfaction when clients finally find employment. Times are difficult out there ...

All the best ...

guybagnall · 6 April 2011 at 3:52PM

Dear CassieB57 - I was offered work experience at an exhibition abroad (EU) while on JSA and was told I had to sign off and restart afterwards. If the experience was in the UK that would not have applied. The supervisor confirmed the law - but the spirit of the law to encourage you to find work is ignored for the letter, which apparently dates from 1995, saying you can't go abroad - even for an English company. It involves me taking two weekends of my own time and no payment but I will now lose a week's JSA and god-knows how much time to restart after I return. Are there no exceptions if you really know the regs?
Second question: Could I take two weeks in France for holiday - (a free accommodation bit of luck) especially now that I already have to take a week off for the work-experience. What would the consequences be? Kind Regards

cassieB57 · 7 April 2011 at 9:39PM

The law says that you cannot get JSA if you leave GB except in certain circumstances. If you go abroad temporarily, you cannot claim JSA, EXCEPT if your JSA includes a premium for a partner over pension age, when you can be treated as still in GB for up to 4 weeks (you must still satisfy the conditions of entitlement). If you are taking a child of the family abroad for medical treatment, it's 8 weeks; if you are attending an interview abroad it's up to 7 days; if you are receiving a training allowance you can be paid for up to 4 weeks. The day you leae GB and the day you return are treated as days in GB too, so if you only go for a day or 2 you would be treated as still in GB. You can also 'export' contributions based JSA for up to 3 months if you go to another EEA contry to look for work.The full rules are here: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/dmgch0705.pdf Hope that helps.

Tash22 · 14 April 2011 at 1:00PM

I know there have been mixed responses over whether you can still be signed on if you leave the country to go on holiday. I printed out the Job Seekers Regulations 1996 and the publication re this from the DWP website. I could not see anywhere any mention of you having to sign off if you leave the country. It simply said if you go on holiday, you still have to show you are actively seeking work and would be prepared to return to take up an opportunity.

I showed this to the jobcentre and asked them about it. They did not care about what I had printed off, they say their regulations are that you have to sign off if you leave the country even though I have found a job starting upon my return. They will not budge on it despite what I have shown them and argued that I would return if something came up. So instead, I have to sign off, but then need to sign back on for a few days when upon my return so I can claim my insurance, then have to sign off. As this is over the bank holiday weekend, I was told I would have to ring on the tuesday when I start my new job, aren't they supposed to not jeopardise your job as making calls when I've just started won't go down too well.

Can anybody help as I'm having a nightmare with the job centre and can see that some people were excused from signing on when they left the country and weren't made to sign off.

Thanks

dookar · 14 April 2011 at 1:12PM

You printed the wrong legislation. You want The Jobseekers Act 1995, which tells us a person must be in Great Britain to have entitlement to JSA. The legislation you have offers exceptions to this rule.

cassieB57 · 14 April 2011 at 5:33PM

In my post I was telling the poster when you CAN get JSA if you go abroad.If you're not in one of the circumstances listed, you must sign off.

Tash22 · 15 April 2011 at 9:00PM

Hi,

Thanks guys. It just seems ridiculous that I won't be claiming any benefit anyway the week I'm away as my JSA will have expired, I just needed to be signed on as it affects my insurance and I already have a job starting when I get back from holiday so if it's not going to cost the government any money then I don't get it! I even offered to pay my stamp for that week so that it wouldn't cost them a penny and they still said I have to sign off. These are silly rules! Bureaucracy, no wonder the country is in such a mess cos they need so many staff in the job centre to police these ridiculous rules.

But thanks again.

cassieB57 · 15 April 2011 at 9:26PM

The cynic in me suggests it might be about statistics ie number of people signing on. But I'm sure that can't be it.
Probably.

dookar · 16 April 2011 at 1:11AM

It's not silly at all. It's a condition of entitlement that you are in GB, quite a sensible rule in my opinion, with reasonable exceptions.

holiday s whilst on jobseekers allowance?

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