Job seekers allowance

born_free_4

Hi All,

I have been unemployed twice this year, how lucky am I!!

for the first time in 16 years I have no work. the firm I worked for folded back in Feb and I was on Contributions based JSA until May when I found a new job, that new job didn't last long and in Nov I was back in the job centre, sign on CB JSA again but just the other day I got a letter to say that would finish in Feb!
My wife still works and earns around £30,000 (which does sound alright, but all our sums were done based on our two incomes!!!)and we have 1 child aged 18 months, will I automatically get Income based JSA now or what?

I have paid my tax and NI for all my working life and they tell me my contributions run out in a few weeks, whats that all about!

ceridwen

I know that one gets contributions-based J.S.A. for the first six months of unemployment and then goes onto the means-tested ones. So - I guess it looks as if they are about to put you onto that in February.

I dont understand that myself - as you wont have had 6 months worth of the contributions-based ones at that point.

It looks as if they are saying that you will have had that 6 months worth at that point - even though you wont have. They must be lumping the two periods of unemployment together and those two periods of time added up would be 6 months by the look of it.

The question is whether they are allowed to lump two different periods of unemployment together like that. I dont know whether they are able to do that because both these periods of unemployment have happened within a year of each other. That would be the only possible explanation for that.

I would have thought they would have to treat each period of unemployment as an "entity" in its own right and not link back to a previous one.

So - we had better wait for someone to come along who knows the rules on this to tell you whether they are allowed to do that.

(Guess the reason you are concerned is because come February they start looking at your wife's earnings - and you arent expecting them to do that until May - by which point hopefully you will have another job.)

Jules

The only linking rule I can find is 12 weeks. I found this here
http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/jsa_background_information.pdf page 10

Linking rules

People whose claim to JSA is broken by a period of less than 12 weeks will be treated as having one continuous claim to JSA. In addition, people who leave JSA and then claim Incapacity Benefit, Maternity Allowance, Carer’s Allowance or a Training Allowance or who undertake jury service also have their claims linked.
The linking rules are normally beneficial and ensure, for example, that claimants do not have to serve a further set of waiting days, and that they retain their previous entitlement to mortgage interest payments when they reclaim JSA.

So unless there is some other rule somewhere they shouldn't be linking the 2 periods of unemployment. Give them a ring and query it.

HTH
Jules

mvengemvenge

Jules wrote: »

The only linking rule I can find is 12 weeks. I found this here
http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/jsa_background_information.pdf page 10

Linking rules

People whose claim to JSA is broken by a period of less than 12 weeks will be treated as having one continuous claim to JSA. In addition, people who leave JSA and then claim Incapacity Benefit, Maternity Allowance, Carer’s Allowance or a Training Allowance or who undertake jury service also have their claims linked.
The linking rules are normally beneficial and ensure, for example, that claimants do not have to serve a further set of waiting days, and that they retain their previous entitlement to mortgage interest payments when they reclaim JSA.

So unless there is some other rule somewhere they shouldn't be linking the 2 periods of unemployment. Give them a ring and query it.

HTH
Jules

The rules for Rapid Reclaims (where there was less than 13 weeks between claims) were changed in Dec (I think) to extend this to 6 months. Not sure if this has increased the 'linking' period to 6 months also, which would mean that the OP's two periods on JSA link up.

DaisyFlower

born_free wrote: »

Hi All,

I have been unemployed twice this year, how lucky am I!!

for the first time in 16 years I have no work. the firm I worked for folded back in Feb and I was on Contributions based JSA until May when I found a new job, that new job didn't last long and in Nov I was back in the job centre, sign on CB JSA again but just the other day I got a letter to say that would finish in Feb!
My wife still works and earns around £30,000 (which does sound alright, but all our sums were done based on our two incomes!!!)and we have 1 child aged 18 months, will I automatically get Income based JSA now or what?

I have paid my tax and NI for all my working life and they tell me my contributions run out in a few weeks, whats that all about!

You wont qualify for income based JSA as your household income is too high, hence they are warning you re the contributions based JSA running out soon.

You may need to look at your outgoings, £30k with just one child is more than enough to live on.

Simons-Photography

DaisyFlower wrote: »

You wont qualify for income based JSA as your household income is too high, hence they are warning you re the contributions based JSA running out soon.

You may need to look at your outgoings, £30k with just one child is more than enough to live on.

what ever the law I agree with the above, people living on minimal wage have children you must be able to cope somehow, might need some major adjustments but you could be much worse off

CCFC_80

ceridwen wrote: »

I know that one gets contributions-based J.S.A. for the first six months of unemployment and then goes onto the means-tested ones. So - I guess it looks as if they are about to put you onto that in February.

I dont understand that myself - as you wont have had 6 months worth of the contributions-based ones at that point.

It looks as if they are saying that you will have had that 6 months worth at that point - even though you wont have. They must be lumping the two periods of unemployment together and those two periods of time added up would be 6 months by the look of it.

The question is whether they are allowed to lump two different periods of unemployment together like that. I dont know whether they are able to do that because both these periods of unemployment have happened within a year of each other. That would be the only possible explanation for that.

I would have thought they would have to treat each period of unemployment as an "entity" in its own right and not link back to a previous one.

So - we had better wait for someone to come along who knows the rules on this to tell you whether they are allowed to do that.

(Guess the reason you are concerned is because come February they start looking at your wife's earnings - and you arent expecting them to do that until May - by which point hopefully you will have another job.)

Yes unfortunately they are allowed to lump 2 different periods of unemployment together. The same circumstances apply to me where I have been temporary unemployed, found work then signed back on again. It is scandalous how the tory government got away in the early 1990's by reducing the contribution bases jsa from 12 months to 6 months and the labour government never reversing this practice. I also have paid N.I contributions all my life and now cannot claim because after 6 months it is means tested. I have been advised that I can sign on to get further N.I contributions credited but do not need to as I have paid my full 30 years.
I cannot see the justice of a system which does not give anyone anything who has worked damn hard all their life and got 18K savings but lets multi Millionaires being allowed to claim for maternity pay and child benefit.

dmg24

Simons-Photography wrote: »

what ever the law I agree with the above, people living on minimal wage have children you must be able to cope somehow, might need some major adjustments but you could be much worse off

Simons-Photography,

You are not allowed links in your signature, nor are you allowed to advertise your commercial concerns on MSE.

DCFC79

dmg24 wrote: »

Simons-Photography,

You are not allowed links in your signature, nor are you allowed to advertise your commercial concerns on MSE.

tut tut simon

born_free_4

Hi All,

thanks for your comments.
My query wasn't about if my household can get by on my wife's income alone, I am well aware that this is much more than some people have coming in and I can make adjustments to make it work. My problem is with the benefit system, I have paid out £1000's in NI contributions throughout my career and what do I get in return, a few hundred quid, and I have to pay for perscriptions, dental etc myself while those who have never paid a NI contribution get the lot! I just makes me angry that have worked so hard and having contributed so much for 16 years that there is a 6 month limit on how long I can claim!

mvengemvenge

born_free wrote: »

Hi All,

thanks for your comments.
My query wasn't about if my household can get by on my wife's income alone, I am well aware that this is much more than some people have coming in and I can make adjustments to make it work. My problem is with the benefit system, I have paid out £1000's in NI contributions throughout my career and what do I get in return, a few hundred quid, and I have to pay for perscriptions, dental etc myself while those who have never paid a NI contribution get the lot! I just makes me angry that have worked so hard and having contributed so much for 16 years that there is a 6 month limit on how long I can claim!

I think that when National Insurance started, people thought they were paying into a kind-of personal savings fund, like a pension pot for just them. In reality, the people paying NI are paying for the claimants of the day, just as one day people will be paying for you (assuming anyone is still working).