Made redundant & claiming contribution JSA

lavidaloca

Just to let anyone know who is about to claim contribution JSA (CJSA) don't do it online on the Government website.

I did this and they automatically made mine an income based JSA (IBJSA) and the form was 7 pages long and full of financial questions which aren't answerable for CJSA. I had a telephone interview this morning (45 mins. long) and the guy said it would have been better to have telephoned to claim. He said he couldn't abort the claim and put a new one in for CJSA so I would have to take all my financial papers with me to the interview at the local job centre.

I telephoned the local job centre and luckily the manager answered the telephone. She has stopped the IBJSA claim and said to only bring in two pieces of id and there is a short form to complete to claim for CJSA

Numpty_Monkey

I filled my form in online at
http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/jcp/Customers/WorkingAgeBenefits/Howtoclaim/index.html

on the phone I was told I couldn't claim for 3 weeks??

Guess it all depends who you get on the phone, or what you put on the forms

lavidaloca

That was the same form I used via the link from the Gov. website. I couldn't see anything on it to differentiate between contributions based and income based did you?

I was asked on the phone why I had delayed in applying when I had finished on the 24.02.09 but not claimed until 02.03.09. They said it had to be a good reason or they would not backdate the benefit.

So the form went in on the 2nd and they were on the phone this morning at 8.50 am for the telephone interview and then gave a local job centre interview for this Friday.

How far is your claim now?

missymugwump

Sorry to be dim but in real terms what is the difference between

contribution JSA & income based JSA

How do you know which to claim ?

lavidaloca

Contribution JSA is based upon the national insurance contributions you have paid for the last two years. Income based normally kicks in after 6 months of being on contribution JSA if you fit the requirements.

However, if you haven't been paying NI or don't have the two years contributions required then you need to claim for income based JSA. This is means tested. Contribution JSA is not.

missymugwump

That helps thank you