Refused Joseekers allowance, Help!

cferrism

I've just lost my job and went to claim since I can't see me getting a job quickly enough. Got refused since I hadn't paid N.I.

I called to check if my employer hadn't been paying it since I've worked constantly for a year and a half. And got told I didn't earn enough for him to pay it. Which was fair enough. Now I got a 6 year old daughter. My partner works full time, but with childcare being so expensive I thought I'd work my jobs around it when he could be home with her, instead of me working just to pay for childcare. And it did work well till now that I'm needing allowance.

From what I've read, that even if I had paid that yearly lump sum of N.I. it still wouldn't have qualified me for Jobseekers Allowance only for state pension.

All that Jobcentre can tell me is that they look at the figures they get.

You try and work around your child and take a minimum wage job or in my case 2 jobs. Neither of my employers pay my N.I cause they don't need to and I get told I shouldn't pay them since I'm earning maybe 3000-4000 per year. But now that I lost that little that I could get I can't get anything at all. Know it doesn't sound much but it did help a lot with paying bills.

So my question is, What can I do?

cte1111

It sounds like you've exhausted all avenues as far as claiming jobseeker's allowance goes. Have you tried looking on the 'Up Your Income' board for ideas for bits and pieces that you can do to try to earn some of the part time income that you have lost?

I've managed since giving up my part time job last summer by following hints on this forum to save on outgoings and make extra income. Mystery shopping can fit in well with looking after your daughter. I also do the Royal Mail postal survey, which 'earns' me 18 stamps a month. I tend to try a different idea every few months.

I started entering competitions last year, and although I didn't win any huge prizes, I won lots of things for my kids (so saved on buying them things) and the best prize was a sleeping bag, which I sold on ebay for £160!

I'm also thinking of becoming a Phoenix Trader (selling cards) later on in the year, there are lots of similar schemes that people do, and threads talking about them on here.

I know this wasn't specifically what you asked about, and hopefully you will be able to find another part time job again soon, but in the meantime, these kind of things might well mean that you can save / earn some of the money that you have lost from your job.

cferrism

Thanks for that. I actually did some mystery shopping, but for it to be a small city there weren't many asking for it, and I don't have a car to drive further away. I did 2 of them though which took me 3 hour walk and I ended up with a tenner :rotfl:Thought after that it really wasn't worth it. Specially since it was always that same place they were asking people to go to. Everything else, like cooking all at home, haven't been on a holiday for 3 years, buy my clothes in second hand shop etc and can't see any more corners I can cut