JSA and UK Holiday

MadDogWoman_2

Hi,

I'm currently claiming JSA. I have a holiday booked in September, paid in full at the time of booking.

What effect would that have?

I was thinking of taking the laptop away with me as where we are going has wifi so I could still job hunt.

MDW

seven-day-weekend

You are allowed to take a holiday in the UK for ten working days a year whilst on JSA as long as they can contact you. (e.g. mobile phone).

c0113tt3

the above info is incorrect as it is more complex than it seems.

You have a total of 4 weeks holiday, 2 without jobsearch and 2 with job search. The weeks are benefit weeks.

Now technically speaking, based on benefit weeks, you can have more than 4 weeks.

For example, say if your signing day was a wednesday.
if you went on holiday from the thursday to the following wednesday, that would be 1 week deemed (used up) as it is a full benefit week.

but.

if you went on the wednesday to the following monday, even though that is a nearly a week, you could still fulfull the job seekers requirement of being available / actively seeking within the 2 days (tuesday / wenesday), so long as you could prove you took all the steps required in your jsag, ie. applied for a job, sent some spec cvs etc.. If you could not prove that you had taken steps, and with it being only 2 days left of the benefit week, then its possible they may deem the week (use up 1 week) even though its not quite a full benefit week and treat the whole period as available / uk holiday.

or if you went monday to sunday, and your signing day was a wednesday.

you would have some holiday days in 2 different benefit weeks the first week being the monday to the wednesday, the 2nd thursday to sunday, and again from the first week you would have the previous thursday to sunday to to be actively seeking, and on the following week after you would have the monday to wednesday, and again have time to be seeking. This would result in 0 weeks deemed, ie. you have had a weeks holiday and not used up any allowance. This is due to it being reasonable that in both benefit weeks that your holiday was taken you had sufficient time, to take the steps to fulfill your jsag, ie. looking for work.

You have to complete a form before you go, and give some contactable information. Be careful with the form as there is a question to say if you are available, and to get jsa you have to be available. You are usually then asked to attend the jobcentre (if you missed a signing day) the next working day after you have returned to sign on, for the day you had missed. If you missed a signing day due to your holiday, you still get all of your entitlement of jsa, but is delayed until 2 or 3 working days after you have returned (if you missed a signing day), so long as you signed on directly after you have returned.

If you took your holiday and didnt miss a signing day, then as long as you completed the form before hand, you would sign on at your normal time / date and get payment at your normal date.

If you didnt prior inform the jc and complete the form, then 2 things are possible. Depending on the length of your holiday and missing a signing day, your claim would close by the end of the 5th working day from when you missed signing and of course no payment. If you returned from your holiday, and still within 5 working days of missing a signing day and contacted the jc. You would be invited to attend a dma appointment to explain what happened and why you didnt inform the jc / complete the form. In most cases you are disallowed (lose money for the period and have to re-complete a jsa4rr / contact centre), unless there are very exceptional circumstances.

seven-day-weekend

I was only quoting what the Jobcentre told my son when he was going away for four days. If that is incorrect, sobeit.

c0113tt3

in respect of jc staff, some dont know the full technicality of uk holidays and some do. Those that do, generally do not have the time to fully explain it, as well as trying to get the customer to understand it.

skintmumof2

my partner is on JSA and we went to the coast for a week in between his sign on days and the jc never said anything?

c0113tt3

in reply to skintmum.

that is of course due to the member of staff on fjr who couldnt be bothered to do their job correctly and lack of time. You are lucky you did not lose benefit.

also in part this is a failure by your partner to declare BEFORE you went, or if you did, then the jc staff are entirely at fault for not actioning.

If you informed after the holiday, a dma appointment should have been booked. If you informed before, then either (depending on the jc and resources) fjr staff should have completed the holiday form or referred you to in depth enquiry or admin team to complete the form.

It is not recommended that anyone does this (either not declaring or declaring after), as you are taking unnesessary risks of losing benefit, considering a simple procedure ensures no risks at all.

MadDogWoman_2

My signing on day is every other Friday.

I will be informing the Jobcentre before I go (if not employed by then but not holding my breath).

My holiday is from Saturday to Saturday for 2 weeks.

I am then home for 4 days then I'm away again Friday to Monday.

So I'm guessing from what's been said I would probably loose some money.

I will definitely take my lap top with me then.

MDW

c0113tt3

no you dont lose any money

saturday to saturday 2 weeks, signing day friday.

1st benefit week used up is sat to fri (week 2 shown below) then sat again to the friday (week 3 shown below) 2nd week used up.

you then come back on the saturday and will have prior arranged with the jc to sign on the following monday. you then explain about the other trip (fri to monday) complete the form and reagree another signing date after you return, thats if it lands on a signing day that you go.

as for job search is concerned, you can state that on all of them you will not be job searching. you have 5 days between the holidays, make sure you have proof of your job search activities, and make sure you have proof after the friday to monday holiday, i.e. the tuesday to the following friday.

Alternatively you can declare that you will do some job search, make sure you have proof, as you will be asked.

to show you.

week 1 (before u go)
sat - fri normal job search / signing (if u sign this week)

week 2 (the 1st week of hol)
sat - fri , 1 full week deemed / used up

week 3 (the 2nd week of hol)
sat - fri, 1 full week deemed used up, (totalling 2 weeks deemed)

week 4
sat - fri
saturday you return and probably due / pre-arranged to sign on the monday.
also this week runs from sat to the following friday (saturday being day returned, friday being the day you go on holiday again) this means you have sunday to thursday (5 days) to job search, which means 0 weeks holiday used up on this period.

you also declare on the monday (or even before) about the hol that week from friday till monday / complete forms and re-arrange signing if you should miss a signing day.

only 2 days of this week were you on holiday (the saturday - returning and the friday - going)

week 5 (on 2nd holiday)
sat - friday

you are on holiday the saturday to monday (only 3 days of this week you are on holiday), and may have arranged to sign on the tuesday (if you missed signing on the previous friday). you also have the tuesday to friday (4 days) for job search, so 0 weeks holiday are used up on this period.

Depending on your signing cycle, you may sign on the friday.

week 6
sat - fri

back to normal

crockpot

Sorry but i have got lost following this!

I will soon be signing on every week I think, following 13 week review?

I am on CB JSA, I sign on on a thursday and go on holiday sat to sat in the uk, booked before I lost my job. So I will tell them I will be away, as will be unable to sign on.

So do I lose a weeks money? If I do ,can the week be `added` on at the end of my 26 weeks?

Thanks