qualifying years for JSA?

weanie

I wonder if some kind person can advise about the national insurance payments required to claim Contribution based job Seekers allowance?
I understand that it is necessary to have a certain amount of National insurance contributions paid over a period of two years.
My sister's part time and temporary work is likely to end this coming July and she has paid only infrequent national insurance since Sept '09. Prior to this period of part time work, she worked full time for a number of years and paid accordingly.
Can anyone tell us when the qualifying period will be for a claim in August '11 and how to calculate entitlement.
Thanks in anticipation;)

dmg24

The qualifying tax years would be 08/09 and 09/10.

weanie

That is really useful - thanks
She paid a lot of NI as a full time teacher in 08/09 and then 09/10 she worked full time for April. May, June, July and August but since then, she has only worked very part time hours and not always enough to pay NI - just four months of very low contributions.
Do you think she would be able to claim JSA for aperiod while she sought work?

karenx

Not if she hasnt paid full NI which going by what you said she has not.
She could claim income based but this goes on any savings she has over 6k and partners income

weanie

karenx - she has paid full contributions for the first of the two yeares mentioned by Dmg24 and for five months of the second of these two years plus some additional very minor contributions. My understanding is that you do not need to have paid full conributuins for every month of the qualifying period - I thought it was aminimum of half the weeks or months in each given year.
Thanks

Oldernotwiser

How can someone know they'll want to claim JSA in 6 months' time?

weanie

The funding for my sister's part time work is a finite amount and has no been picked up by the new government and therefore she knows that after so many sessions of tuition, there will be no money in the school's allocation to pay her. Of course, she may find alternative work but not very likely on 1st August.
thanks