JSA - do we qualify?

babyblooz

Can anyone answer a quick question about JSA please?

If someone gets made redundant we understand that they can claim contribution based JSA for six months based on their NI contributions, regardless of if they have savings or not,

but ...

if at the same time they start to get their pension paid early because of redundancy (a small private pension of around 45 quid a week), are they still eligible to get the six months JSA?

There are redundancies looming at work and we have been talking about this all week and can't decide who is right.

cassieB57

If you have paid employees Ni for the 2 Tax years from April 2008-2010 you should qualify for contribution based JSA for 26 weeks. Any occupational pension up to £50 per week will not affect it nor does redundancy pay or lieu of notice pay

babyblooz

Thanks for responding so quickly!

We might have anything from between fourty to fifty odd quid a week, depending on our individual circumstances but we have all paid enough NI contributions to be OK.

We were talking about the pros and cons of taking a bigger lump sum and so reducing the weekly amount paid, so this would be something to consider with the fifty quid limit you mentioned.

Might be best to keep weekly payments below the fifty quid mark then to maximise our entitlement, even if it is just for six months.

At least your info will put an end to our endless wonderings!

Thank you :T

patman99

Worst case scenario is that they count it as a contributing benefit and reduce your JSA by the same amount.
Had you taken a bigger lump sum to reduce the weekly amount, then you could have fallen foul of the £6k savings limit In which case, you would still get JSA, but any H/B or CTB would be reduced by £1.65 per £250 over the £6k.

babyblooz

We own our home so HB isnt something to take into account and thanks to the money saving on here, plus a small inheritance, we have more than the limit allows.

Don't want to start spending it though because it is for our retirement.

babyblooz

Hopefully I will get a job before too long, but I have a few aches and pains due to getting older but not actually being dead yet, I will have to try and work around them. Its not in my nature to be idle.

sagalout1954

Cassie is correct, I didn't claim for 6 weeks after redundancy because I didn't realise I could. Suppose I could have tried to get it back dated but couldn't really be bothered. Did mean I 'missed out' on a bit of JSA cash as I got another job 5 months after leaving the other one. If I'd started claiming sooner I'd have had more payments before 'signing off'. (Still, can't complain.)

For the first 12 weeks of 'signing on' you are not required to consider any job which is less money, more hours or in a different field of work than you had before. For all the horror stories regarding Job Centre staff, I always got along pretty well with mine. Kept the little diary thingy you're supposed to complete full, mainly with job search training I was undertaking on my own initiative etc. Every tiny thing went in it.......they never seemed to actually READ it so volume was more impressive than actual content!