signing off then back on after a few weeks

Fluffs123

how does this work?

i've been on jsa, housing/council tax benefit for just over 6 months. i am due to go "upstairs" at the job centre and start on the 6 months+ regime (whatever that is) on my next sign on.

coincidentally, i've got a job with the census starting on that same date, so can sign off for 5 weeks. job runs from 6 april to 13 may, just over 5 weeks, so i should get extended housing benefit and working tax credits too yay!

but there's little chance of me getting a job while doing the census job so will probably sign back on afterwards. do i do a rapid reclaim? will i then get sent "upstairs" immediately or will i be back to the start for a further 6 months? will the rapid reclaim also apply to the housing benefit or will i have to do a new claim with all the paperwork?

thanks

cassieB57

Not sure what you mean by 'sent upstairs'; however,if you reclaim within 6 months of your old claim, AND your circumstances have not changed, then it will be a 'rapid' reclaim. Any changes, and its a normal re-claim. Different 'linking' rules apply to the different ND schemes, depending on what stage you are when you sign off, and the length of the break between claims-your jc will be able to tell you which applies to you

Fluffs123

at my jc people who have been claiming for over 6 months go and sign upstairs. i've no idea what that entails but i presume it's some kind of new deal thing.

sounds all v complicated to me. i don't really want to go and ask for fear they might think i'm trying it on to get out of whatever is involved with the 6 months+ stuff, though the census job is all above board.

Fluffs123

oh something else i forgot to ask - all being well, i'll be signing off the day before my next signon, but do i still have to produce a jobsearch for the next 13 days in order to get paid jsa?

and does the final payment arrive at the usual time, or does it take a few days longer to be paid?

Fluffs123

blimey! does no one know? hasn't anyone reading this ever signed off before? :eek: :rotfl:

purplerose

Just go in the day before you start work and hand in the signing off booklet to the jobcentre staff, you should find it inside your signing on wallet. Write in the booklet that you wish your claim to end on the day before you start work. That's all I had to do when I signed off for a month and they didn't need to see my job diary. You will then be paid up until the last day of your claim.

When you go to sign back on again after the end of the census work it will be the rapid reclaim. You can do this online or over the telephone then someone will phone you back to make an appointment with you. You then attend the appointment and will be told then where you've to go. I had just started going upstairs at my jobcentre before I signed off and I'm back up there now.

I have no idea about housing benefit or council tax benefit I'm afraid as I don't get those.

melbi_uk

Fluffs123 wrote: »

blimey! does no one know? hasn't anyone reading this ever signed off before? :eek: :rotfl:

I'm sure someone will be long soon to answer your question.

No, I've never signed off because I've never signed on lol there will be a lot of people like me on these forums

Fluffs123

purplerose wrote: »

Just go in the day before you start work and hand in the signing off booklet to the jobcentre staff, you should find it inside your signing on wallet. Write in the booklet that you wish your claim to end on the day before you start work. That's all I had to do when I signed off for a month and they didn't need to see my job diary. You will then be paid up until the last day of your claim.

When you go to sign back on again after the end of the census work it will be the rapid reclaim. You can do this online or over the telephone then someone will phone you back to make an appointment with you. You then attend the appointment and will be told then where you've to go. I had just started going upstairs at my jobcentre before I signed off and I'm back up there now.

thanks for the info :A

Fluffs123

oh btw did your last payment of jsa after signing off arrive on the usual day or was it delayed?

allen35

Fluffs123 wrote: »

oh btw did your last payment of jsa after signing off arrive on the usual day or was it delayed?

It tends to be with you within a couple of days along with your grant

Fluffs123

thanks for that. it will take a couple weeks for the pay from the census job to start coming through so i'd have a bit of a cashflow issue if the final jsa payment was also delayed.