Job offer - coming off JSA/HB/CTB

gettingready

They are paid in arreas - I am signing on Friday the 27th and will still get paid on Wednesday the 1st but that is it as far as I know.

Starting work on the 31st I will get first weekly wages 2 weeks later though and rent and CT need to be paid in advance.

The 130 that I will get on Wednesday the 1st does not even cover montly travel to work (£136 from what I remember when I checked) and it will have to last me for 2 weeks food/bills etc so this is a bit scary to be honest.

4 weeks extended payment would have made an incredible difference

Macro_3

gettingready wrote: »

If I had 16k savings or a partner (with or without an income) I would not be worried. But I do not not that is why I asked.

That difference between contribution and income based JSA is just simply not right, is it?



If I knew for sure that I can get the extended payment based on the 26 weeks - I would simply postpone the start date, so really REALLY unfair to miss it by 3-4 days but if not applicable to contribution based JSA then ....

No, it only applies where JSAIB was in payment when JSA ends, but you could potentially receive your six months of JSAC, then a couple of days of JSAIB and get the run-on, so long as the entitlement to JSA has been continuous. The period on JSAC 'counts' towards the 26 weeks.

So if you claimed JSAC for the full 26 weeks and then made the transition to JSAIB because your contributions had exhausted, and then signed off for work, the EPP would be payable.

gettingready

Macro - thanks a lot for that.

Have you by any chance got a link to some "official" info on that?

Macro_3

Page 4 http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/hbgm-c5-extended-payments.pdf:

5.100 To be eligible for an EP the claimant or partner must have
1 ceased to receive a qualifying income-related benefit, ie IS, JSA(IB) or ESA(IR), because they have started work, increased their hours of work or increased their earnings, and
2 have started employment, or have increased earnings or hours of employment which is expected to last at least five weeks, and
3 been continuously in receipt of either IS, JSA or ESA(IR), or a combination of those benefits, for a period of at least 26 weeks immediately before the qualifying income-related benefit ceased

5.101 Although periods in receipt of JSA(C) can count towards the 26 week period, the claimant or partner must have come off one of the qualifying income-related benefits for one of the work-related reasons. A person ceasing to get JSA(C) for work-related reasons cannot get an EP unless they were also in receipt of a qualifying income-related benefit which ceased at the same time and for the same reasons.

gettingready

wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww, thanks a millionnnnnnn for that

gettingready

I so wish I knew that before accepting the offer and agreeing the start date - but I applied for the job on Wed, was called on Thu for an interview on Frday and got the offer the same day and accepted. So really had no time to ask at the benefits side of it, never even knew about extended payments till I started looking into JSA/work transition...

Big part of me wants to postpone the start date now but do not want to risk loosing the offer so... grrrrr may be loosing 4 weeks worth of HB and CTB

Macro, thanks a lot for that.

patman99

One peice of advice, DO NOT sign off the dole until you have walked through the door and officially started your new employment.

As for CT and rent, unless paid by dd, just hold-out and pay in 2 weeks when your wages clear. Just make sure to write to your council and landlords explaining what you are planning.

BTW, as for traveling to work, on your first day look to see if they operate a car share scheme. If not and they have notice boards, write-out and pin up a notice saying where you are traveling in from. You might find that someone else lives nearby and is prepared to give you a lift.

gettingready

Patman thanks - I wont be able to pay 2 weks bills from one week's wages, pay the travel etc, especially that in my second week I will only get 4 days wages as first week is a short week (Bank Holiday Monday) which means will have to get in arreas with rent and CT.

The job is in central London, need travelcard for public transport I am afraid. Weekly £32.20 and montly£123.70

MamaMoo_2

If you go into your JC and ask, they may be able to give you money for transportation etc. They have an unadvertised thing called the Advisors Discretionary Fund. When I went back to work, they gave me a grant of £140 for uniform etc, so if you mention this they may be able to help.

gettingready

MamaMoo - they told be before already that this only applies to people who were signing on for 26 weeks and are getting income based JSA...already asked a while ago. It is really so unfair