New Enterprise Allowance scheme - My story

rosered1963

x-Princess-Vikki-x wrote: »

My mentor is very lovely and helpful. However my job centre are not. They don't even understand what NEA is. They think that my mentor should be paying me and not the DWP! Therefore I havent been paid even though they told me to sign off JSA 4 weeks ago. They keep shifting the blame onto my mentor. Phoned Watford.. they say theyve never heard of it.. !!!!!!!!! I dont know what to do. The job centre keep telling me they'll look into it and call me back but they dont. They also ignore my emails. I haven't been paid and I'm stuck now. My mentor has even tried talking sense into them and they just ignore us and refuse to pay me NEA as they dont think its their job to do so?!!!

The staff at my job centre didn't know what NEA was either and I had to persuade my advisor to look into it after printing the information from the DWP website http://www.dwp.gov.uk/adviser/updates/new-enterprise-allowance/

You have to be "signed over" from Jobseekers allowance straight on to New Enterprise Allowance - you can't sign yourself off. You then get an award notice from your jobcentre advisor there and then. This is done in person, at the jobcentre, not by post.

Also - a note to others - if you are renting and claiming any HB/CTB until your business starts making money - my council (a large one) has never heard of New Enterprise Allowance. NEA does not count as income for HB purposes, but you have to tell them that because they don't know. You need to show them your award notice as it says so on there.

x-Princess-Vikki-x

rosered1963 wrote: »

You then go to the jobcentre who give you an award notice of EAS saying when your money will be paid. At that point, and only at that point, the job centre sign you off JSA.

that is exactly the part my job centre refuse to do as they say its all down to my mentor to sort and pay me even though my business plan etc is all done!!

rosered1963

x-Princess-Vikki-x wrote: »

that is exactly the part my job centre refuse to do as they say its all down to my mentor to sort and pay me even though my business plan etc is all done!!

They are wrong. You could write to your MP and copy in your mentor and your advisor at the job centre. Ask your MP to look into your eligibilty ugently. Or you could call into your MP's constituency office - they are usually there in person on Fridays to see people.

If you are unemployed and want to be self-employed, that's what EAS is for and the fact that no-one seems to know what they are doing is not your fault.

Why am I not surprised... no-one seems to know what they are doing when it comes to this. They make it as hard as possible - at least that's my experience with the 15 people I have been on the course with. No two jobcentres seem to have the same approach to it.

WantToBeSE

Thanks Rosered for the information
I am a bit worried that it'll all be quite difficult to sign over, especially as i have kids to feed...hopefully it wont take too long!

rosered1963

WantToBeSE wrote: »

Thanks Rosered for the information
I am a bit worried that it'll all be quite difficult to sign over, especially as i have kids to feed...hopefully it wont take too long!

I'm a self-employed cleaner. I first asked the jobcentre about EAS and asked to be referred to the enterprise agency on 2nd October last year. I went self employed on 9th February this year and have EAS from that date. That's four months. I had to push and chase every step of the way. I think the enterprise agencies are paid to have you "on their books" and are in no hurry at all for you to be signed over to EAS. I had to badger them every day. Once the jobcentre know you have been referred to the enterprise agency, they start wanting you to sign off! You are stuck in the middle. I wish I had just gone it alone really, but I had no financial stepping stone or working partner.

Good luck.

WantToBeSE

rosered1963 wrote: »

I'm a self-employed cleaner. I first asked the jobcentre about EAS and asked to be referred to the enterprise agency on 2nd October last year. I went self employed on 9th February this year and have EAS from that date. That's four months. I had to push and chase every step of the way. I think the enterprise agencies are paid to have you "on their books" and are in no hurry at all for you to be signed over to EAS. I had to badger them every day. Once the jobcentre know you have been referred to the enterprise agency, they start wanting you to sign off! You are stuck in the middle. I wish I had just gone it alone really, but I had no financial stepping stone or working partner.

Good luck.

Same here. If i could, i'd go it alone right now!
Oh well, stepping stones are all they are.

rosered1963

WantToBeSE wrote: »

Same here. If i could, i'd go it alone right now!
Oh well, stepping stones are all they are.

Hi there.

I hope you manage to get it sorted out.

You could think about working tax credit when you start up as self-employed? If you have children especially.

Could you look into that and see how much you might get on top of your self-employed earnings? I don't have children so don't know about that in detail.

RR

Andy2013

Hey guys glad there are more of us sharing our experiences.
My job centre also knew little about NEA so i had to be the one to inform them how it works and i had to push themi the right direction otherwise nothing would have ever got sorted.

My job centre advisor even asked me on the day i signed off jsa and onto NEA if i was still using universal job search to find a job ??????

"No you hopeless git i dont need to as i have been working upto being self employed for the past 2 months and today i sign over onto NEA " was my response and i admit we had a fall out as i then layed into him explaining he should know the ropes and be telling me what to do , not the other way round.

On JSA your treated like a number and the staff are pretty useless, anyway thats the past thank god !!!

So week 2 and i have received my first £65 from DWP and my WTC application is sent but the loan is a no go.

So i applied for the loan via a local company and i sent all the apps and paperwork etc and i filled the form in as honestly as i could and even explained i had a past CCJ that was being removed as it was paid upto date and i then get an email saying my application is declined as i have a past CCJ which is uncleared and as i did not disclose this they declined my app !!

So i contacted them and the response was " we have declined it as the ccj was in default 4 years ago and this we feel is a risk" and when i explained it was clear awaiting removal she repeated the same line and before i started blaming david cameron , the floods and anything alse i could grab hold of i hung up.

To be honest i was a little edgy about getting in more debt so i did not fight it to much as everything happens for a reason . so dont expect this magic loan as 3 other people on my induction i stay in contact with also failed to get it.

I am trading and so far making a profit slowly but surely so i will keep pushing and see how the next week goes.

And as for my elusive mentor ............ nothing , no contact with any one of us.

Keep your posts coming, more from " mr grumpy " soon

WantToBeSE

rosered1963 wrote: »

Hi there.

I hope you manage to get it sorted out.

You could think about working tax credit when you start up as self-employed? If you have children especially.

Could you look into that and see how much you might get on top of your self-employed earnings? I don't have children so don't know about that in detail.

RR

Thanks RR.
I THINK i may be able to get Child tax credits if i go SE, but i will need the NEA too, as i doubt i'll get 16 hours work straight off the bat to claim for WTC.

Andy-thanks for keeping us updated. how long have you been trading now?
I don't think i'll be eligible for the loan either, so i will have to pay the start up costs myself..yikes!
Just have to have faith that it'll all be worth it in the end!

rosered1963

Andy 2013:
"No you hopeless git i dont need to as i have been working upto being self employed for the past 2 months and today i sign over onto NEA " was my response and i admit we had a fall out as i then layed into him explaining he should know the ropes and be telling me what to do , not the other way round."

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

The advisors at my Jobcentre are all ex income support and retirement pensions staff migrated over from the old DHSS and DSS. They have worked in benefits assessment since the 1980's and know nothing about being a jobseeker, or the job market - I know because I used to work with them at the old DHSS! They are benefit gatekeepers. If you want to know anything, look on the internet and print it out for them.

I didn't bother applying for the loan. The last thing I need is more debt to pay back.

Good luck.