New Enterprise Allowance scheme - My story

s450

Wow, I have not been in the forum for a while because I am very busy at the moment with the organization for a good start up of my trading.
Anyway, almost a month has passed since my business adviser informed me that my business plan had been approved but apparently no confirmation has arrived at my JC yet.
Is it a reason to celebrate or not :beer:
On the one hand it is good that I do not have to sing off immediately so that I can use this time in order to organize and finalize all the details I need for a good start-up of my trading BUT
on the other hand I want to start!!
My JC-Agent is quite helpful. He said "you shouldn't sign off before we get the confirmation otherwise you will lose benefits", which is true :T
but what should I do if at my next signing my agent will tell me that he has not received any confirmation yet?
Is it normal that it takes so long? How was your experience? How much time passed between the day on which your Business adviser informed you that your business plan was approved and the day on which this was communicated to your JC agent?

I am also a bit concerned. Is there the danger that I will lose my right of NEA if too much time passes?

TrueBlue1965

As fare as I am aware. Once your NEA adviser approves your business plan and informs JCP. You then have up to 3 months to sign off benefits and sign up for NEA payments or you lose the chance to go on NEA. Thats what my JC adviser says anyway.

My business plan has been signed off but i,ve asked my NEA adviser not to inform JCP until the new loan providers where sorted out. We now know who is providing it and the paperwork is done. Im waiting for the loan to be confirmed. Should have an answer from the loan provider by mid-week, this coming week (5 working days).

One of the conditions of the loan is that I have to be signed off JSA and signed up to NEA payments before the loan will be paid in to my bank account. That conformation will be done by fax between JCP and the loan company. So, I will be pushing my NEA adviser, JCP adviser and the loan provider to communicate with each other as soon as the loan is confirmed next week. Should be simple to get them all to phone, E-mail and Fax each other to pull everything together in a few days.

I guess in your situation, s450. You could wait for your JCP adviser to find the notification that your business plan has been signed off and your ready to sign off and start trading. However, it would be easy to ask your NEA adviser to inform your JCP again that your ready to start the NEA payments part of the scheme if your ready and willing to start trading. Then, tell your JCP adviser to go and actively look for the notification from your NEA providers because your ready to sign off and start the NEA payments. Nothing like telling a JCP adviser that you want to sign off benefits to get them working hard and doing what they are supposed to do!

treenie01

I was told you have to sign off straight away (I was given a two week extension because the nature of my work is during term time and I wouldn't be working until after half term.

An update, I took the full loan. Good job I did because I now have to replace my computer as it's gone caput. I'm now getting nea payments each week but still on the temporary code. I'm due to go back to the job centre in January so we will see how that pans out

s450

@TrueBlue1965 many thanks for your answer

I also think that there should be no problem with my NEA and that soon, maybe already on my next signing (very soon) my JC will tell me that they have received the confirmation and that I can sign off.
But @Treenie01 was even told to sign off straight away after the approval within two weeks. I just do not want to run the risk that eventually they will tell me:

sorry but you should have signed off earlier and asked your Business Adviser to send us the confirmation again. Now, it is too late. Auf wiedersehen!!


You mentioned the term of three months. Is it an official rule or was it so only in your case? If it is an official thing, then could you please provide me with a link where I can find this information.

Honestly, I want to start trading but if I can postpone my start-up of other couple of weeks would be even better for me, because I have been really working like a pig, trying to organize all details I will need in order to start trading.

TrueBlue1965

I asked my JCP adviser how long I had before I had to sign up for NEA after my business plan was signed off. The answer I got was up to 3 months. Things happen in life and business. If your not ready to start your business. Then, JCP cannot force you to start your business until your ready. As long as your actively seeking work. Then your fine!

s450

Surely the JC can wait a bit till I really feel ready to start up my trading - ultimately it is a good thing for them as well that I sign of :rotfl:-
The only reason why I was now asking is that I do not want to run the risk that the GLE then says :"too much time has passed since your business plan was approved, therefore you cannot go on to the NEA allowance"

My business plan was approved circa 5 weeks ago. But i you say that normally I have time up to three months, than it should be ok.
I was just wondering if there is an official regulation for that or if it is only a subjective decision of your local GLE.

Andy2013

There would be as the gov have regs for everything ,but we probably wont find it on the net.

The reason they put time limits on these is to avoid hangers on just passing time,( not saying your doing that ) but as with all government schemes be it JSA or what ever, you have a certain time before you get put onto the next "stage" ie JSA to work programme.

With NEA as soon as you start work on your business plan you focus solely on your business and once the induction has been done you should get you plan signed off asap, apply for the loan and bobs almost your uncle.

From the day I asked about NEA to the day I started trading was 8 weeks all in and that included the xmas break, otherwise it could have been 6 weeks and I was earning money right away.

s450 , what's the hold up, you have been doing this for months now. ?? every day lost is profit you could be making , and as good as you plan , nothing quite goes as expected and you have to adapt every day as your business will evolve.

s450

I will talk to my JC on my next signing about this issue -whether I can have two more weeks time.
Believe it or not but this time is not an easy time for me :eek:
I am not scratching myself at home :rotfl: but I am very busy with organizing the start up of my trading AND

OF COURSE I WANT TO START TRADING :beer:

I do not want to live on JSA

TrueBlue1965

Look at it this way, s450. Your supported by the NEA payments for the first 26 weeks of not signing on. You will still get housing benefit until you start earning money from your business. Wait another two weeks and you will be at Christmas day before you start your business. If your business plan has been passed. Your ready to go. So, whats the hold up?

Im going nuts at the moment because im struggling to get the new NEA loan company to give me an answer to if im getting my loan. They have had my paperwork for almost 2 weeks without an answer. Tried to talk to them for the last two days. Always someone going to phone me back but they never do. Im missing out on lots of potential sales over the Christmas period. Never mind the stress of having to wait to see if I have the cash to get my business moving.

No idea what has happened to customer service or the professionalism of those involved in sorting out the NEA loans?

Andy2013

Making that jump of JSA onto NEA is quite scary, you suddenly feel alone because it is totally down to you but you have to just jump.

The old saying " fail to prepare , prepare to fail" is very true but to be honest you can wait 20 years preparing throughout but month 2 will be very different to month 1 and I can guarantee that neither will match your prediction's.

Xmas is just round the corner and you DO NOT want JSA / NEA switching over during that period as generally it is a nightmare of time getting anything done well or quickly with government stuff.

Get it done soon and you can hit 2014 running, as opposed to " a slight canter" whilst it gets switched.

TrueBlue1965 , one thing I have learnt from NEA is how not to do customer service, very poor , slow and almost always useless!!

My business is about providing a great product and a great service and I regularly get great remarks as to comms and service so that keeps me pushing.

Actually it was 12 months yesterday I had my induction , how time flies .