JSA - not enough Class 1 National Insurance Contributions

timefortea

I applied for JSA just before Christmas, and just received a letter starting:

We cannot pay you JSA from 19 December 2011.

We cannot pay you because you have not paid, or been credited with, enough Class 1 National Insurance Contributions.


The rest of the letter tells me how to appeal, but I don't suppose I can. It's entirely likely I haven't paid enough, last year I earned around £100 per week and didn't pay much NI.

Problem is I really need some money. I'm starting work this week, 20 hours per week, so I'll be signing off, but the job is only temporary, lasting two weeks, so I'll be signing back on again afterwards if I don't find anything else. Since I lost my last job I've been living off my credit card, I was waiting for my JSA to come in so I could clear it. What can I do? I can't believe the government can just leave me with no money for that period.

sleepless_saver

You have been turned down for contribution based JSA because of your contribution record, but you might be entitled to income related JSA. Worth asking about.

However, if you have a partner, then their income will be taken into account in assessing whether you are entitled to it or not.
Use the benefits checker to see what you might be entitled to.

p00hsticks

If you are not eligible for contributions based JSA, then providing you do ont have a partner who could support you or a large amount of savings (over £16,000) then I believe you should be eligible for income-based JSA.

aaso

I came across this thread as I recently had the same decision made after finally signing on for Contribution based JSA. The difference from your situation is that for the tax years used to calculate my contributions, I had worked full-time on an above average salary. The first Job Centre rep I spoke to last week said the same thing as my letter, suggested there was no real point appealing, and pointlessly directed me to the NI state pension office.

This morning I decided to call again to check what Job Centre has on record for my contributions. I asked to get a call back from the benefits agency to explain the decision, duly got the call who said they just have on record 'insufficient' as my contributions. If you persist, as I did, they will get a 'special advisor' or similar to confirm this. The 'special advisor' realised I had paid well over the average and it hadn't appeared on the initial system (wherever that is), and are supposedly fast-tracking payments, with the first due today.

I asked the rep how often this type of error happens. "Quite often actually". I asked this fault be noted and reported to the supervisor to move it up the chain to get fixed, to which the rep replied that this service I was speaking to WAS the fix, and the 'special' check I had was only available to select people. Clearly, the rep was under the false impression this was some major favour I was being done.

The point is, if you feel a little embarrassed (as I was) or unsure about Job Centre related decisions, assume they got it wrong and speak to more than one rep. Overwhelmingly in my case, at every single interview and stage, they have got things wrong or missed out key information. They had a knack of making it seem like you're being difficult for exercising the options literally on the screen in front of them, or asking obvious questions.

It's been less than a month of this signing-on experience, and it's ridiculously inefficient. I can't believe I can't find a job with such muppets in charge.

sammyjammy

aaso wrote: »

I came across this thread as I recently had the same decision made after finally signing on for Contribution based JSA. The difference from your situation is that for the tax years used to calculate my contributions, I had worked full-time on an above average salary. The first Job Centre rep I spoke to last week said the same thing as my letter, suggested there was no real point appealing, and pointlessly directed me to the NI state pension office.

This morning I decided to call again to check what Job Centre has on record for my contributions. I asked to get a call back from the benefits agency to explain the decision, duly got the call who said they just have on record 'insufficient' as my contributions. If you persist, as I did, they will get a 'special advisor' or similar to confirm this. The 'special advisor' realised I had paid well over the average and it hadn't appeared on the initial system (wherever that is), and are supposedly fast-tracking payments, with the first due today.

I asked the rep how often this type of error happens. "Quite often actually". I asked this fault be noted and reported to the supervisor to move it up the chain to get fixed, to which the rep replied that this service I was speaking to WAS the fix, and the 'special' check I had was only available to select people. Clearly, the rep was under the false impression this was some major favour I was being done.

The point is, if you feel a little embarrassed (as I was) or unsure about Job Centre related decisions, assume they got it wrong and speak to more than one rep. Overwhelmingly in my case, at every single interview and stage, they have got things wrong or missed out key information. They had a knack of making it seem like you're being difficult for exercising the options literally on the screen in front of them, or asking obvious questions.

It's been less than a month of this signing-on experience, and it's ridiculously inefficient. I can't believe I can't find a job with such muppets in charge.

The information on DWP computer systems about the NI you have or have not paid in each tax year is provided by HMRC which is in turn provided by your previous employers. If the HMRC data is inaccurate it is most probably due to your previous employer not reporting data correctly or in some cases fraudulently keeping the money due for themselves, not declaring it.

It has nothing to do with DWP incompetence, if you are told you are not eligible for Contribution based JSA but you can prove otherwise via P60u etc then DWP can manually calculate your eligibility and pay JSA, which is what they have done in your case.

kar999

Apologies for resurecting an old thread but I've just had the same JSA refusal due to lack of NI contributions. I have paid NI for the last 2 1/2 years albeit with different employers on temporary contracts but I did have a short period of previous JSA contribution claim in Dec 2010/Jan 11. I suspect this period caused them to refuse the claim.

I suspect HMRC will have screwed up as it took me 7 months to reclaim over £1000 of overpaid tax in 2010-11 so I expect they have also screwed up my NI records.

EDIT: I did however read somewhere that ANY gap, however small, in NI contributions in the previous two calendar years will cause a new JSA contribution claim to be turned down. If that is true it's liitle wonder it pays not to work as I could have claimed 26 weeks back in 2010 and now apparently I have shot myself in the foot by accepting a job as soon as I could and now I'm unable to claim 2 1/2 years later.

If true it's no wonder there is so much welfare abuse.

POST MOVED here: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4438135

epitome

kar999 wrote: »

EDIT: I did however read somewhere that ANY gap, however small, in NI contributions in the previous two calendar years will cause a new JSA contribution claim to be turned down.

This is wrong

It is based on your NI-able (EMPLOYED NOT SELF EMPLOYED) earnings during the 2 relevant tax years (currently 2010/2011 &2011/2012) NOT the number of weeks you contributed.

This post here
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=60796237&postcount=10
is using ballpark figures approx £5,400 it's not the actual figure I can't be bothered to work out the exact figures but if you earned around this much employed then you definately need to have things looked at closer by a decision maker.

Your JSA claim in 10/11 would not be the reason for the disallowance, if anything that would help your new claim because each week you were on JSA would count as approx £100 NI able earnings.

kar999

Thanks - replied on other thread.

Miranda7

epitome wrote: »

This is wrong

It is based on your NI-able (EMPLOYED NOT SELF EMPLOYED) earnings during the 2 relevant tax years (currently 2010/2011 &2011/2012) NOT the number of weeks you contributed.

This post here
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=60796237&postcount=10
is using ballpark figures approx £5,400 it's not the actual figure I can't be bothered to work out the exact figures but if you earned around this much employed then you definately need to have things looked at closer by a decision maker.

Your JSA claim in 10/11 would not be the reason for the disallowance, if anything that would help your new claim because each week you were on JSA would count as approx £100 NI able earnings.

It's not wrong, unless we've been told incorrect info by two different advisers.

We've just been told the exact same thing - because my husband has had a couple of short periods out of work in the last two years he's not entitled to contrivutions-based JSA, and because I work he's not entitled to income-based JSA either. This is after spending money getting to sign on, and waiting and waiting for cash that never arrived.

I heard on the radio that the number of unemplyed has gone up and the number of JSA claimants as gone down. Hmmn, I wonder why that could be?

kar999

I got my decision overturned as I had clearly contributed sufficient NI even though I was also out of work for two periods.

Did he sign on during those periods out of work? If so, his contributions would be still being paid for during those times by the job centre. Even when you have exhausted your contribution based JSA after 26 weeks(?) they advise you to still sign on even if you cannnot claim income based allowance for the very reason that your NI will continue to be paid.

Without all your facts it's hard to say if they are right but they were initially 100% wrong with me, They hadn't checked the figures but mearly used a P60 which lacked over 11 months of income, tax and NI due to being on a Month 1 tax code at the end of 2010-11.

epitome

Miranda7 wrote: »

It's not wrong, unless we've been told incorrect info by two different advisers.

We've just been told the exact same thing - because my husband has had a couple of short periods out of work in the last two years he's not entitled to contrivutions-based JSA, and because I work he's not entitled to income-based JSA either. This is after spending money getting to sign on, and waiting and waiting for cash that never arrived.

I heard on the radio that the number of unemplyed has gone up and the number of JSA claimants as gone down. Hmmn, I wonder why that could be?

Was he Employed or Self Employed?

If Employed, did he earn above £5500 for both tax years 10/11 & 11/12?

Were his earnings on the books and recorded on his P60 (s)?