Holiday over signing on date

coyoteboy_2

Hi everyone, I hope you can advise me on this one. Yesterday I lodged a new claim for JSA, having been made redundant due to the company's relocation. Today I went in for my interview at the job centre, and was told my first signing date was next tuesday afternoon.
I am going to India for 8 days next monday however, a trip which has been planned for several months, before I knew I would be out of work. I didn't mention this to the adviser today, as I didn't want to jeopardise my claim straight away without finding out what my rights are.
Can anyone tell me whether I am entitled to take this holiday and still claim, or will I get paid up to and including the day I leave (I fly on the monday night) then make a new claim the day I return?
Should I notify the job centre right away or will this be shooting myself in the foot? Questions questions!

ukdickie31

Hi

I am going to India for 8 days next monday however, a trip which has been planned for several months, before I knew I would be out of work. I didn't mention this to the adviser today, as I didn't want to jeopardise my claim straight away without finding out what my rights are.

Holidays abroad - you won't get paid for and your claim to JSA will close from the date you go abroad. You will have to reclaim when you come back to the UK.

Should I notify the job centre right away or will this be shooting myself in the foot?

If you don't let the JC know that you have gone abroad, you will be commiting Fraud.

Up to you at the end of the day who you tell and what you say, but you know what the correct answer to your question is.

dag_2

Holidays abroad - you won't get paid for and your claim to JSA will close from the date you go abroad. You will have to reclaim when you come back to the UK.

Hmm. My advice would be that you don't tell them until the day before you fly out. I sincerely hope that your holiday goes according to plan, but if it does fall through, and you end up staying in Blighty after all, then you will continue to qualify for JSA.

When you return, contact the Jobcentre again on your first day back - and mention the fact that you were receiving JSA recently. You will probably need to attend another "Restart" interview, however, your JSA claim will be linked to the award you got before you went to India - this means you don't lose the "waiting days", and JSA will be paid from day 1 instead of day 4.

Also, the formalities shouldn't take as long this time too.

ukdickie31

When you return, contact the Jobcentre again on your first day back - and mention the fact that you were receiving JSA recently. You will probably need to attend another "Restart" interview, however, your JSA claim will be linked to the award you got before you went to India - this means you don't lose the "waiting days", and JSA will be paid from day 1 instead of day 4.

You will still need to make a new claim upon your return. A Restart interview is only done when there is a live claim. If everything is the same in the claim, it will be a 'rapid reclaim' and is actually a new claim, albeit a simpler version.