JSA - Warning & help required!

ginge211

I've worked since 1979, but in 2008/9 had been made redundant & took a cash job, paying more than JSA but not enough to pay insurance/tax (approx 6 months). Was made redundant from my job end March 2012 & signed on from 4/4/12. As I was in Tax year 2011 - 2008/9 &2009/10 were the years looked at, & because I'd underpaid (in that 1 year only in all my working life), cannot claim any JSA! Had I claimed on 7/4/12, the years 2009/10 & 11 would've been looked at & I would be able to claim!! If I now stop my claim I have to wait 24 weeks before I can re-claim! I am currently still signing on so that I get my NI paid but am wondering why I bother. At the benefits office I see loads of foreigners applying for everything!! I have written to MP's but all they can say is that the benefit rules are the rules & a claim in 2011 would look at those 2 years - 1 of which I was short of NI contributions!! Beware anyone else who needs to make a claim in that April period next year!!!!!!

marybelle01

I am perplexed as to your ability to know what "foreigners" are claiming - have you been perusing their claim forms? And in fact, how do you know they are "foreigners" and not British? And what does the fact that they may have worked just as many years as you, and paid tax and NI on their income, entitling them to benefits, have to do with the fact that you haven't paid enough contributions and therefore aren't entitled to claim benefits? And since income based JSA is available to people seeking work who cannot claim contributions based JSA, why can you not claim benefits - unless of course you already have an income in the household or savings.

Or is this just an excuse to have a racist little rant?

[Deleted User]

Guess what?? My friend ran his own business, employed 16 staff and despite only being 30 years old had personally paid over £500'000 in tax and NI. He took a very bad business decision, lost everything and ended up bankrupt and sleeping on his brothers sofa (after his Porshe & city centre penthouse were repossessed) and guess what..... Cause he never bothered to pay his NI during that last year of trading and being in difficulty.... He couldn't get any JSA either!!!

Torry_Quine

Those are the rules for contribution based. As you aren't getting income based either then you must have household income or savings which preclude this so aren't being left completely destitute.

ginge211

No, Marybelle - I am not having a racist rant - & yes I know they're foreigners 'cos they can't speak English!!!!!
My rant is at our "wonderful benefit system", whereby I have 27 years of paid contributions and yet cannot claim JSA. Had I made my claim 4 days later I would have been entitled to JSA.
Yes, luckily my husband is in work so that we can just about afford to pay our mortgage, council tax, electricity and water bills.
My point is that there is something VERY wrong with our current system that penalises people who have worked in this country all their lives, and worked hard for what they have! :mad:

mynameistallulah

ginge211 wrote: »

Was made redundant from my job end March 2012 & signed on from 4/4/12. As I was in Tax year 2011 - 2008/9 &2009/10 were the years looked at, & because I'd underpaid (in that 1 year only in all my working life), cannot claim any JSA! Had I claimed on 7/4/12, the years 2009/10 & 11 would've been looked at & I would be able to claim!!

This is wrong - if you claimed at any time in calendar year 2012, the tax years used for assessing your eligibility would be tax years 2010/11 and 2009/10.

ginge211 wrote: »

At the benefits office I see loads of foreigners applying for everything!!

Don't know why I am bothering to respond to such a stupid statement, but just to clarify that "foreigners" will only be entitled to benefits if they pass the Habitual Residence Test.

marybelle01

ginge211 wrote: »

No, Marybelle - I am not having a racist rant - & yes I know they're foreigners 'cos they can't speak English!!!!! The language that they speak is no indication of nationality, or eligibility. If they are British they are British. I speak four languages - does that make me less "British". Perhaps I am just a quarter British on this basis. They being treated under exactly the same rules that you are - so yes you are having a racist rant because you have not a shred of evidence that they are "applying for everything", no evidence that they have actually got "everything", and in fact they will get only what they are entitled to - just as you have got exactly what you are entitled to.

My rant is at our "wonderful benefit system", whereby I have 27 years of paid contributions and yet cannot claim JSA. Had I made my claim 4 days later I would have been entitled to JSA.
Yes, luckily my husband is in work so that we can just about afford to pay our mortgage, council tax, electricity and water bills.
My point is that there is something VERY wrong with our current system that penalises people who have worked in this country all their lives, and worked hard for what they have! :mad:

Many of the people who you have characterised as foreigners may also have worked in this country all their lives. They may have been born in this country. The fact that you consider the benefit system to be unfair is one matter. The rules are the rules and they apply to everbody. To introduce a totally superfluous and irrelevant argument about "foreigners" is racism.

McKneff

If you follow the rules of the benefit system, then you can claim what you are entitled to, simple as that.

The years you have paid into the system are irrelevant. Ive just retired, no benefits for me apart from 60% state pension after having just 2 separate years of having the kids, simply because I saved for my rain days, and the rainy days are here so I have to take responsibility for myself. And quite happy to do so.

ginge211

It's a shame the rules of the Benefit System aren't very open & clear!
The benefit year starts on January 1st but the tax year doesn't start 'til April 6th - therefore though I claimed in Benefit year 2012, because my claim was on April 4th they look at the earlier tax years (08/09 & 09/10) as we were still in tax year 2011.
Anyway, if I knew then what I know now, perhaps I should've done what many others do - sign on and carry on my cash job at the same time!!!!!

mynameistallulah

ginge211 wrote: »

It's a shame the rules of the Benefit System aren't very open & clear!
The benefit year starts on January 1st but the tax year doesn't start 'til April 6th - therefore though I claimed in Benefit year 2012, because my claim was on April 4th they look at the earlier tax years (08/09 & 09/10) as we were still in tax year 2011.
Anyway, if I knew then what I know now, perhaps I should've done what many others do - sign on and carry on my cash job at the same time!!!!!

That's wrong, but as you seem to think you know better than the rest of us, you might as well get on with it! In fact I'm not sure what help you were looking for?

dseventy

ginge211 wrote: »

I've worked since 1979, but in 2008/9 had been made redundant & took a cash job, paying more than JSA but not enough to pay insurance/tax (approx 6 months). Was made redundant from my job end March 2012 & signed on from 4/4/12. As I was in Tax year 2011 - 2008/9 &2009/10 were the years looked at, & because I'd underpaid (in that 1 year only in all my working life), cannot claim any JSA! Had I claimed on 7/4/12, the years 2009/10 & 11 would've been looked at & I would be able to claim!! If I now stop my claim I have to wait 24 weeks before I can re-claim! I am currently still signing on so that I get my NI paid but am wondering why I bother. At the benefits office I see loads of foreigners applying for everything!! I have written to MP's but all they can say is that the benefit rules are the rules & a claim in 2011 would look at those 2 years - 1 of which I was short of NI contributions!! Beware anyone else who needs to make a claim in that April period next year!!!!!!

and

ginge211 wrote: »

It's a shame the rules of the Benefit System aren't very open & clear!
The benefit year starts on January 1st but the tax year doesn't start 'til April 6th - therefore though I claimed in Benefit year 2012, because my claim was on April 4th they look at the earlier tax years (08/09 & 09/10) as we were still in tax year 2011.
Anyway, if I knew then what I know now, perhaps I should've done what many others do - sign on and carry on my cash job at the same time!!!!!

You are very bitter.

I do have some contructive advice for you, it would help you and financially be of benefit to you.

But you know what, your bitterness and blame for others that YOU find yourself in prevents me from helping.

To quote Carrie Fisher (yes the Princess from Star Wars) :

“Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. ”


Say no more.

D70