Do i claim JSA straight away?

Cashtyke

I finish work this week and i have been given 5 weeks notice pay as i havent been given proper notice. I assume this notice pay is what i have to live on for the next five weeks. So should i leave it five weeks before i go to the jobcentre? or should i start claiming now even though i wont get any money. Same goes for Housing benefit and tax credits

ukdickie31

Claim JSA as soon as you can satisfy the conditions of JSA, ie you are willing to work, actively seeking and able to work.

This basically means.... straight away !

Even if you have pay in lieu of notice {PILON}, you should still claim. This is to protect your NI stamps.

You will need to take your letter of redundancy to the Jobcentre when you have your new claim interview.

You won't get paid JSA for any period covered by PILON, but you will still be classed as unemployed if you have made your claim. This is especially important if you need to claim from insurance policies.

The same for Housing and Tax Credits. Notify them of your change in circumstances. They will advise you what paperwork they will need.

crazy_chick_573

you can claim jsa because 'you're looking for a job'. normally you can apply to get 6 weeks pay from before but you've already be given 5. just some advice, when you are 'looking for a job' you need to show proof such as apply for jobs so they don't stop your benefits. my mum works for job centre plus that's why i know

jayne.doe

No i wouldnt claim jsa straight away, check but chances are you have paid national ins contributions on PILON..................It is only the redundancy part ie the compensation part of any payment you are given that is tax free. You can claim straight away but as you say you wont get anything for the pilon period.

If you have insurance you can sign on but look at the small print often the Ins Co wont pay until you can actually claim jsa.... and then you have a waiting period... depends on your Co.

It also depends on what you want to claim whether its the means tested part of jsa or contribution based jsa only, which lasts 6mths if you do satisfy for the contribution based jsa this always takes precident over the income based part anyway.... so dont forget depending on your circumstances which i dont know you might only be able to claim for 6mths minus the five weeks pilon period. Contact your jobcentre because it depends on all sorts.... like whether you have a partner who works etc etc.........

jenchin66

Claim straight away, my husband was made redundant on 7th March and oly today has he received any jobseekers money, it's taken this long to get it all sorted.

Labman_2

Phone them & explain the situation & they will tell you when you can claim from/how to proceed etc....found them to be really helpful when I was in a similar situation last year.

Elsiesgirl

I agree with ukdicke, claim straight away. It's not often that employers deduct NI contributions from pay in lieu of notice (PILON) so the Jobcentre will credit them if you've made your claim. If you delay making your claim backdating is rarely an option unless you can prove you were physically unable to do it. Not knowing what to do is not considered a good enough reason for not claiming as the Jobcentre are there to ask.

jayne.doe

I disagree it is normal that NI contribution are taken from PILON it is law they have too it is ONLY the compensation part of the redundancy that they dont take NI contributions from. That is why PILON is looked at as wages by the the Department for Work and Pensions. PILON itself is taxable if its in your contract you are entitled to it or a statutory requirement. Check out this http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Employees/RedundancyAndLeavingYourJob/DG_10026689

ukdickie31

When a new claim for JSA is made and redundancy payments, PILON etc are an issue, New Claims staff have to take a copy of the redundancy letter. The reason for this is that there are many elements that make up a final payment. PILON, Holiday pay etc.

PILON can be up to 12 weeks and a copy of any redundany letter is attached to a pro-forma given at the New Claims stage by the Jobcentre to request NI stamps be paid for the period of PILON. This is to ensure that NI credits are made for the period of the PILON when JSA cannot be paid.

Alongside this, people may have insurance policies that will only pay out if the person is claiming benefit. Mortgages are a lot of money not to have paid if misdirected.

A Jobcentre emloyer that does not allow or advises that a claim cannot be made at this stage may be giving incorrect advice and potentially misidrecting Jobseekers.

Whenever PILON is an issue, it is always better to make the claim than not to make the claim. Whether benefit is paid is not the issue. The fact is, a claim can be made and should be made. The decision to award benefit where PILON is a decision be made by a benefits decision maker, not a labour market decision maker. They are separate people.

Cashtyke

Showed them redundancy notice. They say i can start a claim from the day after i finsih work or i can wait till five weeks later to do so.
Apparantly it is up to me. I decided not to pursue a claim until my notice is up

me_eevie

Does anyone know what happens if your PILON is delayed - I have been made redundant today but have to claim my redundancy pay / a weeks wages I am owed plus PILON from the DTI.
Can I claim JSA straight away as I have nothing to live on untill the DTI pay me what I am owed.