No benefits...?

aphid2aphid

Hello,

I apparently qualify for no benefits of any kind despite having paid into the system for over 26 years prior to a working abroad for a few years and would welcome thoughts/ideas please.

In the summer of 2007 I left the UK with my family to work overseas. After 5 years we returned to the UK and my wife secured her old job on a part time 30 hour contract. I completed the online benefits checker to see if I/we would qualify for benefits while I looked for a new job. However, when it came to completing the formalities I was told that I was not eligible for any benefits at all because I had not paid national insurance within the last three years. The only thing I get paid is my stamp by signing on every 2 weeks....nothing else. No job seekers, nothing else of any kind.

Is there something I am missing here? I am still shocked that I qualify for nothing. Any suggestions/thoughts would be really welcome.

Regards,
Aphid

DannyboyMidlands

It seems that you came back to the country in order to claim benefits. In which case my thoughts are that I'm glad my hard-earned wages aren't being diverted into your pocket.

Horseunderwater

In this case there will be nothing for you, so DWP is correct. However since your Wife has her old job back and is doing 30 hours per week and I assume she is over 25 years old and if you have children below 16 years old living with you - you could get Working tax credits if her income is low enough and or child tax credits.
Cut off for Working tax for a couple is around the £17.5k mark, so if your income is below this then you may get something.

Hang_Tight_Harry

In order to qualify for contribution based JSA you need to have paid NI contributions for the two preceeding tax years. As you haven't, you don't qualify. As youir wife works, her income will be taken into account when calculating your elgibility for income based JSA. She earns more than the minimum therefore you do not qualify for that either.

You may be entitled to a little housing benefit orcouncil tax benefit, but it depends on a number of factors, such as how much your wife earns, where you live etc.

aleisha2k5

your wife maybe able to help get:
working tax credits
child tax credits
child credit (old family allowance which you should be getting anyway)
council tax benefit
housing benefit - if renting.

anything you can claim will need to be assessed in your wifes name.

Horseunderwater

Aleisha - please can you correct your standard cut/past reply - no such thing as Child credit - It is CHILD BENEFIT now.

sammyjammy

aleisha2k5 wrote: »

your wife maybe able to help get:
working tax credits
child tax credits
child credit (old family allowance which you should be getting anyway)
council tax benefit
housing benefit - if renting.

anything you can claim will need to be assessed in your wifes name.

and it doesn't have to be in wife's name it just needs to be assessed on joint income.

aphid2aphid

Thanks for the prompt replies mainly confirming my predicament.
When calculating eligibility will my situation automatically be re-evaluated from the start of the new financial year, which I believe is 6th April?

p00hsticks

aphid2aphid wrote: »

Thanks for the prompt replies mainly confirming my predicament.
When calculating eligibility will my situation automatically be re-evaluated from the start of the new financial year, which I believe is 6th April?

No. It's complicated, but for the purposes of determining if you are entitled to contributions based benefits the system looks back at your contributions made in the last two full tax years before the current 'benefit year ', with the 'benefit year' starting on the first Sunday of the calendar year.

So at present, the key years for your contributions are tax years 6th April 2010-5th April 2011 and 6th April 2011-5th April 2012.

In January of next year, this moves forward to look at the period 6th April 2011-5th April 2012 and 6th April 2012-5th April 2013.

But if you are not employed and making Class 1 contributions now, the rolling forward of the years is nor going to help you..

aphid2aphid

p00hsticks wrote: »

No. It's complicated, but for the purposes of determining if you are entitled to contributions based benefits the system looks back at your contributions made in the last two full tax years before the current 'benefit year ', with the 'benefit year' starting on the first Sunday of the calendar year.

So at present, the key years for your contributions are tax years 6th April 2010-5th April 2011 and 6th April 2011-5th April 2012.

In January of next year, this moves forward to look at the period 6th April 2011-5th April 2012 and 6th April 2012-5th April 2013.

But if you are not employed and making Class 1 contributions now, the rolling forward of the years is nor going to help you..

Thanks for your comments.
So does this mean that for almost two years I will not be entitled to any benefits of any kind, simply because i worked overseas for 5 years up to Dec 2012? If this is so it does seem harsh that for the first time in my life when I would welcome some support until I get back on my feet again, circumstances are stacked against me. No income, no benefits... how do people survive?

Teahfc

Where you forced to come back to UK through circumstances beyond you control? Was there no welfare option in the country you worked and paid tax in the last 5 years ?