JSA Rules

[Deleted User]

As some of you may know I am a single parent looking for a job of 16+ hours a week, that fits around the kids as much as possible.

I am currently on JSA and doing everything within my means to look for work. I had been discounting temporary contracts as at the moment I have a permanent one and don't want to jepodise the little security I have. However my Mum suggested applying for jobs i.e. maternity cover, or 6month contracts just to get off JSA. Whilst I'm not dismissing the idea, we then wondered how I would stand if I got a job say in June, worked for 6 months and the contracts ended. Would I be able to re-apply for JSA or is there a waiting period?

I don't want to shoot myself in the foot by applying for these positions.

Currently I work 10 hours a week in a supermarket and despite asking there is no extra hours, except irregular overtime until possibly October when the uni students leave. Even then they won't gaurantee me work.

I keep busy with 4 hours voluntary work a week and running a house etc, but I need more paid work and really want to come off JSA. The amount of time I spend a week looking, recording and applying for things probably takes me up to my 16+ hours a week already!:p

Kayalana99

Is thier any way you could do a temp contract as well as your supermarket job? Makes sense to me if you do 10hours thier and 10 hours somewhere else it still counts as working over 16hrs!

Not sure about JSA tbh your better of asking on the benifits board but perhaps someone wil know.

[Deleted User]

Hi Kayalana, yes another 6 hours somewhere might be possible, i just can't seem to find something to fit around what I already have, except cash in hand jobs, which I would then declare and go self employed. I don't really want that.

I like things simple, having said that nothing about my life is simple at the moment, so i guess I shouldn't expect this to be any different.

Kayalana99

Well just so you no its really not that hard to register as self employed...its just annoying having to save part of the money for the tax man as if it gets taken of straight away you don't notice it so much!!

Although on 16hours I doubt you would even pay tax so it might be just as simple as telling them your income but without having all the comlications of tax etc.

It can all be done online

Dogger69

Is there any reason why you are only looking for sixteen hours? With both children at school, you really should be aiming for thirty or more hours.

[Deleted User]

Dogger69 wrote: »

Is there any reason why you are only looking for sixteen hours? With both children at school, you really should be aiming for thirty or more hours.

In my original post I said 16+ hours, the 16 is the minimum required to claim working tax credits.

I have two children to take and collect from school and I would prefer to keep their lives as constant as possible. At this stage they need me more than a childminder. The jobcentre have actually restricted my working hours to 20 due to this. I obviously could apply for 30 hour a week jobs, but they understand the value of mothers looking after their children and not forcing me to put them into childcare.

I know decisions need to be made and I might have to make some tough choices, but I'm not at that stage yet.

[Deleted User]

Kayalana99 wrote: »

Well just so you no its really not that hard to register as self employed...its just annoying having to save part of the money for the tax man as if it gets taken of straight away you don't notice it so much!!

Although on 16hours I doubt you would even pay tax so it might be just as simple as telling them your income but without having all the comlications of tax etc.

It can all be done online

Ah ok, so if I kept my 10 hours at the supermarket and then did 6 hours cleaning jobs say, I would just declare the 6 hours, but still qualify for WTC.

I guess I felt originally put off as being self employed and employed at the same time sounded confusing.

In an ideal world, I would like a job where I was employed, so could start a company pension, have annual leave, sick pay (usually after 6-12 months) and have regular set hours, so I know where I stand for volunteer work and the children.

I appreciate that in today's climate though, beggars can't be choosers.

podperson

Basically if you got additional hours elsewhere or another job with more hours then you would come off JSA and presumably onto WTC. If the job was temporary and ended within around 6 months (I think it's something like 180 days) then you could reapply for JSA on a 'rapid reclaim' and they look at your previous details and it should go through pretty quickly. If the job ended after 6 months then you would need to make a totally new claim so it could take a bit longer to process, but you would still be able to claim from the date when your job finished.

[Deleted User]

Thank you podperson for your helpful reply.:T