How much NI contribution is enough for contribution-based JSA?

TORTURED

I've looked about but all I get is 'if you've paid enough NI'. How much is 'enough'? Thousands?

Does anyone have a magical idea?

rogerblack

I forget the exact figures.
It's something close to 'have you earned 5K, as an employed earner, in both tax years 2010/11 and 11/12'.
Work done before April 2010, or after April 2012 is quite irrelevant.

HappyMJ

You need to have earnt more than the LEL(lower earning limit) every week/month in the last 2 tax years. Or have been credited with NI contributions such as being sick... You don't need to have paid any NI at all to get contributions based JSA,

rogerblack

HappyMJ wrote: »

You need to have earnt more than the LEL(lower earning limit) every week/month in the last 2 tax years. Or have been credited with NI contributions such as being sick... You don't need to have paid any NI at all to get contributions based JSA,

Your employer must however have paid the NI.

epitome

Have you claimed any of these benefits in your name since April 2010 -> April 2012

Child Benefit
Carers Allowance
Income Support
Job Seekers Allowance
Employment Support Allowance

There maybe some others that pay NI credits -but I don't know which ones- Basically each week of claiming one of these benefits will give you one weeks LEL credit.

To get JSA you need to have been employed at some point during at least one of these tax years
April 10 - April 11 LEL per week = £97
April 11 - April 12 LEL per week = £102

If you have no credited LEL whatsoever, (or you don't want to rely on it) you need to have earned £4850 in the first year and £5100 in the second year to qualify for JSA contributions based. Add up columns 1 2 3 & 4 on your P60 for those tax years to find out.

If you have had loads of credited LEL i.e. you were on those benefits pretty much fulltime during that period, you will need during either ONE of those years, employed earnings of 26 times LEL for that year, i.e. a minimum of £2522 or £2652, it is a cumulative total so it does not have to be earned in consequtive weeks and it does not have to be earned over 26 weeks, you could earn the amount in 19 weeks and it will still count. But you must then be able to have your credited LEL make up the difference to each yearly total of £4850 £5100 respectively.