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Claim for JSA

jill36_2
jill36_2 Posts: 909 Forumite
edited 17 December 2013 at 2:47AM in Employment, jobseeking & training
I was 'sacked' last week after only 3 weeks in the job, the 2nd time this year. If I'm honest I wasn't surprised as I was rubbish at both jobs and found them too difficult. The owner of the company said it wasn't my fault (it was) and he was 'restructuring the company.'

Now my problem is my husband owns his own company (I'm a director but only on paper). He employs 12 people.
He is only able to afford to pay himself £390 a month ( a figure his accountant has come up with). He has over stretched himself with multiple loans for equipment and of course staff wages.

I have a JSA interview at 1.00pm today. Am I wasting my time attending? I have never claimed benefits before, but feel now that the extra income will be essential.

Comments

  • gay_guy
    gay_guy Posts: 878 Forumite
    No harm in trying but I think you will be sanctioned if you claim as you got sacked.
  • AP007
    AP007 Posts: 7,109 Forumite
    jill36 wrote: »
    The owner of the company said it wasn't my fault (it was) and he was 'restructuring the company.'
    .
    gay_guy wrote: »
    No harm in trying but I think you will be sanctioned if you claim as you got sacked.
    Its not redundancy as the OP has not been there 2 years so its just as said here it was ''restructuring'. IF they have a letter saying that , there should be no problem.

    The Op however has to have 2 years of full NI contributions or it will go on income and if you have a partner who owns his own co probably it will be nothing.
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  • I thought if you leave a job you couldn't claim benefits?
  • If the employer states it was due to restructuring and that you weren't dismissed then a sanction should not be an issue.

    Hope you find something else soon :)
  • p00hsticks
    p00hsticks Posts: 14,930 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    jill36 wrote: »
    I thought if you leave a job you couldn't claim benefits?

    If you are made redundant (even if it's voluntarily) then you can claim JSA as long as you are looking for work.

    Although you don't actually qualify for redundancy because you've been there less than two years, if you've been let go because the company is restructuring and there is no longer a role for you then I'd argue that it amounts to the same thing.....
  • AP007
    AP007 Posts: 7,109 Forumite
    jill36 wrote: »
    I thought if you leave a job you couldn't claim benefits?
    Did you quit?
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  • No, he said that the work i was doing was going out to slow, and he was having to restructure the company.
  • AP007
    AP007 Posts: 7,109 Forumite
    jill36 wrote: »
    No, he said that the work i was doing was going out to slow, and he was having to restructure the company.
    So technically you have not left, they let you go and this was no fault of your own. Get that in writing and a reference.
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  • tomterm8
    tomterm8 Posts: 5,892 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    jill36 wrote: »
    =
    I have a JSA interview at 1.00pm today. Am I wasting my time attending? I have never claimed benefits before, but feel now that the extra income will be essential.

    I'm going to assume that you are applying for income based JSA (not enough national insurance stamps) .

    Income is normally assessed jointly for a couple, so if your husband is getting paid £390 a month you just aren't going to receive very much money at all.

    But, it is still a passport benefit to free prescriptions, nhs dental care, housing benefit and council tax benefit, and national insurance stamps, so it is probably still worth applying.
    “The ideas of debtor and creditor as to what constitutes a good time never coincide.”
    ― P.G. Wodehouse, Love Among the Chickens
  • jill36_2
    jill36_2 Posts: 909 Forumite
    Thanks for your replies, I decided to cancel the apt and wait til the new year.
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