Advice Please for Newly 'Unemployed'

pennypincher3562

Though come think of it, if I was to go through the 'affordability test', surely £12 a month would win over £160 a month, for a person not in work. Or, is it not as simple as that?

Cheers
PennyPincher3562

Owain_Moneysaver

If you sign on you can claim Contributions-Based JSA for 6 months (any sanction for voluntarily leaving employment aside). This isn't affected by savings, but won't give you access to passported benefits like free dental care etc.

After 6 months you'd have to claim Income-Based JSA, which is affected by savings. You could instead claim/get JSA NI Credits Only for which you still have to sign on and do all the other mandatory work related activity stuff.

The NI credits don't count towards future benefits entitlement but do count towards state pension.

fairy_lights

Unless you desperately need the NI contributions I wouldn't sign on if I were you, at least not until enough time has passed that you will be eligible for JSA. It's a soul sucking experience.

pennypincher3562

Eh Fairy Lights, can you expand on that? The last time I was there when I was a briefly unemployed student. It just involved speaking to someone, and filling out a form. What do they make you do now?

Cheers
PennyPincher3562

pennypincher3562

Hello Again

I was thinking with regards to the 'affordability test' and increasing my term so my payments are reduced to £12 a month. Even though I have quit, I am still technically in employment.

Can I not phone them tomorrow, increase the term to 30 years, and then enjoy paying £12 a month for my flat?

Thanks
PennyPincher3562

Yorkie1

No, you can't do that. It will be a complete affordability assessment - they'll ask about income and outgoings and you must declare anything relevant to their decision (which includes the fact you have no job after the end of your current notice period).

Ronaldo_Mconaldo

You only have a £2k mortgage? Just pay it off and forget about it.

mgdavid

fairy_lights wrote: »

Unless you desperately need the NI contributions I wouldn't sign on if I were you, at least not until enough time has passed that you will be eligible for JSA. It's a soul sucking experience.

yes but it's also great motivation to get another job so you don't have to go back there!

getmore4less

If you are looking for work then you might as well sign on and see if your job hunting efforts meet the requirement if not and you want a break and/or a more laid back job search you and sign off.

It may be that there are temp jobs or something like bar work that will fill a gap, places like JDwetherspoon are always looking in some locations. we have quite a view transients in ours, between jobs, students, weekend only(got other jobs).


Cash is king so cut back all expenses, and on the food front shop when the stores do reductions.

check out the debtfreewanabee for doing a SOA and cutting back techniques

GothicStirling

My advice is to not rely on job advertisements. Go to websites like Indeed and Reed (the job centre is crap these days), identify which companies you would like to work for and target them with a speculative application, use Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

I was unemployed for six months earlier this year (graduate, worked in heritage and museums, had background in catering and cleaning and applied for everything.) I got my job from an advert on Twitter by a local museum, and have now been told that my temporary contract is being made permanent.