Contribution based JSA

SoonToBeRedundant

I am going to be made redundant end of January. I will have a generous package after many years of service but understand that I am still eligible for contribution based JSA irrespective of the size of my redundancy pay.

I have never claimed any benefit but am debating if I should apply for this as I am entitled to it however have no idea what the exact process is? How and when can I start the claim? Do I need to sign in at the job centre every week? Any pointers are appreciated.

Thanks

Another_not_new_user

SoonToBeRedundant wrote: »

I am going to be made redundant end of January. I will have a generous package after many years of service but understand that I am still eligible for contribution based JSA irrespective of the size of my redundancy pay.

I have never claimed any benefit but am debating if I should apply for this as I am entitled to it however have no idea what the exact process is? How and when can I start the claim? Do I need to sign in at the job centre every week? Any pointers are appreciated.

Thanks

Yes - you can claim it but you will be a jobseeker like everyone else, so subject to the same conditions. You also get your NI contributions made which contribute towards you pension rights - you won't get these if you do not claim.


You can start your claim on line - information here: https://www.gov.uk/jobseekers-allowance/how-to-claim

TadleyBaggie

How often you have to sign on varies, for me it was every two weeks.

CRUSOE_2

I have started the process of claiming JSA having been made redundant at the end of November, in fact signing on for the first time tomorrow...

The question that my wife and I are trying to get our heads around is.. What else are we entitled to ? And how do we get it ?

Have read up on Universal Credit, but that seems to be being phased in over the next X years. Obviously we have expenditure that JSA just won't cover ie mortgage etc... So is a trip to Citizens Advice recommended ? That would seem the logical step... unless someone can advise different.

General_Grant

CRUSOE wrote: »

I have started the process of claiming JSA having been made redundant at the end of November, in fact signing on for the first time tomorrow...

The question that my wife and I are trying to get our heads around is.. What else are we entitled to ? And how do we get it ?

Have read up on Universal Credit, but that seems to be being phased in over the next X years. Obviously we have expenditure that JSA just won't cover ie mortgage etc... So is a trip to Citizens Advice recommended ? That would seem the logical step... unless someone can advise different.

What levels of savings do you have?
Does your wife have paid employment?

CRUSOE_2

Savings of just over 9k will use pilon and redundancy to live relatively 'normal' for a couple of months. Wife works 18 hours a week, so her income doesn't cover expenditure. ...

Suggestions? ?

elsien

My suggestion would be to stop living relatively normal, do a SOA, review all your bills and cut back as much as you can. In case it takes longer to get back to work than you expect.
Some areas offer skills for redundancy courses that you can take up before you finish that will help with updating cv and interview techniques. You may also get the chance to brush up on other skills if relevant - I did computer training which I found helpful as I was ok on word but useless on excel and power point.
I was made redundant in July and because I had savings I got nothing except the JSA. And when the contributions bit ran out, I'd have got nothing at all till the savings ran down. (I was quite miffed to not even get free dental checks).
Can your wife work any extra hours in the meantime?
Good luck with it all. My main piece of advice for anyone not used to it is to don't take the job centre stuff personally. Smile nicely, play the game and they'll leave you alone a bit more. And use all the online job sites such as indeed - universal job search isn't fit for purpose.

when you finish work you sign on online. They then call you in to do a job seekers agreement, which basically says what jobs you are looking for and any restrictions. Then you may get a period of grace of 3 months to look for jobs that are equivalent to the one that you've been doing. Zafter that you'll be expected to apply for anything and everything. I did stretch the truth slightly and say I could apply for jobs with long shifts due to carer responsibilities for an elderly parent. (I do indeed have an elderly parent who I do things for, but tbh I really didn't want to looking atv12vhour shifts in care, which was my field.) And keep a written record of everything job hunt related, every job search, phone call, email, networking, , etc, not just the formal applications. It all goes towards demonstrating you are a serious job hunter and keeps you off the weekly/daily job centre visits.