Can I claim jsa if I leave my job

jaycee1959

Hi I accepted a job offer as I thought it was for 12 hours. I worked a 4 hour shift then found out I was only going to be working 8 hours a week.
Can I leave and still receive JSA as once I pay out for bus fares I am only going to be bringing home £52 a week.

[Deleted User]

They can and may sanction you for just leaving a job without good reason.

AndyPix

You have a job !!


Yes it's only 8 hours a week but that gives you £52 extra a week and the rest of the working week hours to look for a replacement job.

Sncjw

Can you not get top up of jsa due to part time working. I did it a couple years ago. It keeps your ni stamp active as well but they will expect you to look for work

konark

You should still be receiving JSA if you work less than 16 hours per week. Also check the situation regarding UC in your area.

epitome

jaycee1959 wrote: »

Hi I accepted a job offer as I thought it was for 12 hours. I worked a 4 hour shift then found out I was only going to be working 8 hours a week.
Can I leave and still receive JSA as once I pay out for bus fares I am only going to be bringing home £52 a week.

You can still receive JSA while working less than 16 hours a week, however I believe there is a £5 disregard and then the rest of income is taken off JSA IB (Not sure what rule is for JSA Conts).

It would be your income after tax that is deducted from JSA IB, and they would not do the calculation based on how much you are actually left with after your bus fares.

You can leave your job, but JSA will need to know why. If JSA does not agree with you you could be sanctioned, and have to claim hardship JSA.

So you would have to explain that you thought the job would be 12 hours, but now it is 8, and that (if your bus fares are more than £5 per week) your income including potential JSA whilst working less than 16 hours is now less than you were getting whilst you were on JSA.

In other words you are worse off working than if you had stayed on JSA and not taken the job.....I don't really know how JSA decision Makers make decisions...but I would have thought that such a reason would be accepted by JSA (i.e. allowed back on full JSA without sanction.).

Your first step would be to speak to jobcentre to ask what amount of JSA would be payable on this work, and if it (after your expenses) you are worse off ....ask the jobcentre if they have any experience of someone quitting their job because they are worse off working than they are when not working and if the sanction is likely or not.


Andypix,
Your use of the word "extra" I find strange. The OP could be on less income now than when on the full amount of JSA, that would not be "extra" it would be "less".