JSA - when does it start?

donnajunkie

pmduk wrote: »

Since 2014 it has been the first 7 days.

I thought that was just uc. Also i thought that they even changed it back to 3 days for uc when they made a few changes to it. For example first payment changing to 5 weeks rather than 6.

adonis10

Is it correct that when reclaiming for JSA it automatically is classed as Universal Credit and both people in a household need to claim and be interviewed? My partner was on JSA, got a short term temporary role which has now ended so needs to reclaim until back in work, she tried to do this today and it went straight through to UC and made us both make a joint claim and as such both need to attend interviews. I don’t really understand why I need to given that I am working and why it has all changed in the space of a couple of months.

Any experience of this?

NeilCr

Is your partner claiming Contribution based JSA or Income based?

If it is the first she will not need to go to UC as she can claim "New Style JSA" which is basically the old style Contribution based

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/help-if-on-a-low-income/jobseekers-allowance-jsa/before-you-claim-jsa/check-if-you-can-get-jsa/

Note if she has claimed Conts based in the last two years (I know she was on JSA recently) she can't claim again.

Normally UC is claimed as a couple. More information here

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/claiming/apply-for-universal-credit/

I assume you've confirmed you are in a UC area

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/before-you-apply/Check-if-youre-eligible-for-Universal-Credit/

I guess your partner had been on JSA for a while until the recent job and/or your area has recently switched to UC

adonis10

Well it was contribution based but when she went to reclaim wasn’t given an option, but saying it can’t be claimed again if already have in past 2 years makes sense. So we will now have to claim as a couple of she won’t be entitled to anything because I am earning, even though she was eligible before. What an odd system.

Savvy_Sue

adonis10 wrote: »

So we will now have to claim as a couple of she won’t be entitled to anything because I am earning, even though she was eligible before. What an odd system.

She'd only have got contribution based for six months in any case (not sure how long she has been claiming for) and after that it would have gone to means-tested, which even in the good old days would have required you to declare your income. And from what you're saying would have meant nothing as well, except that she would get her NI paid.

adonis10

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

She'd only have got contribution based for six months in any case (not sure how long she has been claiming for) and after that it would have gone to means-tested, which even in the good old days would have required you to declare your income. And from what you're saying would have meant nothing as well, except that she would get her NI paid.

She was on it for about 6 weeks so assumed it would go back to contribution based until the 6 months was up, didn’t realise it had to be continuous.

The info online isn’t great and therefore I’m not really sure if it is correct but we will see.

dawyldthing

Put the details into entitled to and you’ll see what, if anything, she will get as often I think most end up living off the one income from what I’ve seen

adonis10

dawyldthing wrote: »

Put the details into entitled to and you’ll see what, if anything, she will get as often I think most end up living off the one income from what I’ve seen

What I don't get is why it is not Universal Credit from the start. So she could have been off for 6 months and got full contribution based JSA but as she was off it after 6 weeks she then loses that entitlement to the remainder of the contribution based JSA. Something doesn't add up.

NeilCr

I must admit that, logically, I tend to agree with you re Conts based JSA. You'd have thought she would have been able to get 6 months (although it does depend on Contribution years). It's not a situation I've actually seen which was why I referenced the CAB site

How about trying a rapid reclaim if she fits the criteria and see what happens

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/help-if-on-a-low-income/jobseekers-allowance-jsa/before-you-claim-jsa/how-to-reclaim-jsa/

UC replaces income based benefits so Conts style JSA was right last time

donnajunkie

adonis10 wrote: »

What I don't get is why it is not Universal Credit from the start. So she could have been off for 6 months and got full contribution based JSA but as she was off it after 6 weeks she then loses that entitlement to the remainder of the contribution based JSA. Something doesn't add up.

In uc areas a change of circumstances means you go onto uc.