Lost contract after 23 years

Derekbirmingham

Hello people ive been employed for the past 25 years straight and sadley ive heard at work this week we have lost the contract and ill be out of work in 4 weeks time..
My situation is :
I own council house with my dad so no rent worries
Ive got 20k in an isa ..it was sopposed to be my retirement money but maybe not now..
I pay all the bills for the house inc 1000 house tax a year ,water gas electric..i also care for me dad who is 90 years old.
My question is as ive never been the dole..
Would it benefit me going To the dole and if so what would i be gunning for or would they make me live on my isa money first..
Thanks for any replies because to be honest im clueless about claiming anything..0

KatrinaWaves

Ideally you will be eligible for 'old style JSA' which is based on your contributions of NI over the past couple of years. If you have a full FT employed history of 25 years with NI contribs you should have no problems with this.

with 20k in an ISA you won;t qualify for anything means tested like UC, so make sure you make it clear you want to apply for JSA due to your NI contributions.

Council tax reduction is a separate benefit btu again with your ISA you have a little too much capital for that. There are other discounts which may be available if your Dad has any disabilities, or any mental health issues?

Derekbirmingham

Ok thanks katrina its a start thanks..

pmlindyloo

Derekbirmingham wrote: »

Hello people ive been employed for the past 25 years straight and sadley ive heard at work this week we have lost the contract and ill be out of work in 4 weeks time..
My situation is :
I own council house with my dad so no rent worries
Ive got 20k in an isa ..it was sopposed to be my retirement money but maybe not now..
I pay all the bills for the house inc 1000 house tax a year ,water gas electric..i also care for me dad who is 90 years old.
My question is as ive never been the dole..
Would it benefit me going To the dole and if so what would i be gunning for or would they make me live on my isa money first..
Thanks for any replies because to be honest im clueless about claiming anything..0

You are probably entitled to new style JSA (the old contribution based JSA) This is not means tested so your savings will not be taken into account.

It gives you the princely sum of £73.10 per week.

https://www.gov.uk/jobseekers-allowance/eligibility[/


All areas are now Universal Credit for the majority of people but savings above £16000 means you are not eligible right now.

Once your savings drop to below £16000 you can apply for Universal Credit. Whether you are entitled to anything will depend on whether you are still receiving contribution based JSA (See below) and/or whether you have any service charges re: your house.

Do a benefits calculation based on having less than £16K so you can see what you might be eligible for. You can fiddle around with the calculator to see what level of savings you have to get to be eligible for any Universal Credit.

While your savings are above £16000 and while you are on 'contribution based JSA' (this only lasts 6 months) you will not be eligible for help regarding caring for your dad as Carer's Allowance and contribution based JSA are overlapping benefits and you are only entitled to the higher payment between the two - in this case, your contribution based JSA.

Do check that your dad is receiving the correct benefits such as Pension Credit/Attendance Allowance.

Otherwise it's 'find a new job quickly!' Good luck.

Nannytone

Why are you paying all the bills and council tax ?
Your father should be minimally receiving a state pension and so the cost should be split

WhenIam64

i also care for me dad who is 90 years old.

Carer's allowance? As long as it is over 35 hours.

Derekbirmingham

My dad does get a state pension but i just pay all the bills as hes got dimensia..i just took over all the bills about 6/7 years ago..

NeilCr

Does your dad get Attendance Allowance

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/attendance-allowance/

xylophone

hes got dimensia.

As your father has dementia, it is likely that he needs day and night care.

As the poster above says, is he claiming Attendance Allowance?

You mention that your father receives state pension - is he eligible for pension credit?

Your father has an income so should be making a contribution to household bills.

See also

https://www.dementiauk.org/you-could-be-missing-out-on-significant-council-tax-discounts/

Do you have no private/occupational pension provision?

calcotti

You will presumably get redundancy pay for your 26 years of service https://www.gov.uk/redundant-your-rights/redundancy-pay

xylophone

Incidentally, have you obtained a state pension forecast for yourself?

https://www.gov.uk/check-state-pension