How long should I wait for after applying for New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance?

Spint

The company I worked for 9 years went into administration on 31st December 2020.

I have already submitted my redundancy application and now waiting for payments and when I can also apply for statutory notice pay. This can take up to 6 weeks.

On 6th January 2021 I also applied for New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance online. I received an email from the Government stating the application has been successfully submitted and that I should now wait for a phone call.

With the lockdown in mind, for how long am I supposed to wait as it's been a week now? What if I need the allowance I am entitled to soon? Is there anything else I should have done to claim my allowance?

Thanks and hope you can help me.

NedS

I'm not sure how long applications are taking to process at present. New claims for JSA have a waiting period of 7 days, which means you will not receive any benefit for the 7 day period from 6/1/21 to 12/1/21, so your first day of entitlement is actually today. If you have not heard anything by the end of this week, you could try phoning them but I'd probably leave it until Monday next week. The number is on GOV.UK if you don't already have it. If you can give us the last tow digits (numbers) of your NI number, we can tell you what day you should receive your first payment.

Others may have a more accurate view of the current processing times for new claims.

poppy12345

Based on other threads since lockdown then 3-4 weeks processing time. Anything less is a bonus. Do remember that NsJSA is paid for 26 weeks.

Spint

NedS said:

I'm not sure how long applications are taking to process at present. New claims for JSA have a waiting period of 7 days, which means you will not receive any benefit for the 7 day period from 6/1/21 to 12/1/21, so your first day of entitlement is actually today. If you have not heard anything by the end of this week, you could try phoning them but I'd probably leave it until Monday next week. The number is on GOV.UK if you don't already have it. If you can give us the last tow digits (numbers) of your NI number, we can tell you what day you should receive your first payment.

Others may have a more accurate view of the current processing times for new claims.

Thanks very much, I really appreciate it. The last few digits are 58.

I thought I needed to go through a few more hurdles because the last time I claimed (can't remember what it was called, I think it came after UB40) it asked me about savings, pensions etc. I don't think it asked me those questions or rather wasn't so specific.

Spint

poppy12345 said:

Based on other threads since lockdown then 3-4 weeks processing time. Anything less is a bonus. Do remember that NsJSA is paid for 26 weeks.

Sorry, what do you mean 'for 26 weeks'? Lasts for 26 weeks and then you move onto another benefit if still unemployed?

NedS

Spint said:

NedS said:

I'm not sure how long applications are taking to process at present. New claims for JSA have a waiting period of 7 days, which means you will not receive any benefit for the 7 day period from 6/1/21 to 12/1/21, so your first day of entitlement is actually today. If you have not heard anything by the end of this week, you could try phoning them but I'd probably leave it until Monday next week. The number is on GOV.UK if you don't already have it. If you can give us the last tow digits (numbers) of your NI number, we can tell you what day you should receive your first payment.

Others may have a more accurate view of the current processing times for new claims.

Thanks very much, I really appreciate it. The last few digits are 58.

Based on that, your "signing on" day will be on a Wednesday (every fortnight) with payment released at midnight and taking 3 working days to clear by BACS payment, so in your account by the following Monday.

If your first signing on day was today, then you's be due 1 days money (for today). If it's next Wednesday then that will be 8 days money. Either way, I'd probably wait until next Wednesday before contacting them as nothing (other than maybe 1 day) is going to be due before then anyway.

NedS

Spint said:

poppy12345 said:

Based on other threads since lockdown then 3-4 weeks processing time. Anything less is a bonus. Do remember that NsJSA is paid for 26 weeks.

Sorry, what do you mean 'for 26 weeks'? Lasts for 26 weeks and then you move onto another benefit if still unemployed?

You have an entitlement to claim up to a maximum of 26 weeks JSA based on your NI contributions. After 26 weeks, your contributions are deemed to have expired and you will no longer receive JSA payments. You can claim Universal Credit (UC) if you are eligible. Did you look into claiming UC before making your claim for JSA?

calcotti

Spint said:

NedS said:

I'm not sure how long applications are taking to process at present. New claims for JSA have a waiting period of 7 days, which means you will not receive any benefit for the 7 day period from 6/1/21 to 12/1/21, so your first day of entitlement is actually today. If you have not heard anything by the end of this week, you could try phoning them but I'd probably leave it until Monday next week. The number is on GOV.UK if you don't already have it. If you can give us the last tow digits (numbers) of your NI number, we can tell you what day you should receive your first payment.

Others may have a more accurate view of the current processing times for new claims.

Thanks very much, I really appreciate it. The last few digits are 58.

I thought I needed to go through a few more hurdles because the last time I claimed (can't remember what it was called, I think it came after UB40) it asked me about savings, pensions etc. I don't think it asked me those questions or rather wasn't so specific. 

In the past JSA was a means tested benefit. New style JSA, which you have just claimed, is a non means tested benefit which is not affected by savings or other income (other than from employment) and is paid for a maximum of 26 weeks. 

You should use a benefit calculator to find out whether you might also qualify for Universal Credit or Council Tax Reduction https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators. You will not be able to claim these if you have saving over £16,000.

For UC any employment income you receive after you have claimed will reduce the UC payable even if it is from the job you have now lost. It can be better to wait before claiming but that depends on timescales. If you are claiming both JSA and UC then the amount of UC payable is reduced by the JSA.

Spint

Great, thanks everyone for your helpful advice.

I didn't know the new JSA wasn't means tested. It's starting to make sense now!

I can wait until the end of this month and hopefully will have received something by then.

I will take a look at that benefit calculator and see if I can claim any UC (doubtful since my wife is very busy working in her COVID ward and doing extra shifts, madness at the moment ) that I might be entitled to.

Thanks again.

calcotti

The old type of JSA actually had two types, a non means-tested type and a means-tested type. When you applied an application was for both types and you got the non means-tested one if you qualified (and could get some means-tested additions to it) or just the means-tested type. Now JSA is just non means-tested and UC has replaced the means-tested part.

As you say, if you have a full time partner you may well not qualify for any UC but it depends on your circumstances (renting or having children being the main factors).

Note that if you currently receive any Tax Credits these will end if you apply for UC (even if the claim is turned down)

[Deleted User]

New Style JSA is just another name for the old Contribution Based JSA. Apart from the name, the rules are the same as for the old CB-JSA.