Unable to start new job due to positive Covid result - can I claim anything?

lea

Hi there

I have recently changed careers from an office 9 to 5 type job (which had company sick pay etc) and begun entry level work in TV production, which is of course very different to my last career and the environment I used to be in! The work tends to be for a few weeks or months at a time, as you tend to move from project to project, and it can be freelance or employed.

I left my last TV (employed) job on 10 February and had a start date at my new (employed) job of 17 February, and this project due to last til end of April. I had to attend a pre new employment PCR test arranged by my new employer on 16 February, which unfortunately came back positive and a surprise as I was asymptomatic. I have therefore been unable to start the new job because of this, and whilst they have said they will hold my job open for me and that I can start work with them once I have completed the self isolation period I currently have no income. I tried applying for the isolation / low income grant but I've been told I'm not eligible because I'm not in receipt of any benefits.

I'm wondering if there is anything I can claim for this period that I am unable to work or should I just put it down to one of those unfortunate situations? Have been fortunate enough in the past to be in the type of jobs that provided sick pay so this is new to me!

Thanks for reading.

Leanne

Andy_L

Universal credit.

However since your very close to the end of your isolation period it may not be worth the effort considering the amount of time it takes to process a first claim

jon81uk

Unless the new employer is willing to pay sick pay (which is not always the case in the probation period anyway) or arrange some form of work from home the only option would be universal credit.

unholyangel

Andy_L said:

Universal credit.

However since your very close to the end of your isolation period it may not be worth the effort considering the amount of time it takes to process a first claim

Not just that, under UC, you could potentially end up with nothing anyway if you receive any payments during your review period. 

It is a massively unfair system, where people can lose out on a months worth of support due to one weeks wage (or less!).  

kaMelo

unholyangel said:

Andy_L said:

Universal credit.

However since your very close to the end of your isolation period it may not be worth the effort considering the amount of time it takes to process a first claim

Not just that, under UC, you could potentially end up with nothing anyway if you receive any payments during your review period. 

It is a massively unfair system, where people can lose out on a months worth of support due to one weeks wage (or less!).  

As it's based on actual earnings received within a monthly assessment period then no one is losing anything, in fact when starting new employment it can result in receiving a months full UC entitlement on top of your first months wages.

If the OP is desperate, doesn't live with someone else or have savings in excess of £16,000 it may be worth applying even if it ends up with only one months entitlement.

unholyangel

kaMelo said:

unholyangel said:

Andy_L said:

Universal credit.

However since your very close to the end of your isolation period it may not be worth the effort considering the amount of time it takes to process a first claim

Not just that, under UC, you could potentially end up with nothing anyway if you receive any payments during your review period. 

It is a massively unfair system, where people can lose out on a months worth of support due to one weeks wage (or less!).  

As it's based on actual earnings received within a monthly assessment period then no one is losing anything, in fact when starting new employment it can result in receiving a months full UC entitlement on top of your first months wages.

If the OP is desperate, doesn't live with someone else or have savings in excess of £16,000 it may be worth applying even if it ends up with only one months entitlement.

Tell that to my client who didn't get any money for 8-9 weeks because he got a final weeks pay the day after claiming. 
 
If they'd made the claim the day after, they would've got paid, as then the earnings wouldn't have been in their review period. So yes, they did lose out. 

kaMelo

Which is why it is widely advised that someone expecting a final wage should delay claiming until they have actually received it although of course delaying claiming also delays receipt.

The scenario you describe it's not as simple or as drastic as you have laid out. Assuming the one day difference when making a claim for UC, as you mentioned, then the maximum difference in payment dates is one day less than a month. Depending upon someone's circumstances a claim for JSA may have been possible too to cover that period. There has to be a cut off point somewhere or else UC doesn't work.

The whole concept of UC was to be dynamic with the variable incomes of people commonplace in the world of work today in a way tax credits never could. Whilst it does that it is an imperfect system in other ways, just as each and every system that preceded it have been imperfect in their own ways.. 

unholyangel

kaMelo said:

Which is why it is widely advised that someone expecting a final wage should delay claiming until they have actually received it although of course delaying claiming also delays receipt.

The scenario you describe it's not as simple or as drastic as you have laid out. Assuming the one day difference when making a claim for UC, as you mentioned, then the maximum difference in payment dates is one day less than a month. Depending upon someone's circumstances a claim for JSA may have been possible too to cover that period. There has to be a cut off point somewhere or else UC doesn't work.

The whole concept of UC was to be dynamic with the variable incomes of people commonplace in the world of work today in a way tax credits never could. Whilst it does that it is an imperfect system in other ways, just as each and every system that preceded it have been imperfect in their own ways.. 

Widely advised by whom? UC was a new system at the time, still being understood by dwp nevermind anyone else. 

He wasn't allowed to claim JSA (or so they told him) because he'd made a claim for UC and the fact he was awarded £0 apparently didn't change that. 

Anyway, it appears you are now agreeing there is unfairness in UC, so we can leave it at that. 

kaMelo

I actually said there are flaws in every system that's ever existed, not just UC. Claiming UC does not prevent a claim for JSA, they can be claimed alongside each other and although you wouldn't benefit financially as any JSA received is deducted from UC, if no UC is payable then you keep the JSA. JSA also credits class 1 NI as opposed to class 3 with UC.

unholyangel

kaMelo said:

I actually said there are flaws in every system that's ever existed, not just UC. Claiming UC does not prevent a claim for JSA, they can be claimed alongside each other and although you wouldn't benefit financially as any JSA received is deducted from UC, if no UC is payable then you keep the JSA. JSA also credits class 1 NI as opposed to class 3 with UC.

Not to start with you didn't.

To start with, I said it was massively unfair and your response was that no one loses out. We have now seemingly established that yes, they can lose out.