Redundancy and eligible benefits

jemmy8022

I have been told my job is at risk. I'm preparing myself for the worst..

My question is can I claim jobseekers allowance or any other benefits in the event that I am made redundant ?

Please advise.
Thanks

Brie

Def JSA - I did last year.  I wasn't eligible for anything else but my circumstances may be extremely different to yours.

jemmy8022

Can you claim straightaway after being made redundant and can I ask what the rate is?
Thanks 

Brie

JSA is a small amount £67 a week if you're under 24 and £84 if you're over 24.  So it's not going to cover all your bills.  But assuming you do get made redundant you can claim it from the first day you are officially not employed.  I stopped going into the office at the end of April and had 3 months garden leave during which time I was still getting full salary (generous employer).  I put in a claim on the very first day I was no longer being paid.  You can't apply in advance but you can claim retrospectively I believe.   Your redundancy money isn't taken into account for anything so you can tuck that away or use it to clear any debts or whatever.

If at that point you have no other income then you could try claiming other benefits like universal credit.   There is a limit on savings so you might want to ensure you have paid all your bills - council tax, utilities, credit cards etc.  

This might help....Where you live (entitledto.co.uk)

Stating all the obvious - Do take all the help your employer might offer, take the time now to start polishing up your cv, networking, checking out the job market, just in case.  Don't bad mouth your employer or colleagues on social media just in case any future employers are able to check you out. 

Good luck with it all.  I've taken every redundancy (been through several) as a positive step as much as possible and ended up with some great opportunities. Nice to have a bit of money behind me when making a big change in my life.  

Linton

Apart from the relatively small extra income claiming JSA gets you NI credits which may help when you want to retire.