Being fired and claiming UC

AnonyMoose

Hello all,

Due to an ongoing health issue I’ve had time off work and ended up on their capability procedure. It’s looking increasingly likely I’ll be let go, as I can’t keep to their sickness period targets.

My question is: would I be able to claim UC as soon as the next day if I was fired for this reason? (I understand the 5 week waiting period before payment etc)

Thanks.

NedS

You can claim UC at any point you wish - UC is not an 'out of work' benefit. You entitlement will depend on your circumstances, including your income.

You can check your entitlement based on your circumstances online using any of the benefit calculators.

If you do make a claim for UC and entitlement is going to depend upon your earnings, the relevant date is the date you are last paid, not necessarily the date your employment ends. For example, if your employment ends on Fri 29th Sept, and you receive your final pay on 30th Sept, then you should make your claim on 1st Oct. If you were to claim on 30th Sept, and receive earnings, those earnings would be taken into account and your first payment in 5 weeks time may be NIL as a result.

AnonyMoose

NedS said:

- Snip -

Thank you for the information - I suppose the point I was getting at was more would I receive a sanction for having being fired due to ill health - I understand you receive them for voluntarily leaving a job for instance.

Spoonie_Turtle

AnonyMoose said:

NedS said:

- Snip -

Thank you for the information - I suppose the point I was getting at was more would I receive a sanction for having being fired due to ill health - I understand you receive them for voluntarily leaving a job for instance.

No.  Sanctions are when you reduce or stop work without 'good reason', being dismissed on the grounds of capability is a good reason.

When you claim UC you should obtain a fit note and report your health condition.  If it persists then you would have a Work Capability Assessment, and whilst waiting for it your work coach should use their discretion to turn off or reduce work search commitments as appropriate.