New Style JSA and Free School Meals

info_maniac

If someone gets "New Style JSA", will their child be eligible for free school meals?

The gov.uk guidance for free school meals suggests that child will be eligible for free school meals if parent/carer is on "Income-Based JSA", but the trouble is the "Income-Based JSA" doesn't exist anymore.

https://www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals

info_maniac

From: https://www.gov.uk/jobseekers-allowance/apply-new-style-jsa

Your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:

• Income Support

• income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance

• income-related Employment and Support Allowance

• support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

• the guaranteed element of Pension Credit

• Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)

• Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit

• Universal Credit - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)

Children who get paid these benefits directly, instead of through a parent or guardian, can also get free school meals.
Your child may also get free school meals if you get any of these benefits and your child is both:

• younger than the compulsory age for starting school

• in full-time education

  
  

Spoonie_Turtle

info_maniac said:

If someone gets "New Style JSA", will their child be eligible for free school meals?

The gov.uk guidance for free school meals suggests that child will be eligible for free school meals if parent/carer is on "Income-Based JSA", but the trouble is the "Income-Based JSA" doesn't exist anymore.

https://www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals

No.  New-style JSA is not means-tested, so people can claim it regardless of their household income, pension income, savings, owning extra property, etc.  Whereas the qualifying benefits are means-tested (mostly; Tax Credits didn't account for savings/capital but they do take all household income into account).

Income-based JSA exists for those who are still claiming it, although you're correct in that it's not an option for any new claims and hasn't been for several years.  Until everyone claiming the legacy income-based benefits has been made to claim UC, the gov.uk page still has to include it in the list of qualifying benefits.

info_maniac

Many Thanks @Spoonie_Turtle. 

Just wondering what's the difference between New Style JSA and the old Contribution Based JSA? Why was the new style introduced in the first place?

I am on New Style JSA and am not sure what will happen when it ends. My OH is working with an annual pre-tax salary of £23700 and I am not sure which other benefits we can claim. I have used some popular online calculators and as we have some savings those calculators show that we can't claim anything else. Surviving on savings at the moment as we have mortgage payments & bills going out as OH's  salary is no way near sufficient. Also mortgage renewal is around the corner and we are being hit by a huge jump in interest rate and increased monthly mortgage payments.

A parent at school mentioned that I could claim Free School Meals but not sure now.

Spoonie_Turtle

I'm not sure of the difference with legacy forms of JSA, but with the legacy contribution-based ESA people could claim the income-related topup (including premiums) as well.  Whereas on New-Style, that's not possible.  So I wouldn't be surprised if a similar thing applies to JSA.

It's good you've found the online calculators.  You can do different calculations for when your JSA has finished, putting in different amounts of savings to see in what circumstances you'd be entitled to anything.  (Savings between £6,000 and £16,000 result in a deduction of £4.35 for every £250 or part thereof above £6,000.  Under £6,000 savings have no effect.)  But the thresholds for UC are quite low.

Or if you tell us how many children you have and their ages, we could show you the UC thresholds and how wages and savings affect it. 
Or this page shows how you can work it out yourself (again as if your savings are at a level to be eligible to claim) https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/universal-credit/on-universal-credit/check-how-much-universal-credit-youll-get/

info_maniac

Thanks this is very useful.
So, there is no way to claim Free School Meals at present then?

poppy12345

info_maniac said:

Thanks this is very useful.
So, there is no way to claim Free School Meals at present then?

Unfortunately not. Even if there was entitlement to UC you would not qualify for FSM based on the information you gave.