Unpaid Statutory Notice Pay: Do I need to apply for Universal Credit?

WobblyJelly12

Hi all, I've recently been made redundant and have made my first application to The Insolvency Service for my unpaid wages, redundancy and holiday pay.

I'm now waiting to be able to apply for the second application to claim my unpaid statutory notice pay. I don't currently have a job, and I'm not expecting to have one in the next few weeks. The government guidance suggests that I apply for Jobseekers Allowance or Universal Credit, as "we may have to subtract the amount of JSA or UC you were eligible to receive during your notice period. We do this even if you didn’t apply for either benefit."

However, I'm confused on this point as I have savings well over the JSA and UC cap, and I would not actually get any money from them. Do I need to apply for JSA or UC anyway (even though I would be rejected) in order to secure my entitlement to the full amount of my notice period pay?

Thanks in advance, any advice or clarification would be appreciated.

tacpot12

You should consider appling for Jobseekers Allowance (JSA). JSA isn't means-tested if you've paid enough national insurance over the last 2 to 3 years, so your savings don't matter.  You'll get national insurance credits towards your State Pension while claiming JSA as well. (You can get these even if you don't claim JSA). 

itsthelittlethings

Apply for New Style JSA if you have paid enough NI. It’s not means tested. If you need to, I suspect you can probably claim Universal Credit to top that up if you are under the savings threshold.

WobblyJelly12

Thank you both! It feels like such a minefield to navigate even without the stress of being in the middle of it