JSA nuances - help please!

lorrainp

Hi.  I'm after some advice on how best to work with JSA please.

I've just been made redundant from my full-time job (last date of employment was yesterday - 14/04), and submitted a claim for New-Style JSA this morning.  My redundancy money will be paid on 29/04.

I have a weekend job which pays minimum wage on a zero-hours contract:

• The work is seasonal, and averages about 10hrs/wk over the year.  
• I typically work about 20 hours on a working weekend. 
• The season has just started, and I typically work about three weekends in every four during the season.  
• I worked 38 hours in March across two weekends (average 8.7hrs/wk)
• I calculate that I'll do roughly 63 hours in April across 3 weekends (average 14.7hrs/wk), and 67 hours in May across 4 weekends (average 15.1hrs/wk).

I've read info suggesting to end / close my JSA claim the day before any temporary work, and restart it the day after ("Rapid Reclaim"??), but I don't know if that applies either with New-Style JSA, or in my specific case.

Also, will my claim be denied or delayed until after I've received my redundancy payment?

Any help gratefully received please!!

sheramber

lorrainp said:

Hi.  I'm after some advice on how best to work with JSA please.

I've just been made redundant from my full-time job (last date of employment was yesterday - 14/04), and submitted a claim for New-Style JSA this morning.  My redundancy money will be paid on 29/04.

I have a weekend job which pays minimum wage on a zero-hours contract:

• The work is seasonal, and averages about 10hrs/wk over the year.  
• I typically work about 20 hours on a working weekend. 
• The season has just started, and I typically work about three weekends in every four during the season.  
• I worked 38 hours in March across two weekends (average 8.7hrs/wk)
• I calculate that I'll do roughly 63 hours in April across 3 weekends (average 14.7hrs/wk), and 67 hours in May across 4 weekends (average 15.1hrs/wk).

I've read info suggesting to end / close my JSA claim the day before any temporary work, and restart it the day after ("Rapid Reclaim"??), but I don't know if that applies either with New-Style JSA, or in my specific case.

Also, will my claim be denied or delayed until after I've received my redundancy payment?

Any help gratefully received please!!

This post may be better in the Benefits section. 

You can ask for it to be moved by using the report button at the bottom of the post.

lorrainp

Bump.  Just got this thread moved from the job-hunting section.  

Any help, please?  

TimeLord1

Hello @lorrainp

What savings do you currently have? 

The redundancy money, I believe, would count as income, and then the following month, as unused savings capital.

You don't state if you're renting council, a housing association, privately, or own a place or living with parents, etc.

As your current hours fluctuate on a month-to-month basis, this would be reported in the journal at the monthly assessment.

There's no limit to the number of hours you can work while claiming Universal Credit.  Your Universal Credit payments will adjust based on your earnings, decreasing as your income increases.  Essentially, Universal Credit is designed to help supplement your income, ensuring you're better off working, even if you work just a few hours a week. 

lorrainp

Hi @TimeLord1,

Thanks so much for your reply.

This post is purely about JSA.  I won't qualify for any means-tested benefits.

It sounds like you are saying that my JSA start date will be based on my final redundancy payment date of 29/04 rather than my redundancy date of 14/04.  Did I understand correctly?

Any info / links on the JSA process, and how best to work with it, please?  You mentioned a monthly assessment, but I'd previously read that JSA  is based on fortnightly blocks rather than monthly?

TimeLord1

Your start date will be when you submit the initial claim. 


Specifically, the income-based JSA is being phased out and replaced by Universal Credit for most people.  Or your claim will become New style JSA

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-style-jobseekers-allowance

huckster

New Style JSA claim likely to be closed, as soon as you start working 16 hours or more per week. And then you can make a reclaim, if you stop working.

JSA looks at hours of work and pay earned as a result of those hours during a fortnightly period. JSA only ignores first £5 of weekly employment earnings and then deducts £1 for each £1 earned from the weekly benefit rate. So you don't need to earn very much to receive zero benefit.

lorrainp

Thanks Huckster - I hadn't been able to find that info myself about the reduction based on earnings.

So, if I've understood correctly, if I earn £97.05 (7.9hrs at £12.21 minimum wage) in any given week, my JSA goes down to zero, right?  Or would it average over two weeks (so JSA goes down to zero if I earn £194.10 in a fortnightly period)?

Does the fortnightly period always start on the same day of the week irrespective of when you start or restart your claim (e.g. does it always start on a Wednesday?), or does it start on the day you start your claim (e.g. if I submit a reclaim on a Monday, is that when the fortnight starts?)?

huckster

Yes it would zero based on £97.05 or more earnings per week.

And yes an average could be applied, where earnings were variable.

The fortnightly period is set based on the last 2 numbers of your National Insurance number.