(This the second part of my series of tips for jobseekers. You can read Part 1 on how to avoid 0845 numbers here.)
Sadly, my jobseeker’s allowance application was turned down.
This came as a shock, as, when I started working again last April, I was told by the JobCentre that if I took a temporary job, which was the case, I would be able to sign back on very quickly once I had finished it.
What I didn’t realise was that “signing back on” did not mean being paid jobseeker’s allowance (JSA). Bizarrely, one can be registered as a jobseeker without receiving any jobseeker’s allowances.
Two years’ work or no dole
The grounds for refusal were that I had not paid enough National Insurance contributions in tax years 08/09 and 09/10 – the two years when I was studying/not working. It took me three phone calls, all of them to an 0845 number, until a helpful adviser finally explained to me that having worked and paid taxes in 2010 did not make me eligible for claiming JSA this year, nor will I be eligible again, until I have worked for two consecutive tax years.
This is not something even JobCentre employees may not be fully aware of. If you have not worked (and paid NI contributions) for TWO CONSECUTIVE YEARS prior to the tax year in which you applied for JSA, you are not eligible to the dole. Even if you are middle-aged and have worked your entire life, only those two years prior to your unemployment are what counts. Fair? Unfair? Let’s not even go there…
Are there any other benefits I can claim?
Yes. Housing benefit and council tax benefit (call your local council re these), working tax credits, etc, which are means tested: you will have to declare the amount of savings you have, and your partner’s, if you have one. If your partner works, you must declare his/her income as well. Beware that, as a general rule, only households with an income or savings of less than £16,000 are likely to be eligible. It is worth making enquiries anyway.
Are there any advantages in staying signed on if my claim has been turned down?
a. As long as you continue attending the Job Centre on your sign-on days, every fortnight, you can receive NI contribution credits. This means you can continue to build up your state pension entitlement. Read up on it on this page on DirectGov.com.
b. Here’s a valuable tip your JobCentre may not have told you about. JobCentres nationwide have been affected by government cuts, and money is being trimmed wherever possible, so unless you ask about it, they may not offer it to you. DO ASK.
Even if you are not eligible to JSA, or even if your JSA has ran out (you can only claim for so many weeks), as long as you’re “signed on”, you can ask your local JobCentre to help cover costs of your “travel to interview”.
JobCentres can cover your travel costs to job interviews IF they occur outside your area. If you are not sure if where you are going is within that area or not, ask your JobCentre.
What do I need to claim travel expenses to interviews?
You must be able to provide proof that it is a genuine interview at a genuine company. If the interview was arranged by phone, ask the company or recruitment agency to send details to you in writing – a letter or email including contact telephone, contact person’s name and address should do. The JobCentre often calls your interviewer or agent to verify you did attend the interview.
As a rule JobCentres can only give you vouchers in advance, not in arrears, so make sure you call them as soon as you the interview day and time are set, even the day before. They will give you an appointment for you to come (with your evidence) and collect a RAIL VOUCHER, which you can give to the train conductor and exchange for a suitable train ticket. No cash is handed to the jobseeker, obviously to prevent fraud.
If you need to drive to the interview, you must prove that is the cheapest (or only) way to get there. Should you need travel so far that you would require an overnight stay, the JobCentre may also be able to contribute towards your accommodation costs (don’t expect a five-star hotel of course).
If you’re going anywhere that takes more than, say, 40min to get to, it is worth checking with the JobCentre about any financial help you may be entitled to. But ask nicely.
The ‘travel to interview’ vouchers are about the only motivation I now have for staying signed on, while enduring the morally degrading experience that JobCentres can be. With return train tickets to London from where I live costing almost £20 (at off-peak times), and with no dole money to rely on, this perk is a life saver.
For those on the breadline, struggling to feed themselves or their family, JobCentres are also expected to start giving away food vouchers from April. More on this BBC article.
You’ve heard it here first.
Great advice, may I publish it on my blog?
Will credit and link to source.
Hi there,
Thanks for your helpful comments. Yes, of course you can, as long as I am credited and linked to etc., the usual.
Refer to my other post for a full explanation of this. It should not be too hard to find it.
One thing you seem to forget to state, is that there are 2 types of Jobseekers Allowance, they are:
Contribution Based, this is elegible for those that have contributed enough N.I whilst employed, and comes from Government Funding.
Income Based, this is elegible to be claimed by anyone who has no income whatsoever, and is made up of payments using money paid by the everyday working Tax Payer.
So, yes you do not qualify for “Contribution Based Jobseekers Allowance” but you do however qualify for “Income Based Jobseekers Allowance”
This is coming from someone who has been unemployed for 5 years after being constructively dismmised from my last place of employment.
Sorry did not see anyway to edit the comment i made above, so I have additionally added to what was stated as a reply.
After seeing in full what you wrote on this subject, you will see that ironically you have answered your own post.
How?
“b. Here’s a valuable tip your JobCentre may not have told you about. JobCentres nationwide have been affected by government cuts, and money is being trimmed wherever possible, so unless you ask about it, they may not offer it to you. DO ASK”
Being that there are 2 tyoes if JSA, you were obviously given information on claiming Contribution Based JSA.
Because, you do not state that you applied for Income Based JSA, then like you say, you will only get answers if you are more specific about the particular benefit you are wanting to claim.
Thanks for your comments. Your comment on my previous post is very useful. Even if not relevant to my case (I don’t fall into the category which can claim income-based JSA, as my partner has a job, I have some savings, etc) etc, lots of jobseekers seem to come to this blog for information, and it might help them.
Great to be exchanging information with you.
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is it a law that if a person has no fixed address that they “must” sign on daily to recieve jobseekers allowance,and allowance will be stopped if they fail to attend?
Hi David, I don’t think it is daily you need to “sign on” but fortnightly. You must attend those meetings unless you have a very good reason not to (eg a job interview, a medical emergency, etc), in which case you should call the JobCentre ahead of time to let them know why, and you may be asked to provide evidence. If you fail to attend the sign-on day they may stop your allowance for that period, so I wouldn’t risk it. I am not aware of the rules being different for someone with no fixed address. Have you tried asking your local JobCentre?
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Is it formally stated anywhere e.g. job seekers website etc that you can be registered as a job seeker without getting Job Seekers allowance? My job centre said I cant register with them unless I am receiving a jobseekers allowance.
It sounds like the JobCentre people have confused you. First of all, anyone looking for a job could be called a “jobseeker”, even if they’re not registered with the JobCentre. Unemployed people register with the JobCentre (people tend to call that “to sign on” with the JobCentre) so that they can claim jobseeker’s allowance (called ‘JSA’), which, at the moment, if you’re over 25 years old is £67.50 per week. It gets paid to you every two weeks, after your fortnightly meeting with your personal adviser. You need to be fully available for work and prove to that you have been actively looking for jobs. You can only receive JSA AFTER you register w/ the JobCentre.
Read more in the DirectGov site.
In order to be entitled to JSA, you need to have worked and been paying a certain amount of National Insurance contributions for the past two consecutive years prior to the tax year you are claiming in (for example if you claim now, you need to have worked and paid taxes in 2009 and 2010).
If you’re not a British national or have been working but not in the UK, I would advise you find where your nearest Citizens Advice Bureau is and enquire there. I am sure they will be able to give you unbiased/clearer advice than the JobCentre. Good luck!
if you where to recieve a tax rebate or some other form of unearned windfall cash, and it was well below the 16 k threshold i believe you are able to legitimally have while recieving jsa. do you need to declare it at all to the job centre?
Hello Tim, I am sorry for this very late reply. I don’t know that you need to declare anything like that to the JobCentre while claiming JSA, unless you’re on an income-based JSA. You only need to let them know if you have done any work paid or unpaid while receiving the allowance. However, I believe that type of windfall cash would count as part of your ‘savings’ if you were, on or applying for income-based JSA, so you’d have to ‘declare’ it then. Otherwise, I don’t think it matters.
The jobcentre staff are the most unhelpful sanctimonious reprobates that i have had the misfortune to meet.
They cost me 3 jobs while living in England as i needed travel expenses to get to job interviews. They refused all of them even though i had the interviews in the afternoon 25 miles away and no transport except going by bus. No money couldn’t get to interview which meant no job. When it came to my signing on day they had the cheek to pull me up for not attending the interviews and when i mentioned the money they said i could have a crisis loan. I tried that and was told since it wasnt an emergency i couldnt get it. Shafted all ways.
They did the same when i lived in scotland.
Oh dear. I am sorry to hear, John. I do believe the travel for interview scheme is essential in increasing a jobseeker’s chances of finding a job, especially as these days, for many jobs, you have to look well outside your own local area. With train fares being so high in this country, and no ‘concessionary fares’ being available, the cost can add up and make your financial situation even worse.
Hi….i am on e.s.a and have had loans from friends / family put into my bank account on various occassions .I am well below any allowed / savings tresholds…however…if my bank account / statements are looked into…by e.s.a / dwp could these loans be classed as “unearned income ” ? Also…what about selling on ebay ? Would sales of items of mine i sold..also count as unearned income ? Regards Z