what benefit?

Mattyp

i lost my job in june.....ive tried applying for jsa but they said i haven't paid enough national insurance even though ive been working since i was 16 and I'm now 41....i have a partner that brings home under a thousand a montj.......does anyone know what help im entitled to untill i find new employment?

Philip

You were turned down for contribution based JSA, you can claim income based JSA, the difference being is that on income based any income may be deducted, savings over £6000 will  be charged a tariff of £1.00 for every £250 or part of £250.

Debbie_Alumni

Hi @Mattyp,

You qualify for contributory JSA if you have made the following level of National Insurance Contributions:

• in one of the last two complete tax years, have paid Class 1 (or special Class 2) contributions to the value of 26 times the lower earnings limit; and
• in both of the last two complete tax years, have paid or been credited with, Class 1 (or special class 2) contributions to the value of 50 times the lower earnings limit.

The 2 tax years that are relevant are the ones that were completed before the benefit year in which your jobseeking period began. The tax year runs 6 April - 5th April. The benefit year runs from the first Sunday in January.

The lower earnings limit for the 2014/2015 tax year was £111 per week, for 2015/2016 it was £112 per week.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will treat any credits that are earned as a carer as actual National Insurance payments.

It's bit complex to work out so if you need some further guidance get in touch with me or my colleague Gill at the helpline and we can look at some other options with you.

You can also try running the benefits calculator on the Scope website http://www.scope.org.uk/support/disabled-people/check-benefits 

Best wishes

Debbie