What is Job Seekers Allowance?

Jobseeker's allowance is the benefit paid to help with living expenses while someone is unemployed but looking for work, and is administered through the JobCentre Plus. To claim, you must be over 18 but below State Pension Age, available for work and not in full time education.

If you are in part-time education or training you may still be able to claim Jobseeker's Allowance as long as you are ready to work and looking for work. The conditions on this are that you must take a job if one is offered and you must do all you can to look for work, as agreed with your work coach.

If you are under 20 years old and in school you will not be able to get Jobseeker's allowance while your guardian still receives Child Benefit for you, but may be able to get Income Support.

You can apply for this benefit online or over the phone and will be invited to an interview at your local Jobcentre Plus to complete the claim. At the interview, they will discuss what steps can be taken to find work and how you can improve your chances of getting a job. A Claimant Commitment will be agreed with a work coach and the terms of this agreement must be met for benefit payment to continue. The commitment may consist of things like registering with recruitment agencies and having an agreed number of hours per week which must be spent looking for a job. Once benefit is in payment, you will need to visit a Jobcentre Plus office every two weeks to â€˜sign onâ€™ and will need to show the work coach what you have been doing to look for work.

There are two types of Jobseekers Allowance; Contribution-based and Income-based. If a claimant has made enough National Insurance Contributions in the 2 tax years prior to the benefit year the claim is made in, they will be able to claim Contributions-based Jobseekers Allowance. This can be paid for up to 182 days (26 weeks) after which time you may be moved to another applicable benefit.

If a claimant has not made enough contributions they may be entitled to an Income Based Job Seekers Allowance. To get Income-based Jobseekers Allowance, you need to work less than 16 hours per week on average, your partner must work less than 24 hours and you must have no more than Â£16000 in savings. You can also claim Income-based Jobseekers Allowance if you have already received your allocated 182 days Contribution-based Jobseekers Allowance.

The Jobcentre Plus will make sure all claimants are actively looking for work in order to continue awarding Jobseekers Allowance. Your benefits could be stopped or â€˜sanctionedâ€™ if you are not actively looking for work as agreed in your Claimant Agreement, if you do not attend the Jobcentre Plus when asked or if you do not attend interviews or turn down a job or training course.

Keep in mind that Jobcentre Plus is phasing out Jobseeker's allowance in favor of Universal Credit. One main reason for this is because the government has effected this policy.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Jobseeker's allowance is offered to individuals who are looking for work and are of pension age. The main aim of this allowance is to cushion you in case you lost your source of income. There are three types of Jobseeker's allowance:

Income-based JSA
New Style JSA
Contribution-based JSA

Income-Based JSA

This allowance is paid if you fail to fulfill your national insurance contributions. This is ideal for people who would want to be helped with their mortgage, rent and home loan. However, keep in mind there is a minimum amount of contribution that you must meet.

New Style JSA

You can get this allowance if you are either unemployed or work for less than 16 hours a day. You must meet the minimum national insurance contributions of 2 full tax years. It is important to note that the amount of money you get can be affected by the amount of pension you are entitled.

Contribution-Based JSA

This allowance is based on your National Insurance Contributions. The contributions must be of at least 2 years. This option is only available if you have a Severe Disability Premium. These are extra amounts of money that are added to your:

Housing Benefit
Income Support
Income-Related Employment and Support Allowance
Income-Based Jobseeker's Allowance

How Much Do I get From Job Seeker's Allowance?

Though you will require a benefit calculator to get the exact figure, expect to get at least Â£73.10 or Â£114.90 if you are living as a couple. Factors that affect this amount include your age, savings and level of income.

How to Get Job Seeker Allowance

Jobseeker allowances are available to British citizens who meet the following requirements:

You are actively looking for a job
You are unemployed
You work less than 16 hours a week

Income-Based JSA will require you to meet the following criteria:

Your partner must either be unemployed or works less than 24 hours a week
You must not have a capital of more than Â£16,000