Jobseeker's Allowance

Jobseeker’s Allowance is often known as ‘the dole’, this is the money paid to you by the Government if you don’t have a job. The amount varies by age and situation. If you are single, and between 18 and 24 you will get £44.50 a week. If you have children you will be eligible for more.

Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) is paid if you are:

Capable of working
Available for work
Actively seeking work (means, looking for a job)
18 or over
Not working 16 hours a week or more

How to claim JSA

Contact your local job centre - 01344 744800. You will be given a JSA claim pack and an appointment to discuss your job seekers’ agreement. This will indicate what steps you will take to find work. Your claim should be processed within 10 working days and then you must ‘sign on’ at the job centre once a fortnight. You will have a short interview to check your situation, job seeking progress and any change of circumstances. You receive payment within a few days of signing on.

There are two types of Jobseeker’s Allowance:

1. Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance

Income based JSA is ‘means tested’, this involves the Benefit Agency calculating how much you (and your family), need to live on according to their regulations. You can claim Income-based JSA if:

You have not been working enough to pay into National Insurance (this is bit like tax and gets taken out of your wage)
Your contributory JSA has run out after six months
You are claiming for a partner

2. Contributions-based JSA

This is based on your national insurance contribution record and is paid for a maximum period of 6 months.

If you are 18-24 years old you will find that the level of your benefit has been set at a reduced rate.
You can only claim contributory JSA for yourself.
Your right to claim contributory JSA is not affected by you partner’s earnings or by the amount of savings you have.

You cannot get contribution-based JSA if you have only been paying National Insurance contributions for self-employment. You may be able to get income-based JSA.