Chatroom

5th December 2008, 12:00am

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https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/chatroom-63

Jobseeker Allowance (again)

Posted by glitzandglam

I’ve been signing on since September no problems, working maybe one day in one week (7 hrs) and another day in another week. The most I have worked in a month is 4 days. I had to sign off the first week of November as I worked 3 days (21 hours) and then I signed on again. However, I am still waiting for the money. I phoned again to enquire and was given a new piece of information. Because I earn more money than the allowance, I can no longer claim it. So if I work one day a week, I can’t claim ... Even though this is only 7 hours!!!! And because I have been claiming the whole Pounds 120 a fortnight (because I never worked more than 14 hours), I have to pay that back and it will come out as tax on my pay slip ... so basically the Pounds 600-odd that Jobseekers Allowance has been paying me for the past 9 weeks will be taken out my wage as tax ... which means I’m basically working for nothing.

Posted by gillymonkey

When I signed on, they told me I could work 16 hours but there was no mention about pay size. My contributions weren’t high enough anyway, so I got nothing.

Posted by glitzandglam

How is anyone meant to survive on 4 days’ work a month?

Posted by gillymonkey

Are they taking into account a partner’s wage? If not, I’d have thought you’d be entitled to some kind of income support.

Posted by 5string

I was told they pay you JSA based on number of hours worked, and pay received for work done.

If you work 16 hours or more in any single week, you have to sign off (and sign on again for any subsequent week less than 16 hours).

If you earn more than your JSA (Pounds 60) during a given week, even less than 16 hours, you don’t get JSA payments (but you don’t have to sign off). Be warned, if you are paid monthly, they spread that over the month and compare it with what you would get on JSA for a month, even if you only worked one week.

JSA = Pounds 60 pw, therefore Pounds 240 per month

Work for 2 days (15 hours) during 1 week @ Pounds 100 per day = Pounds 200

Work for 1 day (7.5 hours) the next week (same month) = Pounds 100

Total pay = Pounds 300, which is more than monthly JSA (Pounds 240), so you shouldn’t get JSA payment.

Max time worked any single week = 15 hours so you don’t sign off.

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