No joy with JSA
Question
Having been employed for a number of years I was suddenly made redundant. I was unemployed for five months and then found a job which lasted nine months. I tried to reclaim Jobseekers Allowance but I have now been told that I cannot claim as I have not paid enough Class 1 National Insurance. Is it possible for me to pay this to the Inland Revenue in order to claim benefits?
Answer
You can't make up the National Insurance payments, but that doesn't mean you can't claim Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) at all. There are two sorts of JSA: contribution-based, which you have been refused; and income-based, which you may be able to claim depending on criteria such as your household income and savings.
If you have a partner and they are working, you may not meet the criteria for income-based JSA. However, your partner may be in a position to claim for other financial help such as Tax Credits or Income Support.
You may want to visit a local advice agency such as the Citizens Advice Bureau to see if they can run a full benefits check, or you could try an online calculator such as entitled to.
Updated: 12/08/2010
Question answered by CAB
