Jobseeker allowance UK is a benefit given to people actively looking for work out of work. It is a form of welfare and comes under the social security system.
If you already get other benefits
Universal Credit is replacing the following benefits and tax credits:
- Child Tax Credit
- Housing Benefit
- Income Support
- income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Working Tax Credit
The aim of the benefit is to give unemployed people a small amount of money to help them during their search for work. It is a tax-paid benefit that is meant to cover living expenses while you are out of work and actively looking for work. It is paid to claimants if they meet the conditions for the benefit and they go to their local Jobcentre Plus to sign on each week. There are 2 types of Jobseeker’s Allowance: income based and contribution based (new style). Income based JSA is means tested, and you must be on a low income to claim it. This type of JSA has been replaced by Universal Credit, which is not means tested and can be claimed by anyone – see below for more information on that. New style Jobseeker’s Allowance is not means tested, and it does not take into account your savings or capital (as long as you have paid National Insurance contributions). It usually lasts for 182 days – around 6 months. If you have any children, you will need to let the HMRC Tax Credits Office know about your change in circumstances – they can stop you claiming child benefit or tax credits if you don’t. They can also make you pay back any unused child benefit or tax credits. The uk is a good place to look for work and the benefits are there for you to help you get on your feet. There are different types of benefit for different situations and you should always apply for the right one. Despite the negative stigma that surrounds benefits, there are a lot of people in the uk who benefit from them. You can call in to speak with a welfare adviser about your situation and they will be able to give you advice on what benefits are available to you and how to apply for them. You can also visit your local job centre to ask for help and advice if you need it. They can give you a number of different services including counselling, employment support and training. Your local jobcentre will offer you a number of options to help you get back into work and find a better job. Some of them are for specific skills and some are more general such as gaining work experience. You can even attend workshops to learn a skill such as IT. A number of these workshops are free to attend and there are a lot of them available. You can also ask for help with a number of issues such as your housing, debt and benefits. If you need to leave your job or you are threatening or experiencing domestic violence, you can claim jobseeker’s allowance. However, you will need to provide written evidence to show that you were able to leave your job voluntarily. If you can’t show that you left your job voluntarily, you will be sanctioned and might have to stop getting jobseeker’s allowance.
