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  • Contribution based jobseeker's allowance vs national insurance
  • Northwind
    Full Member

    This one’s for my brother… Just wondering if anyone knows how much NI(1) contribution you have to have made to be entitled to contribution-based JSA? He’s been paying NI for about 5 years but went abroad for a while and has just been told that if you missed a single month within the last 2 years you’re not entitled. That really doesn’t sound right at all to me, but I’m no expert. Any advice would be appreciated! Google searching comes up with lots of people saying “You get it if you’ve made enough contributions” but none saying how much “enough” is.

    Zedsdead
    Free Member

    Not sure but I do know this. I worked all my days and was made redundant. Myself, wife and 3 kids to support (and I always have supported them). I got nothing.

    Pretty rubbish eh?

    nick1962
    Free Member

    Really the only way to find out if he qualifies is to claim.When the JSA claim has been made and is loaded onto the system it checks his cont. record and makes an automated decision on whether he has paid the right amount (and type)of conts. in the relevant income tax years,usually the two years prior to the tax year in which he claims.So if he claimed today they would use 2008/9 2009/10 IIRC.Just missing a couple of months of conts. here or there shouldn’t affect his entitlement however if he was abroad for most of one of the qualifying years that they use to decide his entitlement he might miss out. The contribution conditions are pretty complicated but they should be able to explain at his local Jobcentre and there is probably a leaflet which details the actual conditions. Claim is my advice and if he doesn’t qualify when he thinks he should he can ask them to check for details of any missing conts.on his record.Direct gov may have some info.on the qualifying conditions and you can claim JSA online via directgov now anyway so there might be more details on the rules when you register your claim
    If I get time tomorrow I will try and dig something out for you and post it or mail you.

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    nick1962
    Free Member

    Welcome to the wonderfully complex world of social security legislation…

    http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/specialist-guides/decision-makers-guide/#vol5
    Also found this on the web but note the years used will be different for your brother and the amounts mentioned increase slightly each year. I also think there was a further change made to the first condition last year.

    “You will need to have been employed within the last 2 relevant tax years and have paid, or been credited with, National Insurance (NI) contributions on those earnings”

    There are 2 “contribution conditions” which are detailed below:

    To satisfy the First contribution Condition, the customer must have:
    • paid Class 1 contributions on earnings of at least £2100 in either of the last two Relevant Income Tax Years 07/08 08/09
    To satisfy the Second Contribution Condition, the customer must have:
    • a combination of paid Class 1 contributions on earnings and / or awarded credits of at least £4200 in both 07/08 and 08/09
    • by credits we mean credits that are awarded whilst claiming Jobseekers Allowance, Sickness (ESA) or periods of Approved Training.”

    Northwind
    Full Member

    Thanks guys. The jobcentre have told him it’s as simple as if you miss a single payment you lose all right to benefits, but that’s not what I’m seeing elsewhere. Certainly seems as though he should have covered both criteria, since he was a high earner. He seems resigned to it but I’ll get him to chase it. The local job centre is not much cop tbh.

    Thanks again! Really pisses me off, he’s a total grafter and he’s put more into the system in the years he’s been working than most folks do in twice the time.

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