JSA, out of contributions, new sign-on..

[El Cid]

 

"we can not pay you because your partner work more than 24hrs a week" So I am not recieving any income at all.

this really P---es me off as I worked for forty years before being made redundant.

 

Working tax credits - who can claim, Couple with 1 or more children, usually, at least 24 hours between you (with 1 of you working at least 16 hours)

[monkey69]

You can claim bus fares back unless its your signing day. They don't advertise it but you definitely can.

 

No you cant, you have an obligation to travel by whatever means (walk,cycle,car,bus. etc) for a ninety minutes period. so if they live within that time to travel to the job centre , they wont get a bean.

[RiffRaff]

You can claim bus fares back unless its your signing day. They don't advertise it but you definitely can.

 

Perhaps so, but my signing day will be daily!

[Berberis]

See, some people will just not accept that in the 6th richest country in the world, their fellow citizens can be left high and dry with nothing. Even when it comes from the horses mouth.

 

I can assure them it happens all the time. If it wasn't for the good will of friends and family the shop doorways of this fair city would be packed with people in sleeping bags.

 

RiffRaff is not left with nothing, he/she has a spouse who earns enough to support them both. This is how the system works and its the fairest means to allocate such benefits. I was subject to the same once, my partner at the time earned enough so that I could not claim housing benefit. We had to suck it up and get on with our lives, but we certainly did not have nothing as you put it.

 

If our benefits system ignores a spouses earnings, then we would be in a situation where one partner can earn hundreds of thousands a year while the other could claim thousands of pounds in benefits. That would certainly not be fair.

 

You seem too eager to jump to conclusions on a subject were you do not know the facts.

 

---------- Post added 03-04-2015 at 10:42 ----------

 

Perhaps so, but my signing day will be daily!

 

You are only ever forced to sign in more frequently if they suspect you are not being truthful with the information you have provided. Its a means to stop people signing on and then going to work. If they are asking you to sign on every day, ask them why and for what reason.

 

You can claim costs to travel to any of the help to work workshops held by companies such as A4E or who ever else is running these now. But you cant claim the cost to sign on as you are required to at least put in some effort to claim.

Edited April 3, 2015 by Berberis

[RiffRaff]

RiffRaff is not left with nothing, he/she has a spouse who earns enough to support them both. This is how the system works and its the fairest means to allocate such benefits. I was subject to the same once, my partner at the time earned enough so that I could not claim housing benefit. We had to suck it up and get on with our lives, but we certainly did not have nothing as you put it.

 

If our benefits system ignores a spouses earnings, then we would be in a situation where one partner can earn hundreds of thousands a year while the other could claim thousands of pounds in benefits. That would certainly not be fair.

 

You seem too eager to jump to conclusions on a subject were you do not know the facts.

 

---------- Post added 03-04-2015 at 10:42 ----------

 

 

You are only ever forced to sign in more frequently if they suspect you are not being truthful with the information you have provided. Its a means to stop people signing on and then going to work. If they are asking you to sign on every day, ask them why and for what reason.

 

You can claim costs to travel to any of the help to work workshops held by companies such as A4E or who ever else is running these now. But you cant claim the cost to sign on as you are required to at least put in some effort to claim.

 

I did ask : "Our hands are tied" was the response.

I suspect the real reason behind the requirement is to encourage the claimant - sorry, "client" - to sign off.

Lo and behold, unemployment figures down by one.

Doesn't mean I'm working, of course, but someone somewhere will claim success....

 

---------- Post added 03-04-2015 at 18:28 ----------

 

 

You are only ever forced to sign in more frequently if they suspect you are not being truthful with the information you have provided. Its a means to stop people signing on and then going to work.

 

I've just re-read what you've written!

If that's true - that they suspect me of fraudulently claiming! - the fur will fly next time!

I have given them absolutely no reason to think that I am other than unemployed!

I have attended every session, completed the bloody silly "work plan" booklet daily, and logged on to their UJ site as requested.

I've even offered to work for 3 months for no pay to any employer who offers a more-than half-interesting post, as long as they're willing to train me!

Bloody Job Centre....

How dare they....

[RiffRaff]

 

You are only ever forced to sign in more frequently if they suspect you are not being truthful with the information you have provided. Its a means to stop people signing on and then going to work. If they are asking you to sign on every day, ask them why and for what reason.

 

Got verification today that I will indeed have to "sign on" on a daily basis from next Wednesday. Also got clarification as to the reason, which differs to your summary above - the daily attendance is obligatory for everyone who's been unemployed over a certain time (7 months in my case).

There are no exceptions - it will apply to every "client".

"Tomorrow's" appointment time will be advised during "today's" and timings are likely to be different and not form any pattern.

As these are viewed as "Job Centre appointments" as opposed to "signing on days", travel expenses are able to be met to the tune of 25p a mile (but no parking fee payment), or the cheapest weekly bus pass that's available....

[poppet2]

Got verification today that I will indeed have to "sign on" on a daily basis from next Wednesday. Also got clarification as to the reason, which differs to your summary above - the daily attendance is obligatory for everyone who's been unemployed over a certain time (7 months in my case).

There are no exceptions - it will apply to every "client".

"Tomorrow's" appointment time will be advised during "today's" and timings are likely to be different and not form any pattern.

As these are viewed as "Job Centre appointments" as opposed to "signing on days", travel expenses are able to be met to the tune of 25p a mile (but no parking fee payment), or the cheapest weekly bus pass that's available....

 

How long are the appointments for and is it a one to one or group session?

Whatever, it's to encourage you to sign off, not find you work.

[andyofborg]

I also recieved a letter stating that the allowance Ive been payed is taxable and will be deducted from my earnings when in my next employment.

 

That's been the case since Geoffrey Howe was chancellor in the 80's. Another of dear old Maggie's innovations.

 

When you next get employment, you will get a P45 from the Job Centre which should show your benefits will have been added onto the total pay received from the P45 from your previous employment though the tax paid will only be from your previous earnings.

 

Until the tax you've paid has caught up with the amount of taxable pay you have had then you will pay a little more tax. It should only take two or three pay days to sort that out.

 

As you have gone across a tax year then any underpaid tax from the previous year will likely be recovered by fiddling with your tax code.

 

On the other hand, you are allowed a tax free income of around 10k per financial year, so depending on how much you earned in your previous employment and how long it is into this financial year before you get a job then you may find you pay no additional tax and in fact pay almost no tax until the amount of benefits and pay catches up with the pro-rata'd tax free income.

 

You may even find, that the amount of tax you paid in the last financial year is more than the tax you should have paid based on your previous pay and benefits so you should get the extra back, either as a cheque or having your next tax code increased so you pay less tax. Though, I wouldn't hold my breath for that happening.

[RiffRaff]

How long are the appointments for and is it a one to one or group session?

Whatever, it's to encourage you to sign off, not find you work.

 

As far as I'm aware, Poppet2, it's just the same procedure as usual ; one-to-one, check that you've "done something to find a job" since yesterday, filled your silly little book in and registered your actions on the UJ site.

Time taken? Depends...I'll let you know!

And yes, sign off, and the unemployment numbers go down....

[Anna B]

Got verification today that I will indeed have to "sign on" on a daily basis from next Wednesday. Also got clarification as to the reason, which differs to your summary above - the daily attendance is obligatory for everyone who's been unemployed over a certain time (7 months in my case).

There are no exceptions - it will apply to every "client".

"Tomorrow's" appointment time will be advised during "today's" and timings are likely to be different and not form any pattern.

As these are viewed as "Job Centre appointments" as opposed to "signing on days", travel expenses are able to be met to the tune of 25p a mile (but no parking fee payment), or the cheapest weekly bus pass that's available....

 

This comes as no surprise to me RiffRaff, I watch a lot of political programmes to keep up to date. Unfortunately most people don't, and have no idea what's going on until it happens to them. They think it is so easy to 'Get a job.'

 

I've followed your posts with interest and am so sorry all your efforts have not born fruit. Please keep posting, I think your story is fairly typical of the over fifties who find themselves thrown back into the jobs market. People need to know from the horses mouth what it's like. You're very eloquent. Try writing a book about it.

 

Don't give up and never give in.