Job seekers allowance also simply referred to as JSA is a type of benefit given by the United Kingdom government to those who are unemployed but are still job hunting and are capable and active. It is also given to those with low incomes. There are a number of requirements that one has to meet in order to get this allowance. It falls under the benefits of the social security system. It is meant to cater for living expenses while the claimer is not working. There are two types of job seekers allowance and theses are income based and contribution based.
Requirements and conditions
A claimant should be between 18 years and the pension age of that particular state or country. For eligibility purposes a claimant should mention that they are seeking a job actively and they have to fill in a form known as Jobseeker’s Agreement. They also have to attend an NJI which means New Jobseeker’s interview. They are required to report at a Job Center every fortnight to sign and certify their activeness in job seeking. The agreement is a contract that the claimant has to abide by in order for them to get their pay.
The contract has terms such as the number of companies the claimant will contact weekly, the maximum time they will use in commuting, what effort they will put in weekly to get a job, the number of times they will go through the job section on DirectGov website, the number of companies they will pay personal weekly visits and whether magazines and newspapers will be used in job searching. These terms could change depending with the claimant during interviews where the claimant will be dealing directly with his or her interviewees.
What could cause sanctioning of the Job Seekers Allowance?
In some situations a claimant’s JSA could be stopped. If a claimant decides to decline a job offer when a vacancy comes up then he or she should give a reliable reason or their allowance will be withheld. A claimant should sign the agreement and declare their availability and activeness in job hunting. Failure to do so will lead to fund suspension till they complete and sign the form. When a claimant fails to attend an appointment at the job center or they leave their job voluntarily and they decline a vacancy notification then they could have their allowances halted.
Job seekers can call the job seekers allowance contact number or go online to claim their allowances. One should keep in touch with their local job center to confirm progress and probably reclaim incase of sanctions. All they will need is their National Insurance number and their date of birth. For More Information Visit http://contactphonenumberuk.co.uk/job-seekers-allowance-contact-number/
SUMMARY
Job seekers allowance solely depends with the kind of circumstances the claimant is in. It also relies on the amount of cooperation they will give to the job centre. An applicant should be hard working and put in enough effort for him or her to benefit.