jsa when pregnant

sarahnew

hi all first time poster here so please be kind:o

So i wanted to ask a quick question, im pregnant so have decided to move in with my partner. As i was on opf i am no longer entitled to this so have to come off this payment. So my question is how long before baby is born do you have to apply for jsa, i went into social welfare office last week but i have to go back this week after my last opf payment. Many thanks in advance

eastbono

You can apply for jsa straight away after your final opf payment. You have to be available and looking for work. If your partner is working his earnings will be assessed as means on your claim. If he is in receipt of jsa he can add you to his claim as an adult dependant which would mean you would not need to make a jsa claim. If your partner is working as a family unit you may be better off if he applies for family income supplement...depending on his earnings. Your sw office should be able to advise you on which would be better for you as a family unit depending on your circumstances.

sarahnew

thanks so much for the reply, my partner is working part time so getting no jsa.. does it matter how far along you are in pregnancy when applying ?

eastbono

sarahnew wrote: »

thanks so much for the reply, my partner is working part time so getting no jsa.. does it matter how far along you are in pregnancy when applying ?

No once you can demonstrate that you are actively looking for full time work. If you partner is working part-time and he doesnt work more than 3 days per week he should apply for casual jobseekers. He should also look into applying for family income supplement... this payment takes approx 20 weeks to process per other postings on this site.

sarahnew

Thank you so much, much appreciated i now know where i stand when i go in during the week