Re qualifying jobseekers benefit

sillysocks

I lost my job last November and started on jobseekers benefit then. I had previously worked for 12 years so had full contributions. I continued claiming until June when I started a temporary 10 week contract.
I don't think the contract will be extended so may need to go back to unemployment benefit when it finishes. I think I had about 8 weeks left on my last claim and know that 10 weeks work won't be long enough to extend that any further.

However, I've been reading the rules about qualifying, and from what I can make out my claim in November would have been based on my contributions in 2012. So I'm wondering if I start a new claim now would that look to my 2013 contributions (I had 11 months), and therefore allow me re qualify for another 6 months worth of benefit?

Sue Ellen

Hi. When you complete this work the repeat claim links back to your previous claim (<26 weeks) so the claim will pick up where it left off and you can only use the remaining 8 weeks. This year 2012 contributions are being used and when you started your claim in November 2011 contributions would have been used. Unless you obtain 13 contributions after you were 156 days (fully unemployed this takes 6 moths) you won't re-qualify for JB. If you get the 13 weeks and after you use the remaining 8 weeks then the 2012 contributions would be used for the next claim. The 13 weeks don't have to be consecutive.
Also if you have worked for 12 years you should be entitled to 9 months JB not 6.

sillysocks

Sorry I forgot to reply to this! Thanks for your help. Makes sense. Yes I got 9 months UB entitlement, but was thinking that if I get 13 weeks work I think I then only get another 6? Anyway at the moment only have 10 weeks work so not really an issue :-(

Sue Ellen

Hi. If you got the 13 cons to requalify you would get another 9 months. You only get 6 months if your total cons are less than 260.

sillysocks

Oh that's great, I didn't realise that. Really worth my while trying to get at least another few weeks when this contract is up so.
I thought someone had told me before that my claims would be linked so the 2nd claim would only be 6 months of payments max.

sillysocks

I dont' want to start a new topic as my question is related to this post.

Since my last post I worked the 10 weeks on the first contract I mentioned, and another 4 in a different company. It was only contract work (totalling 14 weeks) so from what I understand when I sign back on on Monday my claim will link back to the original claim I was on. I had used about 7 months of that claim so had 2 months ish left. Am I right in thinking my claim will be linked and I will get this remaining 2 months from my claim?

Also, now that I have worked another 14 weeks I think I will have requalified for another 9 months of a payment. If that is correct do I wait until my 2 months from the first claim is complete and then re-apply for a second period of 9 months? (assuming I haven’t gotten another job in the meantime!)
So in total I will receive another 11 months of JB before I have to go to JA?