Job seekers Allowance (JSA) is for people who are unemployed and who are actively seeking work. Job centre plus is a government-funded employment agency and social security office whose aim is to help people of working age find employment in the UK. They administer claims for Jobseeker’s Allowance.

• There are two forms of Job seekers allowance:
• Contributory job seekers allowance: This is based on the Jobseekers National Insurance contribution record. It is payable for up to six months and is taxable. To claim you must be present in the UK.
• Income based job seekers allowance: This is calculated in the same way as Income Support. To claim you must be present in the UK, habitually reside and have the rights to habitually reside.

Who is eligible for job seekers allowance?

• To get Job seeker’s Allowance you must be:
• Either unemployed or working fewer than 16 hours a week.
• Under State Pension age.
• Available and actively looking for work.
• For income-based Job seekers allowance, there are additional criteria:
• You must have less than £16,000 in capital
• Your partner must be unemployed or working less than 24 hours a week

 How much job seekers allowance an individual can get?

• Contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance is paid at
  • £57.90 per week if you are under 25
  • £73.10 per week if you are 25 or over

• You may get less if you have part time earnings or a personal/occupational pension.
• To calculate income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance your income is compared to an amount which the government considers you need to live on.
• This can vary person to person because it depends on your family circumstances.
• Job seekers Allowance is usually paid every two weeks.

How an individual keep receiving job seekers allowance?

• To keep receiving job seekers allowance payments, an individual have to keep looking for suitable job continuously, you could lose your payments for up to 13 weeks if
  • Miss an interview with your advisor.
  • Fail to make an effort to improve your skills (e.g. not attending a training course when asked).
  • Fail to apply for or accept a place on an employment or training program you’ve been told about – or leave voluntarily.
  • Lose your place on an employment or training program because of misconduct
• Even worse, you could lose them for up to three years if you:
  • Don’t apply for a job that your adviser tells you about
  • Don’t accept a suitable job offer
  • Leave a job voluntarily, or lose your job because of misconduct
  • Don’t take part in a compulsory work-related program