My problem is that I was for a while on JSA Income based. Recently I have signed off as for 100% I was sure I'm starting job. I went for an induction on Friday I been told (there were few people with me) that on Tuesday/Wednesday I will start work at the factory. Today early in the morning lady from the agency called me that this job has been cancelled at the moment as the factory and probably they will have job in SEPTEMBER!! as I was on induction and passed test they will keep my details and contact me. When I asked that lady from the agency do they have any other job as I just signed off JSA for this job she told me there is nothing at the moment. I don't know what to do now. Can I make a new application for JSA just in case if I don't get now any other job?

My son finished his degree (Acting BA Hons) on 20th June. We didnt realise he could claim JSA but found out and claimed last weekend. He was called in for an interview today and said he was treated like trash, spoken down to and told he must take any job doing anything regardless. He is far from workshy but considering he has just accrued thousands of pounds student loan etc debts he thought they would give him a few weeks to try to find something in his field of training. I seem to remember years ago they did this. In addition, he has to sign on every week. Is this the norm now? He has come home feeling like something the woman stood in and says he is thinking of cancelling his claim at least for the next few weeks so he can try to find something in his field or something associated so they dont force just anything on him. He has no intention at all of sitting on jsa but wants to be honest and not say he is looking for anything when he isnt really. I said he could cancel his claim temporarily and see how he goes and that the fact he wants to be honest about his job search would stand in his favour. Didnt they used to allow them some 'grace' time to look for work within their training and then start insisting they widen their search or has that long gone. And since when did people have to sign on every week. Also what gives anyone the right to speak so badly to someone else. He has already shown a 3 year commitment to bettering himself, paid a fortune for the privilege and is being treated like a waster!

Hi all. Just been made redundant, & I have a few questions regarding claiming benefits. Firstly. I have a partner, but we are not & never have been "financially linked". Is it compulsory for us to claim jointly? He was made redundant at the same time as me. I am considering whether ESA may be what I ought to be claiming. I was holding on to my last job by a thread, due to repeated sickness absence & decline in work standard, due to medication I'm taking. I would almost certainly have been finished if redundancy hadn't come around anyway. I'm fairly sure my doctor would sign me as sick if I asked. As it is, my choice of jobs is likely to be limited & the chance of me getting through a probationary period are pretty slim. Would I be better advised to get a sick note & try to claim ESA? Even as it is, I'm not looking to start work immediately. I got a reasonable redundancy payment & after 40 years working, I am going to take a couple of months off anyway, to reassess & charge the batteries. I would not be entitled to contributory benefits at the moment, due to a smallish amount of savings, & a small pension from a previous job, although it will get used up pretty quickly, so should I claim anything at all or wait until I need the money desperately? Thanks in advance

After being in work and working as a temp, this Feb/March, I have had a flare up of Lupus and was signed off work so had to give up on the assignment, I let the agency know and sais that I would be back in touch when I was fit for work. I was claiming ESA up to 23rd May and then did, what was supposed to be a rapid ESA to JSA, anyway, all this has gone belly up and I have had 2 letters saying that I wasn't entitled because of contributions, which is nonsence, then they said I was entitled and I got a text confirming this, they paid a months JSA into my account and then on Saturday I got a letter from my local Job Centre to say that they are unsure that I am entitled to claim as I left my previous employment voluntarily. With the letter it said that I MUST read a particular leaflet, which wasn't in there. I am furious. I have always worked, and I was signed off with a Lupus flare, luckily i kept scans of the sick note, Anybody have any advice as to what I do now please? Right, the Leaflet that they said I MUST READ (it was in capitals on the letter), was ESL48, but it wasnt enclosed.

I've been found "fit for work" through the miracle of the ATOS medical. I've just signed on, and the journey to the Jobcentreplus office was a bit of a trial physically. I slept for nearly 20 hours when I got home yesterday, and I'm still feeling pretty tired today. Heart failure means when I do something simple like walking, I get a bit stressed, breathless, and then I just get tired very quickly. (I honestly get breathless brushing my teeth) When I'm filling in "My Work Plan", I'm struggling to find even the most basic admin job that I could travel to, let alone complete a full eight-hour shift at. I'm scared this is setting myself up for a sanction. I've used the internet at friends houses to look through dozens of job sites. I have a decent amount of admin experience, but that's well over a decade old and would require updating. I know you don't strictly have to complete these books, so long as you can provide physical proof that you're searching for a job. My problem is I can't reasonably apply for jobs that involve much more than light admin, and these seem thin on the ground. I can't see any employer being interested in me in my present state of health. God only knows how I pray that this 'fit for work' decision can be overturned by a mandatory reconsideration. I'm also worried about the time it's taking for them to sort my claim. Currently I'm left with no money to buy food and I don't have anyone I can turn to for help. I'm fed up. I feel I'm being punished for something I can't do anything about.

Hello, Please remove or move to the relevant place if this is the wrong section. Today a unpleasant incident occurred involving myself. I am on the Ingeus Work Program and today i went to sign off to become self-employed. My advisor at Ingeus asked me when i have signed off to get the JobCentre to ring her. Then she could release the funding Ingeus have provided for me. I arrived at JobCentre and to be greeted by the front desk member of staff who ive had runs in with before. Hitler type of attitude. Along with two G4S guys. Anyway i filled book in to sign off and handed it over to the front desk guy. I requested he phoned my adviser to confirm i was there signing off. He refused to do so saying he cant do that and what was the money been released for. Even though that was confidential i told him why to be told the same. I whipped my sign on booklet away from his hands and requested to see another member of staff. Now he did not oblige to do carry out my reasonable request and ignored me for around ten minutes. He stated he was the floor manager at the time. Anyway after numerous ignores and me standing waiting at front desk i stated ok i will go and find someone to help me to provoke a reaction. At this point i made my way to a door and then was restrained by the GS4 staff. Escorted out of the building. Bare in mind i wanted to sign off. Anyway at this point i was seen to straight away by another member of staff in a private room. Who resolved my issue quickly. Now when i requested a grievance procedure form they had none and said to write it down on a a4 paper to which they supplied. Now i started to write it out and thought no this is wrong. Now this is my question who is the DWP Chief Excuetive? I know it was a Mr Darra Singh a few year back i believe he has now left. Any help would be grateful. I have had run ins with this person at the JobCentre before. So there is a conflict of interest so it would seem a reasonable request that they carried out my request to see somebody else. Im no longer on JSA and never hope to o back on it but i will still make this complaint to help others out there as he may have other complaints against him. Thanks Michael.

My ex was in receipt of Incapacity. He was assessed by ATOS for ESA. They deemed him fit for work. So they cancelled his Incapacity and ESA claim. He was told he could apply for a reconsideration but wouldn't be able to get any benefit, as JSA would mean he was fit for work. He had to sign on, because he had no money. The reconsideration was cancelled as he had applied for JSA Since then his doctor has given him a sick note for 3 months stating he is unfit for work. His JSA claim has been closed and he has been told to apply for ESA, but the Job Centre have told him his application will be bounced back to ATOS who have already stated he is fit for work unless he has a new condition, which wasn't included in the original ESA application, but it is likely his application for ESA will be turned down anyway. Even though his reconsideration has been cancelled, the job centre say that the ATOS decision still stands. He has also been told by JobCentre Plus, that the sick not can be overturned by ATOS, ESA or JSA. His only choice left is to claim JSA, but as his Dr has said he is unfit for work for 3 months, he wont be entitled to any JSA. He is in a catch 22 position. He has no money. The government really didn't think this one through, but whilst we debate that and the fact on the news tonight, its been stated 712,000 people are waiting for their ESA claims to be completed, does anyone have any idea as to what, if any, benefit he can claim? I understand that Income Support and Incapacity benefit no longer exists to new claimants. Please anyone, can you help? His depression and anxiety as you can imagine is going through the roof.

Hi, first post and I wouldn't normally sound so rude, but today's situation has really got my blood boling. I'm normally the most polite woman you could ever meet. But my JCP advisor has had it in for me ever since I was assigned her a few months ago. Sometimes people just take an instant dislike to one another, nothing can be done. However, she has all the power. She always keeps within the rules and so do I. But recently she's been coming across to me as really insulting, denigrating and suspicious when I talk about my anxiety issues. She dismisses them like I just need to stop indulging myself and pull myself together. I'm on JSA at the moment, and reading some of the posts here it sounds like I might have an easier life if I just went to my GP and got a sick note for anxiety to get ESA (?) and get her off my back. What I want to know is if I explain to her next time I sign why exactly it is I think she's a nasty *****, as long as I've done all my jobsearches, fulfilled all my jobseeker directions, can she STILL sanction me for being insulting and rude? I don't want to spite my nose, but I don't think I can bite my tongue much longer with her. Any advice really appreciated as what used to be normal life stress is fast becoming something I think I deserve ESA for.

I was applying for JSA Income Based with Housing Benefit on 11th of May. On saturday I received letter saying I have passed habitual residency test. So I'm hoping that I will get jsa, my question is how long will it take for a decision for housing benefit and who will notify me of council or dwp ? as I was applying for it together with jsa.

Hello I'm looking for some quick advice regarding benefits, from the top. Last year I made a claim for ESA due to depression but was found fit for work by ATOS in December, because I have a predisposition towards letting people beat me down due to said depression I did not appeal and instead moved onto JSA. Since that time my mental health has deteriorated substantially and I am now in a place where it is near all I can do to make it through to the end of each and every day. My advisor at my local job centre suggested that I should claim ESA again as my condition has worsened and so I did so on 1st May. I have now received a letter stating that based on my previous WCA I'm not entitled to ESA, I called to express my surprise as I had indicated that my condition had worsened and was instructed to write to them to request an "emergency reconsideration" and include a letter from my GP describing how it has worsened. And even then they may still refuse it. I have asked for help from CAB but that's not going to happen until Monday and as I've not had any income now for several weeks (my ESA was backdated so in effect I've had no benefits since 24th April) things are getting pretty desperate financially and this whole carry on is threatening to push me over the edge. (incidentally I'm apparently not entitled to any emergency financial assistance because my ESA claim was refused, it was suggested that I look to borrow from friends or family - kind of hard to do when you have neither) The way I see it ESA is going to take a significant amount of time to sort out, if they even decide I can claim it, so the option of a rapid reclaim for JSA looks attractive. I suspect they will refuse me JSA also however as they already have my sick note declaring me unfit for work. I really don't know what to do and all the stress of getting behind on bills and missing a council tax payment (as well as having not eaten in 4 days) is really getting me down. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi All My partner has been offered a full time job starting on 7 May 14. We get 2 weeks oney on Friday, with £30 taken off for social fund re payments. When we sign off next week we will be entitled to about a weeks money, maybe a bit less, and £15 taken off for social fund repayments. My partner has to work a month in advance. I was wondering if anyone know's of any help we will get towards living costs until he gets his first monthly wage. Thank you in advance Charlotte

Hi, Long story short, I am on JSA and HB. I owed £75 in Council Tax arrears to Harringay last year. I made an offer of payment which was refused. I then got a letter of Court Summons which added £120. I have read on this forum many scare stories of Bailiffs turning up and adding telephone numbers in levy/visitation fees, etc. I contacted the Council by email twice now offering £3 a month (last time three weeks ago) Still no response. The government has decided that £72 JSA a week is the minimum I need to live on. So, if I refuse to pay these usary fees and charges and it ends up being an unfair £1000+ from an original fairly owed £75, how much can they take from my JSA or HB each week - baring in mind taking anything is admitting I don't have enough to live on and will be forced to steal? What is the endgame here, once the bailiffs have come and I still can't pay? Will I really go to prison, get a criminal record, have my life ruined, probably end up taking my own life - all for an original debt of £75? Thanks for any advice. I'm so angry right now.

Hello my name is Mandy Im new to this site I joined today in the hope someone can help me. I have been claiming ESA for a year while i went for my medical which they said I was fit for work so I appealed but Iv just been turned down for that aswell. So I rang up to get Jobseekers Allowence to be told I can't claim it due to the fact I wont be activly looking for work because there's no job I can do with my health so now I have to re claim ESA.. The lady on the phone said I will be turned down again because Its the same illness as before but as I tried to tell her my illness is an ongoing problem that will not get better. Please someone help me im so worried and confused i don't know what to do next... Mandy

Hello. I have been working for my company for the last 7 months. Within these 7 months I have been liking this job less and less. I work 11 hours a week and I spend 1 week wages a month to travel to and from work, since I have to use public transport. I find my manager and a few of my colleagues rather rude, obnoxious and generally unpleasant. I am not directly bullied but most of the time I feel isolated and excluded from other members of my department. My manager is one of those, you do something wrong and he'll try his best to make you feel small. I currently have IBS and anxiety problems going to work, because im always worried what will happen when I arrive and my manager. Unfortunatly I cant talk to anyone "higher" up about these problems. As I know they will just pin it all on me. "Its all in your head" sort of thing. I have had 7 months of this and im sick and tired of struggling to leave my house because if this. I have been on JSA and signing on declaring my hours/wages. As well as meeting the above minimum requirement in my Job Seekers Agreement. I was hoping if anyone here could tell me what would happen if I were to hand in my notice and quit. Because too be honest, im starting to feel really depressed about this job now. Would I start receiving my JSA and not just my NS Contributions? Or would I be penalized for leaving. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi there this is my story. On 29th January 2013, my GP and a CAMHS care coordinator decided to make me off sick for deep depression and other health issues. I signed off from job centre to claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) for 8 weeks. From that date my life began a nightmare. It's took nearly 8 weeks for Job centre plus in Belfast to make a decisionl. They rejected my claim for a reason which is still unclear. So they told me I won't be paid but I can complain. From the time I signed of from JSA, housing benefit has been suspended for 4 weeks, then has been closed. My council recalculated my council tax for those 8 weeks and now asking me to pay £120. My landlord wants to proceed to an eviction. During those 8 weeks my daughter and I lived with child tax credit (£62), I was a bit proud to have manage everything and been able to pay all my bills. Naive as I am I thought ESA will be ok and the money back dated, so housing benefit will do the same. Now I know I was wrong and everything is lost. I am in debt of council tax and 2 month rent. I called Jobcentre Belfast regarding them decision, they told me to write a letter as they are unable to tell me something over the phone because it is not them who take decision. I called my council, they told me to pay or they will prosecute me. I went to CAB, they gave me a letter type for Jobcentre and proposed me a food voucher. I called social services for help, they proposed me to take my daughter off from me. (NEVER) I wrote to my MP and do not have an answer yet. I am usually a fighter but now I am sinking, I am so in stress that I did communicated it to my daughter who has been one month sick and passed a week at hospital. I am waiting my last sentence which will be the eviction...... Thanks if you have read this post

How long do I need to wait for them to decide if I require a sanction I was given a form to reclaim my benefits but that's all she did how will I know what the decision is as it already been 2 weeks without money

So after lots of problems with jobcentre with my claim for jsa income based today I've received paper saying that I have passed the right to reside and habitual residence test. Does that mean I will get JSA?

Hi, I have problems with Job Centre. It's a long and twisted story so I try to cut it short. My Contribution Based JSA has run out on 19/03 before has run out I've received forms for habitual residency test (as I'm from Poland) with some problems from side of jobcentre (as they didn't understand why I have received those forms and giving me 3 different information's) finally on 20/03 somebody took those forms plus other documents (included form for income based jsa) from me and scan them 2 the processing team, on the same day I've received call that everything is fine and I will get income based jsa. I've received letter last Wednesday on which is written that from 20/03 'til 9th of April I will receiving £71 pw and from 10th of April this amount will be £72.40. Today was my sign on day so I went there and my adviser asked me did I fill form for income based jsa? as there are some problems I said yes and explain steb by step everything I've done. So he told me he's gonna ring processing office then if there is a problem he's going to ring me back. As I was hurry to get to my job interview I didn't stay there. When I came back home I've decided to call jobcentre myself. One lady told me that they don't have my form for income based jsa but as I'm saying I gave all filled papers she needs to send message to other person and that person will ring me within 3hrs. So I've received another call and that guy told me suddenly that he don't understand why somebody gave me information that I have been awarded jsa as they didn't have my habitual residency papers. As I'm saying that all papers were taken and scanned from me they need to take those papers back from the storage and then they made a decision if they going to award me jsa and at the moment they are not going to pay me any money on Monday. When I ask how long will this process take, the response was couple of weeks. So now I'm suffering from somebody else's mistakes and I'm left without any income. If there is something I can do to make them look faster on my claim?

Hi I am claiming JSA and have been since January, I was in work up to claiming JSA. I am due a tax rebate at the end of the tax year (this weekend) and I am finding conflicting info on who or when I should get my refund. Will I get my refund automatically via the JSA route, or will I have to claim it via Revenue and Customs?

Hi All I wonder if anyone can help please. I'm on a temp contract and am going to be unemployed soon, so will be signing on, to claim JSA again. I understand we are in the 2014 benefits year, so DWP will look at my contributions for the tax years 2011-2012 & 2012-2013. During 2011-2012 I was credited with 50 Credits from ESA. During 2012-2013 I was credited with 16 Credits from ESA. From my understanding, there are two conditions to be met. The first one being in either tax year, I must have earned or been credited with at least 26 weeks. So that's OK. The second one however, requires earnings of 50 x the LEL. So I'm thinking that due to only having 16 ESA credits in 2012-2013 I will fail the criteria and not be awarded any JSA. Would any one be able to confirm this for me - I'll still go ahead and apply for it, but just getting a bit nervous at the prospect of no income (my fiancee works more than 20 hours a week so no Income based JSA either). Many Thanks in advance

Started a new thread as this is a fresh concern. A little background I was found Fit for Work by ATOS and have to wait for a Mandatory consideration before I can appeal. The only way I could get any money coming during this time was to sign on for JSA. Most Advisers will be understanding and sort of Park you till the decision is made and can get an Appeal going at Tribunal and be put back on Assessment Rate ESA. My Adviser however is not one of those and wont take my Medical condition into account when I saw her she put me straight onto a course starting next Monday and continuing till Wednesday 9AM start till 11.30 with the National Careers Service to build confidence I told her my condition could well prevent me turning up 3 Days in a row as my health cant take that much activity her reply was "You have been found fit for work so I can't see any reason why you cant attend if you don't I will sanction you and you will get No money for 4 weeks" Today I get an automated phone call stating My work placement has been set up and I must attend a Charity Shop Thursday for said work placement this is the first Ive heard about any sort of Work placement can my Adviser set this up and Mandate me to do this with out any discussion first? I have no idea why this is happening DWP know I will appeal the Fit for work assessment decision at Tribunal and ask to be put back on ESA while it goes through. There is no way I can get through 3 days of the course at 2-3 hours a day let alone start or do any type of Work placement and I don't know what to do or how to cope as Ive been told the DM could take up to 6 weeks to make a Mandatory review decision. I think they are trying to cull me if I am dead through starvation or my mental health gives out with all the worry and stress and I end it all atleast it will be one more person off benefits Any advice would be welcome.

Hi. My son (British born, UK resident) and his partner (living here but an EU citizen) applied for a joint claim JSA, in his partner's name, in the first week of January 2014. They supplied all necessary documents (proof of address & identification) at their first appointment at the Jobcentre, and my son's partner sat through the 20 minute long Habitual Residency Test (HRT) questionnaire. They have attended all appointments at the Jobcentre since then, and every week have satisfied the rules laid out in their contract with the Jobcentre. However, they have received no actual confirmation (telephone or postal) to even inform them their claim for JSA has been rejected or accepted. The DWP has made the following requests to them: 1) a few days after their 1st appointment @ Jobcentre, DWP called and asked for them to take my son's partner's passport to the Jobcentre again. DWP claimed had not received it. This error was not my son/partner's fault as they did supply the documents at their appointment, and even witnessed the Jobcentre advisor make a photocopy of it. They took the passport in & witnessed them make a photocopy. 2) a week or so later, DWP telephoned again and made exactly the same request, for the same reason. Son & partner took it again, and asked the Jobcentre worked to make two copies this time. 3) another week later, you guessed it, the DWP make the same request, except this time telling son to make sure it is digitally scanned at the Jobcentre, and not photocopied. Son explains this to the Jobcentre advisor, but they just told him "not to worry about it, it has been done and sent to Cosham (central office)". So, since then until about the beginning of Feb my son has been constantly requesting to know the status of their JSA claim, and what is taking so long. He has called the DWP weekly, and all they say is: a) They cannot find his partner's claim b) It is probably because his partner's HRT results are being "looked at" c) There is "No time scale for the HRT results decision making process, it takes as long as it takes really" (!!!!?) 4) Lastly, today, we receive a letter from DWP stating that they cannot process son's partner's claim because they need the following "a copy of tenancy agreement, dated agency registration document, utility or council tax bills or UK bank statements covering the 4 months prior to the application date for Job Seeker's Allowance". Even though she has already stated in her online application that my son & her are living with us, not paying any rents or charges, etc, they're still asking for this information?! She has tried to open a UK bank account but they need an official UK government document (such as confirmation or rejection of a JSA claim!), she doesn't have any utility payments, etc. While they are living with us, it is not an easy arrangement. There has been a lot of arguments in the home because of this, worsened by the fact they thought they would be able to pay their own way while living with us, as they claim JSA and look for work, but haven't been able to. They have actually started selling off their belongings on Ebay just so they don't have to ask us for food shopping money, and son is down to his last £17.00. What can they do about this? They wrote a letter to the manager of their Jobcentre, requesting a reply within 7 working days, but have received no communication from them. This was 3 weeks ago. Surely they are entitled to some sort of compensation for this? It's absolutely despicable to treat people like this. Imagine if my son was equally cavalier about his weekly job seeking duties with the Jobcentre. I suspect they would terminate his JSA immediately, not let the situation linger on for nearly 2 months. To us, it seems that the DWP are not treating their claim with any urgency or seriousness because they are living with Mum & Dad. However, we are not rich enough to support them, and they are sleeping on a mattress on the floor in our spare room. What is the best route to take at this point? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks

Hi all My dad is currently on JSA, as he is not good with technology or computers I have to do most of the job search and applications for him. I use sites like Reed and Totaljobs, but the jobcenter people keep threatening him with sanction for not using UJM, now I browse this site for jobs too but hardly ever are there any jobs that can be applied for and most of the jobs just redirect to external site or recruitment agency site for application, so I am lost as to what I can do, can they really sanction him because of that? and is he obliged to give access to his account to them. Any help and advice would be much appreciated Thank you

New to this but hoped someone could help me. I lost my job in August and went on contribution based jsa which ended in February, since then I have had no payments at all for various reasons none of which are my fault. Firstly I had the letter saying it was coming to an end, I told my advisor and asked what I should do ...he said don't worry you will automatically switch over to income based...I didn't! I was then told I needed to fill out a form...I did...then they said because I have a mortgage and received payment protection I needed to fill out another form...I did...no word or money from them for 3 weeks ...I phoned jc+ was told they were waiting for the mi12 form back from my insurance company...I phoned insurance company...they never got it...phoned js+ back was told different story altogether! I should have had this mi12 form and filled part out and send rest to my lender (not insurer) I went to jc and asked for the form only to realise that it is an application form for mortgage interest direct scheme where government pay your interest! I don't need this as I have insurance...I just want income based jsa! I phoned js+ back and explained this and the fact I have had no money for 5 weeks now...was told someone from mortgage department would call back in 3 hours...they didn't but I got a text 4 hours later saying we cannot process your claim until we have the mi12 form!, Does anyone know why they need an application form for something I'm not applying for before they can pay me jsa...it makes no sense and I have no money to live on...I had to go to a food bank today as I haven't eaten in 4 days. And from what I have read it looks like I'm still months away from this been sorted. I just feel like ending it all.

I had no clue that when i claimed jsa that my claim would be affected if i had between 6k and 16k in savings so didnt think to tell them what i had. Recently the customer compliance unit got in touch and demanded up to date totals in my account and jsa subsequently docked my benefit by £13 per week. Now they want to know how i amassed the 9k in my bank. before i claimed jsa i did not work but did gamble in poker clubs etc with good wins and i banked the money. Its legally and rightfully mine and i no longer gamble which is the reason im on jsa to try and gain long term employment but will anything come of my decision to tell them that i got it from gambling before i even claimed any money from them? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Joe