JSA - Backdating?

SideWinder · 5 Mar 2020 at 17:46

Hi all,

I had a quick google and can see you can backdate job seekers allowance (i was made redundant at the end of November and didn't work my one month notice which would have taken me to the end of December).

I believe i need to state why i am applying late...does anyone have experience in this situation?

Cheers

Bounce · 5 Mar 2020 at 17:52

SideWinder said:
Hi all,

I had a quick google and can see you can backdate job seekers allowance (i was made redundant at the end of November and didn't work my one month notice which would have taken me to the end of December).

I believe i need to state why i am applying late...does anyone have experience in this situation?

Cheers

Why are you applying so late?

JSA is for those who are 'seeking work' and is aimed at getting people into jobs.

What have you been doing the last two months?

I believe you will need to provide proof that you have been applying for jobs.

EssexBoy · 5 Mar 2020 at 17:54

You will most likely be put on ESA contribution based allowance if you have paid enough NI.

Gray2233 · 5 Mar 2020 at 17:55

It's almost impossible to get money back dated, you'll be extremely lucky if you do.

Either way I suspect you'll end up on Universal Credit.

SideWinder · 5 Mar 2020 at 18:17

Bounce said:
Why are you applying so late?

JSA is for those who are 'seeking work' and is aimed at getting people into jobs.

What have you been doing the last two months?

I believe you will need to provide proof that you have been applying for jobs.

To be honest, i didn't realise it was a thing...which sounds mental i know but i have never not worked.

For the past 2 months i have been trying to find a role. In that time i have been applying and have had 2 interviews with multiple stages.

EssexBoy · 5 Mar 2020 at 18:43

You will be put on contribution based then and will not have to go in for 6-12 months after the first meeting.

SideWinder · 5 Mar 2020 at 18:48

EssexBoy said:
You will be put on contribution based then and will not have to go in for 6-12 months after the first meeting.

What does that mean...?

Will pop down the JobCentre tomorrow...i have 100 emails or so going back to the start of January showing interview dates/contacts..see what happens.

Gray2233 · 5 Mar 2020 at 18:50

Chances are they'll tell you to sign up online and not go in until you've an appointment.

EssexBoy · 5 Mar 2020 at 18:55

You have to apply online to get a meeting so going in will be waste of time.

As you have worked for a long time you have paid enough into the system to be eligible for contribution based benefits which means they will pay you £73 a fortnight while you are looking for work.You do not have to go down and sign on like old JSA or UC. They also will not ask what you have done the last few months so don't worry about that.

Bounce · 6 Mar 2020 at 10:06

SideWinder said:
To be honest, i didn't realise it was a thing...which sounds mental i know but i have never not worked.

For the past 2 months i have been trying to find a role. In that time i have been applying and have had 2 interviews with multiple stages.

Fair enough.

Out of interest what jobs have you been applying for?.

100 e-mails of job applications, seem a lot, I'm very surprised you haven't been offered at least one job, reading between the lines...maybe the jobs you are applying for aren't suited to your skills and experience?

Judging by your profile live in North London, there is bout to be a job vacant there for you its not like the highlands of Scotland.

Martynt74 · 6 Mar 2020 at 11:18

EssexBoy said:
You will be put on contribution based then and will not have to go in for 6-12 months after the first meeting.

I was on contribution based but still had to go in (think it was fortnightly), was a grim experience!

"So sir, i noticed you're a Chartered Accountant, have you considered that the C in GCSE English you got 18 years ago may be holding you back, maybe you should redo the exam"

SideWinder · 6 Mar 2020 at 11:23

Bounce said:
Fair enough.

Out of interest what jobs have you been applying for?.

100 e-mails of job applications, seem a lot, I'm very surprised you haven't been offered at least one job, reading between the lines...maybe the jobs you are applying for aren't suited to your skills and experience?

Judging by your profile live in North London, there is bout to be a job vacant there for you its not like the highlands of Scotland.

I won't go too much into detail but yes, i have changed tactics a bit recently...the issue is my CV is quite niche (studio operations) however i am trying to move into account management so essentionally moving a step down/across so i think i am overqualified to start again.

Moving into temping to find a way in.

EssexBoy · 6 Mar 2020 at 11:23

Marvt74 said:
I was on contribution based but still had to go in (think it was fortnightly), was a grim experience!

"So sir, i noticed you're a Chartered Accountant, have you considered that the C in GCSE English you got 18 years ago may be holding you back, maybe you should redo the exam"

Ouch i could not go through with that i must have been lucky then as i have 6 months to find work without having to go in.

Vanquish-Storm · 9 Mar 2020 at 07:50

I'm sure they only "backdated" to two weeks before I applied. I had applied late because I had thought I wouldn't need to at the time.

I had to go every other week with a list of jobs I had applied for or interviewed for. They did not really offer any advice but I assume that was because they could see I was clued up.

Deleted member 77746 · 31 Mar 2020 at 19:36

I had an absolute nightmare when I signed on to UC. They wouldn’t pay 3 months because they said I earned too much. 3 months I had nothing to live on.

They wouldn’t issue any loans at all to me.

After 3 months I tried again they asked what I had been doing and I said looking for a job with evidence of emails and CVs provided. They wouldn’t back date anything. Absolute kick in the nuts it was.

Energize · 10 Apr 2020 at 21:16

EssexBoy said:
You will most likely be put on ESA contribution based allowance if you have paid enough NI.

ESA is for people who are deemed unfit for work!

Rroff · 10 Apr 2020 at 21:22

Vanquish-Storm said:
I'm sure they only "backdated" to two weeks before I applied. I had applied late because I had thought I wouldn't need to at the time.

I had to go every other week with a list of jobs I had applied for or interviewed for. They did not really offer any advice but I assume that was because they could see I was clued up.

Been a very long time since I had anything to do with it but I seem to recall years back you could get it back dated upto 6 weeks or something if you had evidence you were actively seeking work like letters for interviews, etc.

Must have changed quite a lot because back then the only difference really between the different types was that contribution based meant you didn't have to go on any job centre courses/placements or whatever for the first 3-6 months.

EssexBoy · 10 Apr 2020 at 22:03