Citizens Advice Bureau - CABoodle Benefits

I have just lost my job. What benefits am I entitled to?

The benefits you can get will depend on your individual circumstances.
If you are looking for work, you may be entitled to contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance. If you have children you may be entitled to Child Tax Credit. If you are sick or disabled you may be able to get Incapacity Benefit or Income Support. If you are a lone parent or a carer, you may be entitled to Income Support. You may receive help with rent and Council Tax by applying for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
If you own your own home and you receive Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Pension Credit, you can be entitled to help with your housing costs, although this may not be immediately available.
Some benefits are contribution based which means that the amount and type of benefit you receive depends on how much, and what type of national insurance contributions you paid when you were working. Other benefits are means-tested which means that an assessment will be made of what income, savings or capital you have.
If you are on benefit, tax credits or on a low income, you may be able to get help with other costs, for example, prescription charges.

I’m at school and receive EMA– if I get a part-time job will I stop getting it?

No, Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is not based on what you earn, but your parents/guardians' income.

I am pregnant and on benefits. What help can I get for my baby and myself?

If you have recently stopped work to have a child, and you do not qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay from your employer, you may be entitled to Maternity Allowance. You can make a claim for Maternity Allowance after you have been pregnant for 26 weeks. You will need to provide a maternity certificate called a MAT B1. Your midwife or doctor can give you this certificate. Maternity Allowance is paid for 39 weeks. The earliest it can start is 11 weeks before your baby is born.
If you do not qualify for Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Allowance, and you have paid national insurance contributions, you may be entitled to Incapacity Benefit for six weeks before your baby is born and up to 14 days after the birth.
If you do not work, or have not worked enough or earned enough to be entitled to Maternity Allowance, and you haven’t paid enough national insurance to get Incapacity Benefit, you may be able to claim Income Support. You may be entitled to Income Support from 11 weeks before your baby is born and up to 15 weeks afterwards. If you or your partner is receiving Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit you may qualify for a maternity grant from the Social Fund. You can make a claim from the eleventh week before your baby is due and up to three months after the baby is born. The grant is currently £500 and is to provide clothes and equipment for a baby. It does not have to be repaid. You will need a health professional to sign the form confirming that you have received health and welfare advice.
You will also be entitled to Child Benefit once your child is born. This is not means tested and is paid in addition to any benefits you are receiving. You may also be able to get Child Tax Credit (or more Child Tax Credit if you already get it) for your baby. If you or your partner works at least 16 hours a week, you may be entitled to Working Tax Credit. You will be treated as working during the first 26 weeks of maternity leave if you worked at least 16 hours a week beforehand. Working Tax Credit can include help with childcare costs if you qualify. If your child is disabled you may also be able to claim Disability Living Allowance. You may be entitled to Disability Living Allowance for your own care or mobility needs.

I recently left my job because of bullying. I tried to apply for benefit but was rejected because I left the position voluntarily. What can I do?

If your Jobcentre Plus decides you left your job voluntarily they can delay your Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) for up to 26 weeks - this is known as being sanctioned. You can still get help to pay your rent and council tax. To get this help you need to contact your local council and ask for a housing benefit and council tax benefit application form. If you are under 25, the amount of housing benefit you can receive is restricted by what is called the single room rate - the average rent for a single room in a shared house.
It's possible to appeal against the decision to sanction your JSA by arguing that, as you were being bullied, you felt you could no longer work for the company. Such an appeal is made on a leaflet called GL24 and must be done within 28 days of the decision being made.
You may also be able to make a claim for a hardship payment. This is a reduced rate of JSA but at least it is a few pounds in your pocket. In certain circumstances you may be able to claim Income Support which, if you can't get JSA, acts a passport to other things such as help with health costs.

I stay at my girlfriend’s flat on Friday and Saturday nights. The benefits agency recently visited her and said her money may be stopped because I live there. Could this really happen when I only stay there at weekends?

Unfortunately the benefits system usually requires you to prove yourself innocent in this kind of case. Equally, you can be investigated by both the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and your Local Authority, as benefits can come through both sources.
Having said that, this case does seem different as you only stay at your girlfriend's on weekends. From the information you have provided you are not a couple in the way the Government would define a cohabiting couple. Most crucially you don't live in the same household and you don't support her financially. As you have your own place you will pay council tax and utilities there, and you will appear on the electoral register for your address, not hers.
Since you can prove quite plainly that you are not a cohabiting couple, it would be unlikely that the benefits people could stop or reduce her benefits. She will be able to appeal the decision, but during the period of the appeal, the amount of money she gets may be reduced.

How long is it supposed to take between applying for JSA and having the initial interview? I've been given six weeks to wait, but what do I live on in the mean time?

Six weeks does seem a very long time to have to wait for an interview, especially when some offices have a target of three weeks.
Because Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) is also a passport to other benefits such as Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit you might be missing out on help with your rent and Council Tax. If you're hoping to get either Council Tax Benefit or Housing Benefit you can make a claim now through your local council.
As you're going to have to wait for so long to get your JSA you should have been advised to make a claim for a Crisis Loan or Hardship Payment to cover you until the JSA comes through. Although a Crisis Loan is only a loan, you will get the money to pay it back when the JSA is granted, because your JSA will be backdated to the date of your original application.
To apply for the loan you will need to return to the Job Centre and ask for information about applying for a Crisis Loan. Some areas now allow applications to be made by phone but in others you may have to travel to a main benefits office to make the application.

What’s a P60?

Your employer provides this form, which shows details of your earnings and tax deductions for the current year. The law requires you to keep a record of your taxable income for at least 22 months after the end of the current tax year. Those who are self-employed should keep records for up to six years after the end of the tax year.

For more information click on the document below.