Tons of information... thank you. BUT it STILL doesn't actually state anywhere what the actual calculation is for how much NI contributions you have to have paid to be eligible for CB JSA. Thanks to antone I now know this. But why is it not published anywhere? Just out of interest antone, how do you know what the magic formula is?

Thanks for the reply antone. Very helpful. I just don't understand why that information isn't published in any of the pamphlets or web sites that deal with JSA. I guess the assumption is that Joe Public is too thick to be trusted with such complex information!

My wife has just been made redundant and her application for JSA was refused as she has apparently not paid enough NI contributions. I am contemplating appealing the decision so thought I'd better check exactly what NI contributions were required to qualify for JSA. After hours of fruitless searching I've ended up here. I can find nowhere that states the exact level of NI required. All the "official" sites simply say that JSA entitlement is based on your NI contributions... but they won't tell you how much NI you need to have paid. Is this some kind of state secret? Do they think the calculation is too complicated for us mere mortals to understand? Or are they just scared we might uncover too many errors in their arbitrary decision-making process? So does anyone out there know what the formula is for calculating the amount of NI you need to have paid to qualify?