Job Seekers Allowance Help

[LHughers92]

I have signed up for JSA & got a letter saying i was accepted on the 4th of march, i sign on every second tuesday (16th feb 2ndMarch etc) so they owe me atleast two full payments, my letter says i am on £50.95 a week yet i logged into my bank account yesterday and had only been paid £166.62. Two clear problems there. Number 1 its less than i should have gotten, secondly where does the 62p come from? if im on £50.95 a week, surely any payment should end in 5 or 0.

 

Can anyone help please?

 

All there phones are down

[privatehudson]

When did your claim start?

[antone]

The payment you have received likely includes a part-week payment. It would seem that you've probably been paid from day 4 of your claim (if waiting days apply, day 1 if they don't) to your first scheduled payday, and then a full two weeks to your next payday.

 

As privatehudson says, to be certain, we'd need to know the date of your claim, specifically the TAM ("Treat as Made") date. This is probably the day you first claimed, but can sometimes be different - for example, if you asked for your claim to be backdated.

 

To know whether or not waiting days apply (in many cases you are not paid for the first three days of your claim) we'd need to know what you were doing before you claimed. Have you transferred from another benefit (or claimed one recently) or have you claimed because you have stopped working?

[LHughers92]

Thanks Antone & privatehudson. Ok, i'll try and be more detailed.

 

I was kicked out of college on the 8th Jan (Attendance!)

 

Turned 18 on 22nd Jan

 

Applied on Phone for JSA 8th Feb

 

Went in for interview and finalise application on 10th feb

 

1st sign on date tues 16th feb

2nd sign on date tues 2nd march

 

I was told both on the phone and in interview that it would be back dated, not told anything about the 1st 3days.

 

On the letter it says claim started 8th feb (is this the TAM?)

 

Entitled to £50.95 a week

 

Never been on any other benefits.

 

Any other info you need?

except credit card

[MONX]

As you have just turned 18 and been in full time education I would guess that this is the first claim you have made to jobseekers allowance, that would mean that you would have to serve "waiting days" which will be the first three days of your claim. You do not get paid for those days, so your payment would be calculated from the fourth day of your claim. the calculation would look like this:

 

8th Feb to 10th = waiting days

 

11th Feb to 16th Feb = £50.95 div by 7 x 6 = £43.67

 

17th Feb to 2nd March = £50.95 x 2 = £101.90

 

So the total for the first payment should be £145.57, there must have been an element of the backdating you asked for paid as well. The best way to find out how they have worked it out is to ring the benefit enquiry line and ask them to explain it to you. I think the number is national 0845 6088556.

 

Hope that helps!

[LHughers92]

i'll try that number, i live in cumbria so got given the carslile one, every service is down, i couldnt even talk to a machine, nevermind a person, so many unemployed!

 

i understand what your saying about the waiting day, but i was given £166.62, i'll phone that number you posted, my next sign ons next tues on so hopefully they can help.

[privatehudson]

I'm surprised someone told you on the phone that the claim would be backdated. You should have been asked what date you wanted to claim from and informed that if you wish to backdate a claim (i.e. claim from any date prior to the 8th Feb) the information will go off to a decision maker who will decide if you had "good cause" to delay making the claim until the 8th Feb. I'm not sure of exactly what they count as good cause but I believe its pretty strict.

 

The adviser who first takes your claim on the phone is not a decision maker and therefore regardless of what they personally think its not within their remit to advise you of the likely outcome of a backdating request. They are there to help gather your details and arrange an appointment at the Jobcentre, not speculate on waiting days or likely award amounts.

[ErikaPNP]

I wonder if the mention of the "backdate" made on the claim line was in reference to payments being backdated to the effective date of claim should the claim be successful, as is usually the case....

[LHughers92]

ErikaPNP come on down!

you are todays winner!

 

on the phone she said it was backdated from the day i claimed untill it had been processed, i wasnt offered anything about it being backdated bfeore the day i made the claim though...

 

i probably wouldnt be eligble anyways because i went to stay at my mates for a couple of weeks after being kicked out of college, before i got back to barrow.... so not to bothered bout that

[privatehudson]

This is more an issue of them using the wrong terminology from the sound of it then. Backdating a claim generally refers to a request to claim from a date prior to the date you first contacted the department. Its not specifically mentioned in the telephony conversations but you will have been asked what date you want to claim from - anything earlier than the 8th in your case and that's a request to backdate the claim. If you had said say the 1st they would then go on to state "As you have chosen to claim from the 1st and you wish to backdate your claim..."

 

What's happened with you is that jobseekers allowance is paid usually fortnightly in arrears, and even if it takes a few weeks to process they will pay you from the date you want to claim from if they agree with that date once the waiting days have been taken into account. That's not backdating in the department's use of the term.

[IdaInFife]

ErikaPNP come on down!

you are todays winner!

 

 

she tends to be everyday winner