Contributions based JSA - Relevant tax years for NI contributions

[info_maniac]

I need some help and advice regarding the eligibility conditions for contributions based JSA. The more I read about it on various websites and the more I get confused.

 

My question is focussed on the NI contributions conditions and most importantly the relevant tax years which are looked at for these contributions if someone is submitting a claim for Contri based JSA now (July 2010).

 

The Direct Gov website says:

You will need to have been employed within the last 2 relevant tax years (currently April 2007 to April 2009) and have paid, or been credited with, National Insurance (NI) contributions on those earnings

 

There are 2 "Contribution conditions" which are detailed below:

 

To satisfy the First Contribution Condition, the customer must have:

• paid Class 1 contributions on earnings of at least £2100 in either of the last two Relevant Income Tax Years 07/08 or 08/09

 

To satisfy the Second Contribution Condition, the customer must have:

• a combination of paid Class 1 contributions on earnings and / or awarded credits of at least £4200 in both 07/08 and 08/09

• by credits we mean credits that are awarded whilst claiming Jobseekers Allowance, Sickness (ESA) or periods of Approved Training.

 

An exception to these conditions is:

Paid Share Fisherman's or Volunteer Development Workers' Class 2 Contributions in the last two Relevant Income Tax Years.

 

If you don't think that you have made enough NI contributions, or if you're not sure, select the NO / Don't Know option and you will be directed to make an income based JSA claim instead

 

 

No, I am confused that why the last two Relevant Income Tax Years are 07/08 and 08/09.

 

As per my understanding, if I am making a claim in 2010 then the last two relevant tax years should be 08/09 and 09/10.

 

Jobcenter plus have rejected one of my recent contributions based JSA claim by saying that:

 

We cannot pay you because you have not paid, or been credited with, enough class 1 NI contributions.

 

We have used tax ending 5 April 2008 and 5 April 2009 to assess your claim.

 

We may still credit you with Class 1 National Insurance Contributions if you continue to attend the jobcentre.

 

I submitted this claim a couple of weeks back (July 2010).

 

 

There have been other problems (actually goofups) with my claim, like my previous surname mentioned in the paperwork with the jobcentre even though I think I filled in the correct surname in the online JSA application at Direct Gov.

[info_maniac]

I made some mistakes (typos) in the previous post and cannot find out how to edit the original post, so am posting my query again after correcting the typos

 

I need some help and advice regarding the eligibility conditions for contributions based JSA. The more I read about it on various websites and the more I get confused.

 

My question is focussed on the NI contributions conditions and most importantly the relevant tax years which are looked at for these contributions if someone is submitting a claim for Contri based JSA now (July 2010).

 

The Direct Gov website says:

 

You will need to have been employed within the last 2 relevant tax years (currently April 2007 to April 2009) and have paid, or been credited with, National Insurance (NI) contributions on those earnings

 

There are 2 "contribution conditions" which are detailed below:

 

To satisfy the First contribution Condition, the customer must have:

• paid Class 1 contributions on earnings of at least £2100 in either of the last two Relevant Income Tax Years 07/08 or 08/09

 

To satisfy the Second Contribution Condition, the customer must have:

• a combination of paid Class 1 contributions on earnings and / or awarded credits of at least £4200 in both 07/08 and 08/09

• by credits we mean credits that are awarded whilst claiming Jobseekers Allowance, Sickness (ESA) or periods of Approved Training.

 

Now, I am confused that why the last two Relevant Income Tax Years are 07/08 and 08/09.

 

As per my understanding, if I am making a claim in 2010 then the last two relevant tax years should be 08/09 and 09/10.

 

Jobcenter plus have rejected one of my recent contributions based JSA claim by saying that:

 

We cannot pay you because you have not paid, or been credited with, enough class 1 NI contributions.

 

We have used tax years ending 5 April 2008 and 5 April 2009 to assess your claim.

 

We may still credit you with Class 1 National Insurance Contributions if you continue to attend the jobcentre.

 

I submitted this claim a couple of weeks back (July 2010).

 

I plan to write to them and ask that why the last two relevant tax years are 2007/2008 & 2008/2009 and not 2008/2009 & 2009/2010.

[ErikaPNP]

The correct tax years to be used for a contributory claim being made in the year 2010 are 07/08 and 08/09.

 

It is the last two complete tax years prior to the current calendar year which are used.

[antone]

I plan to write to them and ask that why the last two relevant tax years are 2007/2008 & 2008/2009 and not 2008/2009 & 2009/2010.

 

Those are the tax years used because they are the tax years the law says must be used.

 

It works like this: you claim in a benefit year, which runs from January-January. I believe it may be the first Saturday in January to the day before the first Saturday in January the following year, but I won't swear to that - this sort of stuff was way back in my training, and not usually relevant to a maintenance processor like me.

 

Only completed tax years are considered, but of course the tax year runs from April-April. So the tax year 2009/2010 was not completed before benefit year 2010 started, and isn't considered. The last two complete tax years prior to benefit year 2010 are 2008/2009 and 2007/2008.