If I take voluntary redundancy when can I claim benefit?
Discussion
This isn't happening yet but there is a chance I can leave my current job and take a decent wedge as voluntary redundancy.
If I'm right, I can't have anything more that £16,000 in the bank, yes?
I've never claimed a thing from this country but I'm in 62, getting back from a stroke and this is a chance for me to take some cash from my employer. I won't be claiming for disability benefits, I'm wondering about out of work benefit.
Anyone help?
Thanks
RizzoTheRat said:
Dunno about other benefits, but so long as you've been paying NI for last 2 (I think) years you can claim jobseekers straight away, with no means testing involved. It's worth doing as it means you NI stamp gets then paid so you don't end up with a gap when it comes to pensions.
Ooh, that's interesting. I must try and find out how much they pay you weekly/month (as you can see, this is all new to me).Thanks for your answer.
It will also depend if you are paid in lieu of your notice period. If you are, you won't be eligible until after your notice would have expired.
The only time I have ever been into a job centre was to be told I am not eligible for anything for three months as my employer paid me my notice period when I was made redundant.
The only time I have ever been into a job centre was to be told I am not eligible for anything for three months as my employer paid me my notice period when I was made redundant.
Ali Chappussy said:
Ooh, that's interesting. I must try and find out how much they pay you weekly/month (as you can see, this is all new to me).
Thanks for your answer.
It's about £70/week, not a huge amount it paid for the greenhouse I put up while I was off work Thanks for your answer.
It was a 6 or 7 years ago so I don't know if anything's changed but I was able claim it from the day after I left and I'm pretty sure I had payment in lieu of notice.
As mentioned though you do need to be actively looking for work and have to go in once a week and show you've been making an effort. The staff seem to be very low expectations of job seekers though as they were impressed when I said I'd looked at a few job websites every week. They ran a jobsearch on their system every week and unsurprisingly came up with no suitable jobs at all.
My only annoyance with them was that they'll only let you miss an appointment or change the day of it for a job interview, the fact that there was a massive trade show in London and the day I had my jobseekers appointment would have been the best day to go in terms of what companies were there that day didn't sway them at all, although I've since got to know a guy who works at a job centre and he said that's very much at the discretion of your case worker and I had an idiot.
ETA: As part of the redundancy deal you should be offered some time with some kind of agency that specialisers in such things, make good use of it! I got some really useful tips on CV writing, setting up my own business, and advised about JSA.
Edited by RizzoTheRat on Thursday 26th April 15:31
I've taken voluntary redundancy twice, been made redundant with no choice once. Each time I've signed on straight away, claiming contributions-based job seekers allowance. I have never been asked "did you volunteer?" or "how much have you got in the bank?". Contributions-based JSA isn't means tested, but it only lasts for 6 months. After that you go onto means tested JSA, and savings are then taken into account.
Each time I volunteered for redundancy, the confirmation letter that I received from my employer made no mention of the fact that I had volunteered, just stated that I would be made redundant from a particular date and how much the settlement would be. I showed them the letter each time I started a claim, had no problems at all.
There are a few hoops to jump through, such as attending the job centre, proving that you are actively seeking employment, attending the odd course designed to get you back to work. No use at all in actually finding employment, as the job centre seems to be geared up for "helping" low-skilled workers and the work-shy. I did attend a couple of useful courses aimed at going self-employed though.
I saw is as a way of having a (very) low-paid few months off work, and signed off each time before the six months was up.
It may work differently at the OP's age. My dad was asked to leave his last job in his early sixties, following a disagreement with management over safe working practices (then working as a maintenance man in a food production factory). When he went to sign on, they told him not to bother looking for work, and paid him benefits equalling his state pension entitlement. This was 20 years ago, might be different now?
Each time I volunteered for redundancy, the confirmation letter that I received from my employer made no mention of the fact that I had volunteered, just stated that I would be made redundant from a particular date and how much the settlement would be. I showed them the letter each time I started a claim, had no problems at all.
There are a few hoops to jump through, such as attending the job centre, proving that you are actively seeking employment, attending the odd course designed to get you back to work. No use at all in actually finding employment, as the job centre seems to be geared up for "helping" low-skilled workers and the work-shy. I did attend a couple of useful courses aimed at going self-employed though.
I saw is as a way of having a (very) low-paid few months off work, and signed off each time before the six months was up.
It may work differently at the OP's age. My dad was asked to leave his last job in his early sixties, following a disagreement with management over safe working practices (then working as a maintenance man in a food production factory). When he went to sign on, they told him not to bother looking for work, and paid him benefits equalling his state pension entitlement. This was 20 years ago, might be different now?
Thankyou4calling said:
Job seekers allowance is £73.10 a week.
Provided you have made NI contributions for two years you'll receive it.
Savings make no difference but you have to evidence you are actively seeking employment.
My problem would be showing evidence for jobs by employers who want a 62 year old with a speech problem, I'm guessing the boards must be loads of them?Provided you have made NI contributions for two years you'll receive it.
Savings make no difference but you have to evidence you are actively seeking employment.
Might be a bit tougher now, but 8 years ago I was given a booklet to fill in each week. I think I just had to note down where I'd been looking (local paper, job centre, on line, recruitment agencies, corner shop windows, etc.) and show it to them each time I went in. It was 4 months before a job that I was interested came up, and this was the only one I actually applied for. Started the new job just before the six months was up.
I got the impression that they weren't really interested in me and my claim, because I was wasn't costing them that much, and would off their books in six months (too much in savings to get means tested benefits. I had about £120k in the bank at the time).
I got the impression that they weren't really interested in me and my claim, because I was wasn't costing them that much, and would off their books in six months (too much in savings to get means tested benefits. I had about £120k in the bank at the time).
Ali Chappussy said:
My problem would be showing evidence for jobs by employers who want a 62 year old with a speech problem, I'm guessing the boards must be loads of them?
You simply fill in a book to show where you’ve looked. Firms youve rung, newspapers, websites, contacts.You just need to show you are looking.
Sending your CV etc.
Ali Chappussy said:
My problem would be showing evidence for jobs by employers who want a 62 year old with a speech problem, I'm guessing the boards must be loads of them?
Tell them a starting salary you are looking for that is top end, they thought i was a dreamer saying £35k. Means you don't have to consider mickey mouse jobs they may offer you. They may force you to reduce expectations over time.If you do all your searches on www.jobserve.com then a list of jobs you apply for handwritten, is enough, most job agents won't even respond to you these days. But Jobserve will give you email reciepts, which are a form of evidence if needed.
When i was claiming JSA the parking fees for attending seemed to eat up most of the money, and if you go on holiday for 2 weeks they may stop your claim. This was my experience from 9 years ago mind.
v8ksn said:
It will go something like this:
Hi, I would like to claim benefits please.
Did you get fired from your last job, quit or take redundancy?
Redundancy
Did you get a payout?
Yes.
Come back to us when you have run out of money from your redundancy payout and we will see what we can do.
No no no, thats incorrectHi, I would like to claim benefits please.
Did you get fired from your last job, quit or take redundancy?
Redundancy
Did you get a payout?
Yes.
Come back to us when you have run out of money from your redundancy payout and we will see what we can do.
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