Wife Made Redundant - No Help After 6 Months ???

[redgriff500]

My wife was made redundant 8 months ago and was told she was only able to get £65/wk for 6 months.

She is now re training as a teaching assistant and works 2 days a week at a school (for free) and had to pay for her NVQ course (one night a week).

She tells me that she cannot claim anything as its all means tested and we don't have a mortgage and I work.

Is this correct ?

I keep seeing cases of families taking the piss yet she's paid in for over 20yrs and now can't claim anything except tax credit.

[Muzzer]

Do you have savings?

They take that into account.

AIUI, the benefit system is designed as a last resort. i.e you should be unable to live off the salary of your partner or the savings you have.

Unfortunately, in practice, most people abuse it and choose not to work. All their 'savings' go on 42" plasmas, Lambert and Butler and Henleys clothing.

They therefore qualify.

Edited by Muzzer on Friday 8th October 10:13

[Grey Ghost]

redgriff500 said:

My wife was made redundant 8 months ago and was told she was only able to get £65/wk for 6 months.

Near enough. I was out for work for 15 months and because my wife was employed, we had significant savings (not any more ) and no debt apart from our mortgage I was only allowed to claim job seekers allowance. I was told that I could claim for 13 weeks then it would be reviewed and that if I claimed for another 13 weeks after that I would be interviewed again by a "senior" person to see what else could be done.

After the first 13 weeks I was just approved at my 4 minute weekly meeting for another 13 weeks. After 26 weeks I went in for my weekly meeting and was told that I needed another interview. I said fine, where and when and was offered a time the week I was on holiday. "No problem" said the person opposite me, "as you are going away we will stop your claim and you can then start it again using the rapid reclaim phone line when you return and you start the 26 week cycle again"

This process went on until I landed my current role in December last year. The system is loaded against those of us who have saved during our years of employment and is why so many "Chavs" were always walking in for their weekly handout and then going straight into the pub opposite

[redgriff500]

We have an offset mortgage so depending how you look at it we either have £300k savings and a 300k mortgage or no savings and no mortgage.

When you say 'take into account' does that mean they don't give anything until all savings (including endowment / ISA's) have been completely used up ?

[TheJ]

There is a savings threshold that they refer to on the forms which is in the thousands somewhere (can't remember exactly what the figure is, I think it might have changed this year). If you have more than that set aside the value of your claim would be reduced/rejected.

As I understand it, there are two different types of Job Seeker's Allowance (JSA), Contributions based and Income based. To qualify for Contributions based JSA you need to have paid enough NI (no idea what "enough" is) and you can only receive it up to a maximum of 6 months. The Income based JSA is a bit of a mystery to me but it's the means tested one and folk with working partners don't seem to qualify from what I was led to believe. There's presumably an earnings threshold over which this is the case.

Thing is, each Job Centre seems to have their own way of understanding and doing things, hence Grey Ghost's post above about getting Contributions based JSA for a year (if I've read it right - if not, sorry).

[fido]

redgriff500 said:

When you say 'take into account' does that mean they don't give anything until all savings (including endowment / ISA's) have been completely used up ?

Yep, used up to your last £16k of savings.

i only know this because i listen to LBC money hour.

[Grey Ghost]

TheJ said:

Thing is, each Job Centre seems to have their own way of understanding and doing things, hence Grey Ghost's post above about getting Contributions based JSA for a year (if I've read it right - if not, sorry).

Spot on. Because I never had a period of 26 successive weeks of claiming they just kept me on a contribution based claim. All seemed a bit strange to be honest based on the information available on the Government web sites etc but you are not the first to suggest each Job Centre has their own way of approaching a claim.

[Engineer1]

You work she doesn't she will get nothing unless the job centre help you out by pulling a dodge. You are now in the position of living off your wage and savings.

[redgriff500]

Not what I wanted to hear but thanks for the replies.

So she's worked non stop for over 20 yrs and all she gets back is £65 for 6 months !

Can I set up a scheme like that as it seems a tad biased.

[Muzzer]

redgriff500 said:

Not what I wanted to hear but thanks for the replies.

So she's worked non stop for over 20 yrs and all she gets back is £65 for 6 months !

Can I set up a scheme like that as it seems a tad biased.

To be fair, it's supposed to be a crutch, not an entitlement.

Plenty of people don't see it that way, but that's another debate.

Look at it this way.

What do you think your wife should get?

One could even argue if the state should give you anything being as you're employed and you have comfortable savings on which to live on a temporary (which is what it should be) basis whilst she job hunts.

The system is unfortunately designed to help those with nothing continue to have nothing and keep getting paid for it.

Those such as your wife who are genuinely out of work get diddly squat.

FWIW, I'm in exactly the same boat. My OH was made redundant last week.
I earn decent money, we have savings = she gets squat from the state and unless we survive on my earnings we eat into our savings until we have nothing. Then, she qualifies for the pittance JSA.

[condor]

redgriff500 said:

Not what I wanted to hear but thanks for the replies.

So she's worked non stop for over 20 yrs and all she gets back is £65 for 6 months !

Can I set up a scheme like that as it seems a tad biased.

I was made redundant last December, and I only got the 6 months contributions based JSA because I have savings, which I'm having to use.
There is a way to get extra money from the government which isn't means tested - you have to become self employed and then you'll get £50 a week for 16 weeks. I'm on a New Deal 50 plus training package to become self employed and get a test trading training allowance of £15.38 a week. This lasts for 12 weeks and then I'll get the self employment £50/week credit.
It's not much, but it's better than nothing.

[ShadownINja]

That Ferrari you've always wanted. Get it bought with your and her savings. Job done.

"Any savings?" "Nope."

[redgriff500]

Muzzer said:

What do you think your wife should get?

The same as those who have squandered all their money away - we shouldn't be discriminated against because we were sensible.

[redgriff500]

condor said:

I was made redundant last December, and I only got the 6 months contributions based JSA because I have savings, which I'm having to use.
There is a way to get extra money from the government which isn't means tested - you have to become self employed and then you'll get £50 a week for 16 weeks. I'm on a New Deal 50 plus training package to become self employed and get a test trading training allowance of £15.38 a week. This lasts for 12 weeks and then I'll get the self employment £50/week credit.
It's not much, but it's better than nothing.

Cheers that's better than nothing.

[Cogcog]

redgriff500 said:

Muzzer said:

What do you think your wife should get?

The same as those who have squandered all their money away - we shouldn't be discriminated against because we were sensible.

Would be nice if everyone was entitled to say 2 years of benfits at an agreed rate at some point in their working lives and once that was used up, it was used up. Might sharpen a few dull minds.