Jsa contribution based to income support

[angelalb]

Please can someone help? i am currently on contribution based JSA and therefore only get my NI paid and nothing else, i am 28 weeks pregnant so know i can then move to income support from 29 weeks. I went into benefits office and she gave me a huge claim form for a new income support claim which mentions nothing about pregnant in it and looks like a whole new claim form, does anyone know if this is right? also asks if i married and if i tick yes asks me then about claiming for my husband but i don't need to do this as he works. Really confused and if i do have to fill this in considering not bothering as it's sooo long. Also while here can anyone tell me whether then i start claiming tax credits/family allowance whether i get my NI contributions paid?

 

[Sarachka]

Please can someone help? i am currently on contribution based JSA and therefore only get my NI paid and nothing else, i am 28 weeks pregnant so know i can then move to income support from 29 weeks. I went into benefits office and she gave me a huge claim form for a new income support claim which mentions nothing about pregnant in it and looks like a whole new claim form, does anyone know if this is right? also asks if i married and if i tick yes asks me then about claiming for my husband but i don't need to do this as he works. Really confused and if i do have to fill this in considering not bothering as it's sooo long. Also while here can anyone tell me whether then i start claiming tax credits/family allowance whether i get my NI contributions paid?

Hello. I work at the JobCentre so I can advise you. Unfortunately you won't be entitled to Income Support because you live with a partner who has a wage coming in. I don't know why they bothered giving you the form and not telling you that! I'm really sorry, I think some JobCentre's don't like having awkward conversations with customers and delivering bad news, so they say "fill out the form and see what happens!" and leave you to get a letter in the post. I don't believe in misleading people or wasting their time though.

The good news is that Child Benefit covers your NI contributions for the entire time you claim it, so 16 yrs (18 if they stay in education).

Hope this all helps but sorry it isn't very good news about the IS

 

[shazney22]

You might get Employment and Support Allowance, this happened to me - I was told I'd get Income Support (bunch of idiots), but I had a right battle with them - I hate the staff at the job centre I used to have to go to, you dont need that pressure when your pregnant.

 

[angelalb]

thank you so much for your reply, i thought this would be the case and have since called the job centre again spoke to two different people and got again two different answers! my thought was that i wouldn't be entitled to it and so glad i didn't fill out the forms and dig out payslips and info on any savings so haven't wasted my time.

thanks also for the info on the ni contributions, as it stands i will only miss out on a couple of months not paying it, so am not too bothered about that.

thanks again for your replies just wish the job centre were as helpful xx