Government Benefits For The Unemployed

The government provides a range of benefits and allowances for those who are unable to support themselves financially, whether they are unemployed and looking for work, on a low income, ill, injured or disabled, bringing up a family, caring for someone or retired. The financial and practical support that you receive from the government will depend on your personal circumstances there are various different options. This series of guides provides concise and practical information on key government benefits. In this guide we look at benefits available to those who are unemployed and looking for work.

Jobseekers allowance unemployed people who are of working age and are actively looking for work, or people who work less than 16 hours a week, can claim jobseekers allowance. It will be calculated either on your income or on your national insurance contributions, according to your circumstances, and the amount that you will receive will be a flat weekly rate. 57 is the current rate for single adults, although youll receive less if you have savings of over 6,000. You wont be eligible to receive any jobseekers allowance if youve got more than 16,000 of savings. You can apply by either going to your local job centre or by completing an online application. Once your application has been received, youll have a meeting with an adviser. They will explain the allowance to you and together youll draw up a jobseekers agreement, which will outline how youll go about finding a job and what support youll receive in order to do so. This agreement will be reviewed regularly, and youll need to return to the job centre every two weeks to confirm your claim for jobseekers allowance. Those claiming jobseekers allowance are eligible for free NHS dentistry and prescriptions, and may qualify to receive assistance with housing and council tax.

Job grant if youve been claiming jobseekers allowance, income support or incapacity benefit for at least 26 weeks and youre about to start a full-time job (at least 16 hours per week) that will last five weeks or more, you may be eligible to receive a one-off tax-free payment known as a job grant. You may also qualify if your benefits stop because you have a partner who has recently started working over 24 hours a week. If you and your partner have no children, youll receive 100, or if you have a family youll get 250. The grant is tax-free and isnt classed as income so it wont affect any other benefits. You dont need to apply for it you should automatically receive it after telling your jobcentre plus that youve got a job.
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