Getting started Authors Editor Acknowledgements Who is it for? What is it? What does it include? Getting started using the downloads Some notes on style How information is sourced Devolved administrations Glossary Introduction to welfare benefits and tax credits Outline of the benefits system Benefits at a glance Benefits and beneficiaries Universal Credit Making benefit claims Delays in benefit claims Payment of benefit claims Unemployed and claiming Jobseeker s Allowance What is Jobseeker s Allowance? Customer journey chart for Jobseeker s Allowance Your Jobseeker s Allowance claim: overview Your Jobseeker s Allowance claim new jobseeker interview Jobseeker s Agreement Jobseeker s Allowance claim signing on Work experience Early access to the Work Programme from three months Mandatory Work Activity New Enterprise Allowance Sector based work academies Work Programme: aged 18-24 years Work Programme: aged 25 plus Are you the right age for Jobseeker s Allowance Those aged 16 and 17 and Jobseeker s Allowance Are you capable of work? 1
Are you available for work? The 40-hour rule Monitoring your availability Restricted availability People with children and availability to work Some special groups and availability to work People with caring responsibilities and availability to work Volunteering, work experience and Jobseeker s Allowance People with disabilities and health problems and availability for work Religious beliefs or conscientious objections Laid-off and short-time workers, and Jobseeker s Allowance Short periods of sickness when claiming Jobseeker s Allowance Deaths, funerals, domestic emergencies, and holidays when claiming Jobseeker s Allowance Are you actively seeking work? How many steps do you have to take to seek work actively? How to show you are actively seeking work Permitted period Actively seeking work and travelling time Actively seeking work and special needs Actively seeking work and homelessness Deliberately avoiding employment on Jobseeker s Allowance Suspensions Are you resident in Great Britain? People from abroad Full-time education Part-time education Contribution-based Jobseeker s Allowance The jargon explained Duration of contribution-based Jobseeker s Allowance Breaks in claim Re-qualifying for contribution-based Jobseeker s Allowance Income-based Jobseeker s Allowance Rules for income-based Jobseeker s Allowance How is Income-Based Jobseeker s Allowance calculated? National Insurance credits Joint claims for Jobseeker s Allowance 2
Three common problems with Jobseeker s Allowance claims Leaving a job Suspension of Jobseeker s Allowance, and other sanctions Refusing employment The definition of refusing employment Notification of vacancies and benefit sanctions Types of vacancies and sanctions Refusing a reasonable opportunity of work and sanctions Jobseeker s Direction How and when can a Jobseeker s Direction be issued? Good cause for not carrying out a direction Overview of the changes to lone parent benefits Lone parents who have other grounds for claiming Income Support How are Housing Benefit and Child Tax Credit affected when you move to Jobseeker s Allowance? Flexibilities for lone parents on Jobseeker s Allowance In-work support for lone parents Benefits for people with a disability or ill health and their carers Incapacity Benefit, Income Support and Severe Disablement Allowance Statutory Sick Pay Who is entitled to Statutory Sick Pay? Employment and Support Allowance Claiming Employment and Support Allowance Claiming Employment and Support Allowance: assessment phase Work Capability Assessment Limited Capability for Work Related Activity Employment and Support Allowance: support group If you are found fit for work Employment and Support Allowance: work-related activity group Employment and Support Allowance, and National Insurance contributions Working while on Employment and Support Allowance Going into work or training while on Employment and Support Allowance Studying while receiving Employment and Support Allowance Switching from Jobseeker s Allowance to Employment and Support Allowance during illness Employment and Support Allowance amounts Disability Living Allowance 3
Who is entitled to Disability Living Allowance? Three rates of the care component of Disability Living Allowance Two rates of mobility component Children on Disability Living Allowance Hospitals and care homes, and Disability Living Allowance How to claim Disability Living Allowance Further points about Disability Living Allowance Attendance Allowance Carer s Allowance Who is entitled to Carer s Allowance? How to claim Carer s Allowance Further points about Carer s Allowance Benefits for a work-related accident or disease Who is entitled to benefits for a work-related accident or disease? How to claim benefits for a work-related accident or disease Further points about benefits for a work-related accident or disease Return to Work Credit Jobcentre Plus services to help disabled people into work Disability Employment Advisers Work Choice Who is eligible for Work Choice? How long does Work Choice last? Stages of Work Choice Referral or introduction to Work Choice Module one of Work Choice: work-entry support Module two of Work Choice: in-work support Module three of Work Choice: longer-term in-work support Returning to Work Choice Conditions of participation in Work Choice Residential Training The Work Programme Access to Work Who is eligible for Access to Work? Access to Work: programme elements How to apply for Access to Work Access to Work grants Supported employment provision 4
Benefits for people in specific circumstances Income Support Who is entitled to Income Support? People who may have problems claiming Income Support How is Income Support calculated? Attending Work Focused Interviews during your Income Support claim Benefits for maternity, adoption and paternity Statutory maternity pay Maternity Allowance Further points on maternity, adoption or paternity benefits Child Benefit Child Benefit terminal dates Who receives Child Benefit? How to claim Child Benefit How is Child Benefit calculated? Child Tax Credit Who is entitled to Child Tax Credit? How is Child Tax Credit calculated? Help with rent: Housing Benefit How is Housing Benefit calculated? Who can you claim Housing Benefit for? Working and receiving Housing Benefit Where and how can you claim Housing Benefit? Help with local tax: Council Tax Benefit Who is entitled to Council Tax Benefit? Council Tax Benefit restrictions How is Council Tax Benefit calculated? Help with Council Tax costs Not enough Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit? Help with mortgages and homeowner housing costs Social Fund Regulated Social Fund Discretionary Social Fund Bereavement benefits Who is entitled to bereavement benefits? How to claim bereavement benefits Further points about bereavement benefits 5
Decisions and appeals about benefits and tax credits Decision makers Appeals Revisions Supersessions Appeals to the Upper Tier Tribunal Complaints The Work Programme What is the Work Programme? Referral by Jobcentre Plus Meeting your provider Work Programme activity begins End of your allotted time Who is eligible for the Work Programme? Jobseeker s Allowance customers and the Work Programme Employment and Support Allowance customers and the Work Programme Incapacity Benefit and Income Support customers and the Work Programme How will the Work Programme work for customers? Benefit entitlements and sanctions Skills conditionality Customer feedback and complaints handling Provision of information Quality Further information on the Work Programme People in work: making work pay Tax credits Working Tax Credit Who can get Working Tax Credit? Qualifying for Income Support, Employment and Support Allowance or Jobseeker s Allowance along with Working Tax Credit Qualifying for Working Tax Credit run-on How is Working Tax Credit calculated? Disadvantage test for people who want to claim the disability element What happens if your circumstances change while claiming tax credits? How do tax credits affect other benefits? Tax credit overpayments In-work Credit, Return to Work Credit 6
Payments for starting work Benefit run-ons Mortgage interest run-on Housing Benefit extended payment Extended Council Tax Benefit Appendix 1 Test for whether you have Limited Capability for Work Test for whether you have Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity Appendix 2 Weekly benefit rates 2011/12 Appendix 3: Equalisation of State Pension Age 7