Income-based JSA

You can claim income-based JSA if you do not qualify for the contribution-based JSA because:

• you do not satisfy the National Insurance contributions criteria;

• your entitlement to contribution-based JSA has expired because you have been receiving it for the maximum six months; or

• you cannot manage on the amount of contribution-based JSA to which you are entitled.

If you are unemployed and 16 or 17 years old, you may receive income-based JSA in special circumstances (if you have to live away from your parents’ home, have responsibility for a child, or will face extreme hardship if you don’t receive income-based JSA, for example).