How to claim



You should claim JSA on the first day that you are out of work. You cannot get benefit for any day before you claim other than in exceptional circumstances, for example, if you have been given wrong advice. However, you cannot simply argue that you didn’t know about the benefit. 



JSA is not paid for the first seven days that you are out of work. These “waiting days” start from the day you first make your claim. 


There are different ways of claiming different types of JSA. 


• online-contributions-based or income-based JSA;


• over the phone — new style JSA.


Online claims can be made online at: www.gov.uk/jobseekers-allowance/how-to-claim 


You can make a “rapid reclaim” if you’ve had JSA in the last 182 days (approximately six months).



Unemployed couples who are both over the age of 18 but under the state retirement age, and without dependent children, have to make a joint claim for income-based JSA. The application process is the same as that described above, but each partner will be required to sign the claim form, have a jobseeker’s interview, sign a jobseeker’s agreement, attend the Jobcentre regularly and will have access to training and employment programmes.



Partners have to decide which of them will receive the JSA. And if one of the partners breaks JSA rules, the other will receive a JSA payment at the single rate only.



You can ask for any decision about your JSA to be reviewed at any time, and you can appeal the decision about your JSA if you’re unhappy with it. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) appeal form can be accessed from the website at: www.gov.uk/social-security-child-support-tribunal (see also page 10-11 on DWP appeals).