NI Contributions for JSA claim

[Ace001]

After 2 months after sending in my claim for JSA based on contribution based, I have just had my claim turned down. They calculated my NI contributions from tax year 03 to 04. All through at this time I was working but they said I didn't pay enough. I'm not self employed and my old agency did my wage and tax etc. I got my P60 for that tax year and I contributed �1300 from �16500 I earned. How come that is not enough? How much do you have to pay?

[THECORBYLOON]

To qualify for JSA Contribution Based they look at the two tax years prior to the year in which you claimed. In your case it would have been 2002/03 and 2003/04. and you have to have earnt enough in BOTH to qualify. For 2002/03, it's �3900 and 2003/04 it's �4004.

There are times when a person's National Insurance and earnings have not been correctly recorded by the Inland Revenue's (IR) National Insurance Records System (NIRS). This is sometimes because Employers have not informed the IR or because of past problems with NIRS. The JSA section will have made their decision based on the information as recorded by the IR.

I work for Jobcentre Plus but not on the section dealing wi JSA. If you think the Decision is wrong, you can ask them to look at it again because it may be that the information is wrong and you should let them see the P60 for the years they looked at.

[Ace001]

Thanks.

I have been looking at my old wage slips and I think my old agency hasn't been paying enough. If this is the case can I do anything about it?

Also the Jobcentre took over 2 months to process my claim because there was a mix up and they only did something about it when I rung to see what was happening with it. If they did it earlier and rejected my claim, could I have tried to claim JSA on income based?

[THECORBYLOON]

Income Based JSA is (as the name suggests) based on yir income but also savings. They would have looked at the IB as well as the CB element. A person may qualify for the standard Contributions Based elelement but because of the  circumtances the higher Income Based may be payable. Yir benefit is payable from the date you asked for the claim form so in spite of the delay, if you qualify for the  Income Based you should still get it from when you claimed originally.

If you contact the JSA section they should be able to tell you the number to contact in your area regarding the possible incorrect deductions.