Benefits and Money

Job Seekers Allowance

If you are 18 years or over, unemployed and not in education or training, you may be able to claim Job Seekers Allowance (JSA).

You are entitled to upto £56.80 if you are aged 16 - 24.

Am I eligible?

To be eligible for JSA you must: be

  • 18 or over but below State Pension age - there are some exceptions if you’re 16 or 17
  • not be in full-time education be in England, Scotland or Wales
  • be able and available for work
  • be actively seeking work
  • work on average less than 16 hours a week
  • go to a JSA interview

 

Also, to get income-based JSA you (and your partner if you have one): must usually work less than 24 hours a week (on average) must have £16,000 or less in savings.

How do I claim?

There are several ways to claim:

  • you may claim online
  • you may also claim by calling 0800 055 6688.

 

JSA interview

There is also an interview that forms part of the process in claiming JSA.  You must attend this interview otherwise your claim will be rejected.  If you apply online, you’ll get a text or phone call within 2 working days to arrange this.

At the interview you have to agree things like:

  • what steps you can take to find work - eg improving your skills
  • how you can improve your chances of getting a job - eg get help on writing a CV, preparing for interviews, looking for work

What you agree to is known as a ‘jobseeker’s agreement’.

If you are unemployed and 16 or 17 years old, you may be able to get income-based JSA for a short amount of time. For example, this could be if you:

  • are forced to live away from your parents
  • will find it very hard to live without Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • are part of a couple responsible for a child


There is more information available from GOV.uk's JSA pages.