Unemployment Benefits Layoff Seasonal
For many people in the UK, particularly those who live in traditional tourist areas, it can be difficult to stay in employment the whole year round. If your employment is seasonal, you may be wondering how you can claim unemployment benefits for the periods during the year when you are not working. There are strict rules about who, when and how much can be claimed by seasonal workers.
To begin with you will need to establish whether your current job will end completely at the end of the tourist season or whether you will be expected to return to the same job at a later date. If your position ceases to exist at the end of the season and your employer cannot guarantee that the position will be available for the following season, then you do not have to declare that you may have another job to go to.
In the UK, unemployment benefits are worked out to cover a period of an average 28 days. For example, if you are working a few hours here and there doing odd jobs, you could still claim Jobseeker's Allowance. This is because the Department for Work and Pensions looks at the average number of hours you work over a 28 day period and as long as it comes to an average of less than 16 hours per week, you can claim that benefit. If John Smith works for 1 hour in week 1, does not work at all in week 2, works 20 hours in week 3, and 0 hours in week 4, he will have worked for 21 hours total over 28 days. This is then divided by 7, giving an average of 3 hours worked per week.
There are extra conditions to receiving Jobseekers Allowance on top of working for less than an average of 16 hours per week. You must be aged between 18 and the pensionable age, and you must be available for and actively seeking work.
If you do not qualify for Jobseeker's Allowance, but you do not have enough money to live on, you may be able to claim Income Support. This is a weekly payment that is means-tested. This means if you have more than a certain amount of savings or property, you may not be able to receive the payments.
If you are pensioner but still working in seasonal employment, you may be able to claim a higher level of pension credits during the period that you are unemployed. Pension credits are payments made to you from the Tax office, based on the amount of income you currently receive. It is designed to make sure that everyone of pensionable age has a minimum income.
If you are married or live with a partner as if you were married, your partner's income may also be taken into account if you apply for certain benefits and tax credits. If you have children, you may be able to claim Child Tax Credits if your joint income is below a certain amount. You should also make sure that you are claiming any other benefits that you are entitled to, such as Child Benefit which is a non-means tested benefit for all children under 16.
To apply for any unemployment benefits, you will need to contact JobCentre Plus. You can telephone between 8am and 6pm Monday to Friday on 0800 055 6688. Alternatively, some benefits can be claimed online. You can find more details on the Direct Gov websitehttp://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Jobseekers/ContactJobcentrePlus/DG_186347
