Who can get contribution-based jobseeker’s allowance
You qualify for contribution-based JSA if:1ss1 and 2 JSA 1995 •you are under pension age; and
•you are available for work. You must be willing and able to take up work immediately (although some people are allowed notice). You must be prepared to work full time. Disabled people and people caring for a child or for a disabled person can restrict themselves to fewer hours; and
•you are actively seeking work; and
•you enter into a jobseeker’s agreement. The DWP calls this a ‘claimant commitment’. This sets out, for instance, the hours you have agreed to work, the type of work you are looking for and any restrictions on travel and pay; and
•if you are doing any work, it is for less than 16 hours a week; and
•you are not in relevant education; and
•you do not have limited capability for work (you can continue to get JSA for limited periods while sick); and
•you are not getting IS; and
•you are present in Great Britain; and
•you have paid sufficient NI contributions (see below).
National insurance contributions
You must have paid at least 26 weeks’ class 1 contributions on earnings at the lower earnings limit in one of the two complete tax years (6 April to 5 April) before the start of the benefit year (which runs from the first Sunday in January) in which you claim. You must also have paid or been credited with class 1 contributions on earnings of 50 times the lower earnings limit in both of these years.
For more information on contribution conditions, see CPAG’s Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook.