Income-based jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) is the means-tested component of JSA, the benefit for people who are unemployed (or working less than 16 hours a week) and seeking work (see Chapter 13).

Income-based JSA is being replaced by universal credit. It is not normally possible to make a new claim for income-based JSA. An exception applies if you are a frontier worker (see Box E.1 in Chapter 14). If you are already getting income-based JSA, at some point you will be invited to claim universal credit instead (see Box E.1). See Chapters 14 to 19 for more on universal credit.

Income-based JSA provides for basic living expenses for you (and your partner, if you have one). It is taxable. Income-based JSA can be paid in addition to contribution-based JSA.

Income-based JSA can help passport you to other benefits in the same way as income-related employment and support allowance – see Chapter 20(9).