3. People included in the award
If you are single, you get income-based jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) for yourself.
If you are a ‘joint-claim couple’ (see
here), you and your partner must usually both qualify for joint-claim JSA. If you are not a joint-claim couple, one of you can get income-based JSA for both of you.
Income-based JSA does not normally include amounts for your children. However, there are some situations in which you must show that you are responsible for a child who is living in your household – eg:
•to take advantage of the special rules to help you meet the jobseeking conditions (see
here);
•to show you are a lone parent so you can benefit from a higher earnings disregard (see
here);
•for some of the rules for help with housing costs (see Chapter
18).
You do not have to be the child’s parent. See
here for who counts as a child. For when you count as responsible for a child and when the child counts as living in your household, see
here.