Jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) is for people who are unemployed or working less than 16 hours a week and who are looking for work. It is a flat-rate personal allowance, payable for up to six months. To be entitled, you must have paid national insurance contributions over a certain number of years. JSA is taxable.

The DWP sometimes refers to the benefit as ‘new style’ JSA. This is to distinguish it from the two types of JSA that were in place before the introduction of universal credit: contribution-based JSA and income-based JSA.

The benefit cap, which limits the total weekly benefits that can be claimed, applies to JSA (see Chapter 15(10) and Box F.6 in Chapter 21).