Any difference between job seekers allowance and income support?

Question

Is there any difference in the forms completed between job seekers allowance and income support ? Also any advantages between either ?

Have been told its exactly same money and if I go for income support I won't have to sign on every two weeks ?

Thank in advance for any replies?

Answer 1

Job Seekers Allowance and Income Support are virtually the same benefits. They have two seperate claims forms (although you usually claim over the phone nowadays), but the information goes to two different sections of the DWP and the forms are different. It is the exact same amount of money and most of the rules are the very same

The difference is you claim JSA if you are 'capable of, avaiable for and actively seeking employment' you claim Income Support if you can not honour the above eg you are a carer, a single parent, are sick or disabled (you must be in one of these groups to claim IS)

The advantage of IS is that you do not have to 'sign on' at the local jobcentre every two weeks, with JSA you must 'actively seek' employment, this means approaching companies and seeking out work (not just looking at vacancies which would be passively seeking), some Jobcentres are very tough on this. You may have seen the Government's Welfare Reform Green paper in the news recently; the government are going to bring in manadtory public and community service for repeat claims and those claiming JSA over two years.

In addition to the reforms the Government often orders jobcentres to go into periods of "Stricter Benefit regiemes (SBR)" where they are tough on signers and demand proof that you are actively seeking, failure to do so can result in loss of benefit. We are about to go into a period of SBR again

Your age is also an important factor as after 6 months on JSA you could be placed on New Deal or, depending where you live, sent to a mandatory governmet training scheme.

IS does not have these labour market criteria attached (this is the only real difference between JSA/IS), you may have to attend periodic meetings with apersonal adviser, but you are not obligied to do anything else

You can still look for work when on IS and continue to use the jobcentre for vacancies etc, but without the hassle

Given the choice I would claim IS