Jobseeker's Allowance

You may be able to get Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) if you’re:

• Unemployed or working part-time and
• Available and willing to take up work, normally full-time work

Basic qualifying conditions

Normally, to qualify for JSA you must:

• Be available for work
• Be actively seeking work
• Be capable of work
• Enter into a Jobseeker's Agreement with us
• Be under state pension age
• Be living in the Isle of Man
• Not be in full-time education (this means guided learning of 16 hours or more a week)
• Meet either the contribution-based JSA qualifying conditions or the income-based JSA qualifying conditions, or both conditions

How and when to claim

Complete a JSA1 claim form, which you can get from a Social Security office.

Claim on the first day you’re unemployed. If you don’t you may lose benefit you would otherwise have been entitled to.

Contribution-based jobseeker’s allowance

To qualify for contribution-based JSA (JSA(Cont)) you must have paid enough National Insurance contributions as either an employee or a share-fisherman in the previous two tax years before you claim.

Self-employed contributions don't count towards JSA(Cont).

A tax year begins on 6 April and ends on 5 April in the following year.

The amount of JSA(Cont) you get:

• Is only for you – it doesn’t include money for anyone else
  
  
• Depends on your age (there is a lower rate for under 25s and a higher rate for people aged 25 or over)
  
  
• May be reduced if, for example, you get an occupational or personal pension, or if you have earnings from part-time work
  
  
• Isn’t affected by your savings or by any other money you or your partner have coming in

Income-based jobseeker’s allowance

To qualify for income-based JSA (JSA(IB)) you and your partner (if you have one) must have less money coming in than the law says you need to live on.

By 'partner' we mean your husband, wife, someone you live with as if you’re married, your civil partner or someone you live with as if you’re in a civil partnership.

Normally you must satisfy the 'Isle of Man residential condition'. However, in exceptional circumstances you may still get JSA(IB) even if you don’t satisfy the Isle of Man residential condition. More information is provided below.

Your JSA(IB) is made up of:

• A personal allowance for you, or a personal allowance for you and your partner (if you have one). This goes towards normal day to day living expenses, such as food and heating your home
  
  
• A personal allowance for each dependent child or young person who lives with you
  
  
• Premiums: these extra amounts are only allowable in certain circumstances, for example if your partner cares for a severely disabled person (who may be a relative) or is of state pension age
  
  
• Housing costs: these go towards any rent, rates, service charges or mortgage interest, etc. you have to pay for where you live

The amount of JSA(IB) you get may be reduced if

• You or your partner has other money coming in, such as earnings from part-time work, other social security benefits (including JSA(Cont)), maintenance and occupational and personal pensions, or
  
  
• You or any member of your family individually has savings worth over £15,000, or you and your partner together have savings worth over £15,000.

Work-focused conversations

If you are claiming JSA(IB) you or your partner (if you have one) may be required to take part in work-focused conversations as a condition of you continuing to get the full amount of your benefit.

Young people

Normally, if you’re aged 16 or 17, you’re not entitled to JSA(IB). But if you’re in a vulnerable group - for example you’re a lone parent, you have a disability or you have to live away from your parents - and you would be at risk of suffering severe hardship if you didn’t get financial support, you may be able to get JSA. You cannot get JSA if you’re under 16 in any circumstances.

Isle of Man residential condition

You will satisfy the Isle of Man residential condition if you:

• Were born in the Isle of Man (IoM)
  
  
• Have been ordinarily resident in the IoM for a continuous period of at least 5 years at any time
  
  
• Have been ordinarily resident in the IoM for 3 or more periods which, when added together, amount to at least 10 years

Or you are:

• The husband, wife or civil partner of a person who satisfies any of the conditions listed above
  
  
• The widow, widower or surviving civil partner of a person who satisfied any of the conditions listed above
  
  
• The former husband, wife or civil partner of a person who satisfies any of the conditions listed above
  
  
• The child of a person who satisfies any of the conditions listed above and that person was (or their spouse or civil partner was) serving in HM Forces when you were born

If you don’t satisfy the Isle of Man residential condition but you do meet the other qualifying conditions for JSA(IB), then you may still be entitled to JSA(IB) if you can show that it would be exceptionally harsh or oppressive to deny you JSA(IB). Please complete and send in the Form A17 ‘Isle of Man Residential Qualification’ if you think this applies to you.

Payments

Payments will usually be made into your bank account or online account.

Normally we pay JSA every 2 weeks, but you can choose to be paid weekly.

JSA(Cont) can only be paid for a maximum period of 26 weeks at a time.

There is no limit to the period for which JSA(IB) can be paid, provided you continue to meet the qualifying conditions.

Please see the Benefits Rates leaflet for further details.