Editing Jobseeker's Allowance (section)

==Eligibility==
Applicants qualified by conforming to all of the following requirements:
# being 18 or over but below State Pension age. There were some exceptions for 16 and 17 year olds.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |url=https://www.gov.uk/jobseekers-allowance/eligibility/ |title=Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) |publisher=GOV.UK |date=25 September 2015 |access-date=3 November 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106031128/https://www.gov.uk/jobseekers-allowance/eligibility |archive-date=6 November 2015 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
# Not being in full-time education.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>
# Living in England, Scotland or Wales.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>
# Being available for work.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>
# Actively seeking work.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>
# Working on average less than 16 hours per week.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>
# Attending a JSA interview after application.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>

===Contribution-based===
New-style (contribution-based) Jobseeker's Allowance (''JSA(C)'') entitlement is based on Class 1 [[National Insurance]] contributions in the two complete tax years preceding the benefit year of claim. This allowance is paid regardless of assets;<ref name=JSA-leaflet>{{citation|url=http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/stellent/groups/jcp/documents/websitecontent/dev_011741.pdf|title=Jobseeker's Allowance|date=June 2006|publisher=[[Department for Work and Pensions]]|id=Leaflet QCJSAA5JP|isbn=978-1-84695-235-7|access-date=23 April 2010|url-status=bot: unknown|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20080107224141/http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/stellent/groups/jcp/documents/websitecontent/dev_011741.pdf|archive-date=7 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref> however, any personal or occupational pension over £50 a week would result in deductions. There were also other caveats (related to job-seeking activity) which excluded payment.

Many older citizens seeking work could not receive payments, despite qualifying through NI contributions, because they had pension income. Self-employed people do not pay Class 1 contributions, and may not have been able to claim JSA(C) until their case had been decided. However, they were both still eligible for NI credits (see below).

JSA(C) may be claimed for only 26 weeks in any benefit year. In order to make a claim, a customer must have actually paid NI contributions for the same number of weeks in one of the last two [[tax year]]s (the remaining 18 months could be either paid, or credited contributions). When entitlement to JSA(C) is exhausted, [[Universal Credit]] may then have become payable if eligible (see below).

Certain other benefits including [[Statutory sick pay|Statutory Sick Pay]], [[Statutory Paternity Pay]], [[Statutory Maternity Pay]], [[statutory adoption pay]], [[Employment and Support Allowance]], [[bereavement benefit]], [[Carer's Allowance]] and JSA(C) itself also counted towards Class 1 contributions and were called "Credited Class 1 contributions". 

If there was no entitlement to Universal Credit, a person could re-qualify for JSA(C) in a subsequent benefit year based on contributions paid in the relevant contribution years, providing that there had been a break of at least twelve weeks. They had to wait until the beginning of a new benefit year before they could claim again.

===Income-based===
People who were eligible for JSA(C) could also claim JSA(IB) for any additional payments due under that benefit (for family dependents, for example). JSA(IB) was payable only if the claimant had less than £16,000 in [[Capital rule|capital]] (correct as of May 2022). Payments are reduced if the claimant has savings between £6,000 and £16,000.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>

Both forms of benefit faced 100% marginal deductions if the individual earned more than a small amount – the 'disregard' – which was £5 per week for single people, £10 per week for couples and £20 per week for certain other groups such as some lone parents and disabled people. The 'disregard' remained at the same nominal amount since the 1980s and was never uprated with inflation, unlike benefits themselves. The benefit was withdrawn from those working 16 or more hours a week (though this did not apply to voluntary work).<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/dwp1023.pdf|title=Volunteering while getting benefits|publisher=Department for Work and Pensions|date=February 2010|isbn=978-1-84763-054-4|id=DWP1023 v2.1|access-date=4 May 2010|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101014072318/http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/dwp1023.pdf|archive-date=14 October 2010|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Part-time students could claim provided they did not have more than 16 hours a week in teacher contact time and the course was not officially designated as full-time by the college (irrespective of the number of hours of contact time).