Get your New Style JSA claim ready
Sorted gathers your details and a what-to-have-ready checklist, then links you straight to the official claim.
New Style Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) pays up to £95.55 a week (2026/27) for up to 182 days while you look for work. It comes from your Class 1 National Insurance record as an employee, so it is not means-tested: your savings — and your partner's savings and income — don't affect it at all. The old income-based JSA is closed to new claims; New Style JSA is what's left, and you can claim it with, or instead of, Universal Credit. If you've just lost your job and you've been working, this is usually the first benefit to check.
New Style JSA is the UK's contribution-based unemployment benefit. If you've been paying Class 1 National Insurance through a job and you're now unemployed — or working under 16 hours a week — this is the support those contributions bought while you find your next role.
Three things make it different from most benefits:
It's taxable income, it lasts up to 182 days, and it includes nothing extra for children or housing — Universal Credit covers those. The old income-based JSA is closed to new claims, so "JSA" today means New Style JSA.
Rates rose 3.8% with CPI inflation from 6 April 2026 — the same uprating as ESA, whose standard rates these match:
| Your age | Weekly (up to) |
|---|---|
| Under 25 | £75.65 |
| 25 or over | £95.55 |
Payments arrive every 2 weeks. Over the full 182 days — about 26 weeks — that's a maximum of around £2,484.30 at the 25+ rate, or £1,966.90 under 25. These are the most you can get: part-time earnings and pension income above the thresholds below reduce the figure.
You can usually claim New Style JSA if all of these apply:
GOV.UK's own example: if you apply on or after 4 January 2026, you need NI paid or credited in the tax years 6 April 2024 to 5 April 2025 and 6 April 2023 to 5 April 2024.
You won't be eligible if you're in a trade dispute with your employer, or if an illness or disability stops you working — in that case claim New Style ESA instead. Part-time students can sometimes claim; full-time students only in limited circumstances.
New Style JSA lasts for up to 182 days — about 26 weeks. After that, your work coach will talk to you about your options.
If your days are running out:
Looking for work itself? Our employment hub covers redundancy rights, unfair dismissal, ACAS and tribunals — worth a look if the job ended badly.
You can claim both at the same time. Any New Style JSA you receive is taken into account as income for your Universal Credit — so the cash total is usually the same — but claiming JSA alongside UC is still often worth it, because JSA:
The other way round matters too: JSA pays nothing extra for children or housing costs. If you have kids, rent or a mortgage, check UC as well — it's a household assessment and can cover both.
Jobseeker's Allowance in Northern Ireland is run by the Department for Communities, not the DWP — so the GOV.UK claim below is not your route. To claim New Style JSA there you contact your local Jobs & Benefits office (or Social Security Office); see nidirect — New Style Jobseeker's Allowance. The 182-day limit and the National-Insurance basis work the same way, but the office is different — and the Northern Ireland rates are published on nidirect, so check them there rather than assuming the GB figures on this page.
Free help in Northern Ireland: Advice NI or Citizens Advice.
Have ready: your National Insurance number, bank details, your employment details for the past 6 months (employer contacts and dates), and any private pension statement letter. Can't apply online? The phone line is for you — textphone 0800 023 4888.
Disagree with a decision about your claim? Ask for a mandatory reconsideration — and if a DWP letter confuses you, upload it and we'll explain it in plain English.
Up to £75.65 a week under 25, or £95.55 a week at 25 or over — the same standard rates as ESA, uprated 3.8% from 6 April 2026. Paid fortnightly, for up to 182 days (about 26 weeks) — a maximum of around £2,484.30 in total at the 25+ rate. Part-time earnings and pension income over £50 a week reduce it; savings and a partner's income never do.
Usually yes if you're 18 or over and under State Pension age, unemployed or working under 16 hours a week, and you've worked as an employee and paid Class 1 National Insurance, usually in the last 2 to 3 years — NI credits can count for one of those years. It's not means-tested. Self-employed people who only paid Class 2 NI usually don't qualify (check Universal Credit instead), and if illness stops you working, New Style ESA is the right benefit, not JSA.
No. JSA in Northern Ireland is delivered by the Department for Communities, not the DWP. You claim New Style JSA through your local Jobs & Benefits office (or Social Security Office) — see nidirect. The 182-day limit and the National Insurance basis work the same way, but the office is different, and the Northern Ireland rates are published on nidirect.
Up to 182 days — about 26 weeks. After that your work coach talks you through your options. Universal Credit can run alongside it from day one and continue after it ends, and it adds amounts for children and housing that JSA doesn't include.
Yes — with, or instead of. Your JSA counts as income for UC, so the cash total is usually the same, but JSA is still worth claiming: it isn't means-tested (it survives a partner's income or savings over £16,000), it pays fortnightly, and it keeps your Class 1 NI credits running for your State Pension.
DWP contacts you within 14 days — either an interview invitation at your local Jobcentre Plus or a letter explaining why you're not eligible. Bring photographic ID, proof of address and one further proof of identity (a P45 works) to the interview, where you'll agree a Claimant Commitment — the work-search steps you'll take. JSA can be reduced or stopped if you don't keep to it without good reason; disagree with any decision and you can ask for a mandatory reconsideration.
Sorted's "What am I missing?" cross-checks JSA, Universal Credit, ESA, Council Tax Reduction, help with health costs and more — in plain English.