BTEA, JSA and 20 hours a week over 4 days.

Procrastastudy

Hi guys wondering if you can help,

I'm on BTEA and am worried that if I run out of Job Seeker (non-means tested) over the summer I'll end up on the means tested one with a reduced payment which will mean my BTEA will be reduced next year. Can anyone set me straight on that point alone?

Next I've been offered a job at 20 hours a week. Social say as I'm working 4 days I can't claim anything? (4 x 5 hour shifts). The job wont shift on this so if thats the case I will have to refuse the job as I would be getting less than if I was claiming fully and doing jobs bridge. Have I been correctly informed?

Lastly social are telling me I have 24 weeks left. I was claiming for a good while before I went on to BTEA (9 months) then I claimed last summer - wondering how I've still 24 weeks left after they reduced it to 9 months on the non-means tested. Does it go back up if you're drawing BTEA?

Thanks all.

eastbono

Procrastastudy wrote: »

Hi guys wondering if you can help,

I'm on BTEA and am worried that if I run out of Job Seeker (non-means tested) over the summer I'll end up on the means tested one with a reduced payment which will mean my BTEA will be reduced next year. Can anyone set me straight on that point alone?

Next I've been offered a job at 20 hours a week. Social say as I'm working 4 days I can't claim anything? (4 x 5 hour shifts). The job wont shift on this so if thats the case I will have to refuse the job as I would be getting less than if I was claiming fully and doing jobs bridge. Have I been correctly informed?

Lastly social are telling me I have 24 weeks left. I was claiming for a good while before I went on to BTEA (9 months) then I claimed last summer - wondering how I've still 24 weeks left after they reduced it to 9 months on the non-means tested. Does it go back up if you're drawing BTEA?

Thanks all.

You are on btea you are allowed to work while on btea without it affecting your claim. You have 24 weeks left because when you are on btea your days on the claim are frozen. Therefore if you have 24 weeks left you should still be on jsb after next summer. If the job you are referring to is only for the summer then yes you will not be able to claim any jsb over the summer as you will be working more than 3 days.

Procrastastudy

eastbono wrote: »

You are on btea you are allowed to work while on btea without it affecting your claim. You have 24 weeks left because when you are on btea your days on the claim are frozen. Therefore if you have 24 weeks left you should still be on jsb after next summer. If the job you are referring to is only for the summer then yes you will not be able to claim any jsb over the summer as you will be working more than 3 days.

Thanks for the reply - I was doing some reading and it seems the cut from 9 to 12 months only applies from 3rd April. I suspect they haven't removed the 12 weeks yet. Does that seem likely?

[still a bit confused how I can have 24 weeks as I was on the dole for 9 months prior to BTEA and then for 3 months over last summer - surely that was my year up?]

It says if you're on Job seekers for six months prior to April you will be unaffected by the cut. Does that include the BTEA?

Trying to get detailed info of the social seems to be a nightmare.

eastbono

Procrastastudy wrote: »

Thanks for the reply - I was doing some reading and it seems the cut from 9 to 12 months only applies from 3rd April. I suspect they haven't removed the 12 weeks yet. Does that seem likely?

[still a bit confused how I can have 24 weeks as I was on the dole for 9 months prior to BTEA and then for 3 months over last summer - surely that was my year up?]

It says if you're on Job seekers for six months prior to April you will be unaffected by the cut. Does that include the BTEA?

Trying to get detailed info of the social seems to be a nightmare.

From what you say you have 312 days on jsb. Were you working casually at anytime during the 9months prior to going on btea.... were you working casually during the summer? Are you sure they said 24 weeks and not 24 days that you have left??? Your BTEA will be unaffected by the cut from 12 months to 9 months.

Sue Ellen

If you are more that 6 months on claim by April 3rd you get to continue on the 12 month (312 day) claim. With 24 weeks left you would be over 6 months on claim. If you were claiming 9 full months before going on BTEA you couldn't have 24 weeks left on your claim (unless you were working casually) would contact your office again and confirm the number of remaining days on your claim.

Procrastastudy

eastbono wrote: »

From what you say you have 312 days on jsb. Were you working casually at anytime during the 9months prior to going on btea.... were you working casually during the summer? Are you sure they said 24 weeks and not 24 days that you have left??? Your BTEA will be unaffected by the cut from 12 months to 9 months.

BTEA could be effected next year though if I run out of JSB during the summer - apparently.

Sue Ellen wrote: »

If you are more that 6 months on claim by April 3rd you get to continue on the 12 month (312 day) claim. With 24 weeks left you would be over 6 months on claim. If you were claiming 9 full months before going on BTEA you couldn't have 24 weeks left on your claim (unless you were working casually) would contact your office again and confirm the number of remaining days on your claim.

I'm as confused as you. The woman said 24 weeks this afternoon!

eastbono

If you jsb exhausts during the summer you will have to apply for jsa and be means tested. Jsa does not have a cut off time. You will revert to BTEA in September again.

Sue Ellen

If you have 24 weeks left you can't exhaust during the summer at most there is about 14 weeks between terms. There is something not right. Usually when someone goes on BTEA the claim days on the claim are restarted in order for the claim not to expire the max number of days on a JB claim. Unless the person you were dealing with just gave you the number of days on the claim with out checking out the claim days at which the claim was frozen when you re started the BTEA.

Procrastastudy

eastbono wrote: »

If you jsb exhausts during the summer you will have to apply for jsa and be means tested. Jsa does not have a cut off time. You will revert to BTEA in September again.

But won't it be at the lower rate given the last budget?

Procrastastudy

Sue Ellen wrote: »

If you have 24 weeks left you can't exhaust during the summer at most there is about 14 weeks between terms. There is something not right. Usually when someone goes on BTEA the claim days on the claim are restarted in order for the claim not to expire the max number of days on a JB claim. Unless the person you were dealing with just gave you the number of days on the claim with out checking out the claim days at which the claim was frozen when you re started the BTEA.

I think I'll pop in again and try and figure some of this out.

eastbono

If you are currently in receipt of btea it will not affect your claim. Its only new claimants that the new rates apply to. Of course you will not get the €300 book allowance that is cut for everyone.

Procrastastudy

So if I exhaust JSB, end up on JSA I'll go back to €188 during term?

eastbono

Have a look at rates of payment

http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Back-to-Education-Allowance-Scheme.aspx

Procrastastudy

Many thanks - by implication of them using new and existing in the following paragraphs I'm reassured that I'll be okay as I'm not a new entrant.