The short answer
- New Style JSA pays £95.55 a week if you are 25 or over, or £75.65 if you are under 25, from April 2026.
- It lasts for up to 26 weeks (182 days): up to £2,484.30 in all at the higher rate.
- You qualify through your National Insurance record in the two tax years before the year you claim, not through low income.
- Savings and a partner’s earnings do not affect it. A private pension over £50 a week does.
- You can claim it alongside Universal Credit, which counts it as income.
What New Style JSA is
There used to be two kinds of Jobseeker’s Allowance: contribution-based and income-based. Income-based JSA has been replaced by Universal Credit, and contribution-based JSA is now called New Style JSA. It is a contributory benefit, like the State Pension: you earn the right to it by paying Class 1 National Insurance as an employee.
To get it you must:
- be over 18 (some 16 and 17-year-olds can claim) and under State Pension age;
- not be in full-time education;
- be available for work and actively looking for it;
- work less than 16 hours a week;
- meet the National Insurance conditions below.
Self-employed National Insurance (Class 2 and Class 4) does not count towards it.
How much you get
| Age | A week | Every two weeks | Over 26 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 or over | £95.55 | £191.10 | £2,484.30 |
| Under 25 | £75.65 | £151.30 | £1,966.90 |
It is paid every two weeks into your bank account, in arrears. There are no extra amounts for a partner or children: help for them comes through Universal Credit and Child Benefit. New Style JSA is taxable, but it is paid without tax taken off; it goes on your P45 or into your tax code.
The National Insurance conditions
Two tests, both about the two tax years that count for your claim:
- Paid contributions. In one of the two years, you paid Class 1 National Insurance on earnings of at least 26 times the Lower Earnings Limit. For 2023/24 and 2024/25 the Lower Earnings Limit was £123 a week, so that is £3,198.
- Paid or credited. In both years, you paid or were credited with contributions on earnings of at least 50 times the Lower Earnings Limit: £6,150 for each of those years.
Credits count for the second test only. You get them automatically on Universal Credit, Carer’s Allowance, Statutory Sick Pay, maternity pay and while getting Child Benefit for a child under 12, among others. Check your record on GOV.UK: each year shows as full or with a gap.
Low or irregular pay
National Insurance is only paid on weekly earnings above the Lower Earnings Limit. If your pay was uneven, some weeks may not count. The calculator assumes steady pay; the DWP uses your actual record.
Which tax years count
The years that count depend on the benefit year your claim falls in. A benefit year starts on the first Sunday in January, and uses the last two complete tax years before it.
| Claim made between | Tax years that count |
|---|---|
| 5 January 2025 and 3 January 2026 | 2022/23 and 2023/24 |
| 4 January 2026 and 2 January 2027 | 2023/24 and 2024/25 |
| 3 January 2027 and 1 January 2028 | 2024/25 and 2025/26 |
So someone who stopped working in 2023 may still qualify for a claim in late 2026, while someone who only started work in 2025 will not qualify until 2027 or later. The calculator works out the years from the claim date you enter.
Worked examples
- Pay in 2023/24 and 2024/25£22,000 each year
- Condition 1: £3,198 in one yearMet
- Condition 2: £6,150 in both yearsMet
- Rate at 25 or over£95.55 a week
- Personal rate£95.55
- Pension over £50 a week− £30.00
- Personal rate£95.55
- Earnings over £5 a week− £35.00
What reduces it
- Pensions: any private, workplace or personal pension over £50 a week reduces JSA pound for pound. The State Pension does not apply, as you cannot claim JSA after State Pension age.
- Part-time work: earnings after tax, National Insurance and half of any pension contribution, above £5 a week, reduce JSA pound for pound. Working 16 hours or more stops it entirely.
- Not affected: savings, redundancy pay, a partner’s income, Child Benefit, PIP.
Payments from your last job, such as holiday pay or pay in lieu of notice, can delay the start of your claim. Tell the Jobcentre about them.
New Style JSA and Universal Credit
You can claim both. Universal Credit counts New Style JSA as unearned income, so your UC falls by the full amount, converted to a monthly figure (weekly × 52 ÷ 12). For a single person aged 30 renting at £700 a month with no other income, Universal Credit alone would be about £1,124.90 a month. With New Style JSA of £414.05 a month, UC falls to £710.85: the total is the same.
So why claim JSA at all?
- it is paid whatever your savings, so it helps if savings over £16,000 rule out UC;
- it ignores your partner’s earnings, which might cancel UC;
- it keeps paying if a UC award ends, for example after a partner gets a job;
- you get National Insurance credits either way.
One Claimant Commitment
If you get both, you have one work coach and one set of work-search requirements.
How to claim
- Day 1Claim online on GOV.UK
You need your National Insurance number, bank details and dates of your last job.
- Within a few daysBook your first interview
The Jobcentre contacts you to arrange it.
- InterviewAgree your Claimant Commitment
What you will do each week to look for work.
- After 7 waiting daysPayment starts
Then every two weeks, in arrears.
Claim as soon as you stop working. Backdating is limited and usually needs a good reason.
Your Claimant Commitment and sanctions
While you get JSA you must look for and be available for work, attend appointments and do what your Claimant Commitment says. If you do not, without a good reason, your JSA can be stopped for a fixed period: a sanction. Leaving a job voluntarily or being dismissed for misconduct can also lead to a sanction of 13 weeks or more.
If you disagree with a sanction, ask for a mandatory reconsideration within a month, then appeal to a tribunal. Hardship payments may be available through Universal Credit.
When the 26 weeks end
New Style JSA stops after 182 days. You cannot claim again until you have paid enough National Insurance in later tax years. If you are still looking for work, Universal Credit continues (or you can claim it), depending on your household income and savings. You keep getting National Insurance credits if you continue to look for work and sign on.
The government has proposed replacing New Style JSA and New Style ESA with a single, time-limited unemployment insurance benefit. Until that becomes law, the rules on this page apply.
New Style JSA or ESA?
- For
- People able to work and looking for it
- Rate
- £95.55 (£75.65 under 25)
- How long
- 26 weeks
- Pension rule
- £1 for £1 over £50 a week
- For
- People whose illness or disability limits work
- Rate
- £95.55, or £145.90 in the support group
- How long
- 52 weeks, or no limit in the support group
- Pension rule
- Half of pension over £85 a week
If you are ill, claim New Style ESA instead. You cannot get both for the same days.
If you have been made redundant
Redundancy pay does not reduce New Style JSA or count as savings for it, though it does count as savings for Universal Credit. Holiday pay and pay in lieu of notice from your last job can push back the date JSA starts, because they are treated as earnings for the period they cover.
Claim straight away even if you have notice pay to come: the Jobcentre works out the start date. Check the redundancy pay calculator to see what you are owed, and remember that the first £30,000 of redundancy pay is usually tax-free.
Keeping your National Insurance record healthy
While you get New Style JSA you get National Insurance credits each week, which keep your State Pension record growing and help you qualify for contributory benefits in later years. If JSA ends and you are still looking for work, keep signing on through Universal Credit to keep the credits. Check your record on GOV.UK once a year: gaps can sometimes be filled by voluntary Class 3 contributions.
Key numbers
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Rate at 25 or over | £95.55 a week |
| Rate under 25 | £75.65 a week |
| Longest award | 182 days (26 weeks) |
| Pension ignored | £50 a week |
| Earnings ignored | £5 a week |
| Hours limit | Under 16 a week |
| Lower Earnings Limit 2023/24 and 2024/25 | £123 a week |
| Waiting days | 7 |