Hello all,

What is the amount that a 44 year old woman is allowed to earn before it affects Contribution based JSA? ( she is part of a couple so the £10 disregard would apply ).The Act plus Regs refer to age related amounts but I cannot find them anywhere.

Thanks!

Cont based JSA is a personal benefit and she would not be receiving it as one of a couple so only the £5 disregard applies. If she is claiming as a couple then she will be receiving income based JSA so the £10 disregard applies.The short answer is that anything over her disregard will affect her JSA. 'Age related amount' in the Regs refers to the rate of JSA payable, not income.See reg 79 of the JSA Regs which gives the various rates of JSA.Reg 56 deals with 'Prescribed amount of earnings' and gives the calculation (A+D)-£0.01.(page 872 of this year's Sweet and Maxwell)

Thanks Judith for that - I seemed to remember along time ago that if you worked on any day whilst receiving contributory based JSA, you would only lose benefit for that day ( up to a maximum to prevent high earners from taking advantage ) - has that rule gone?

DRH 31st ed, p.105, s.13 - your weekly earnings from employment or self-employment are deducted in full from the amount of benefit due, apart from an earnings disregard (usually £5). Except for this earnings disregard, the assessment of earnings is essentially the same for IS. On days in any week when your earnings exceed your 'prescribed amount' (which is the amount of contributions-based JSA payable for your age plus your earnings disregard minus one pence) you are not entitled to contribution-base JSA and these days do not count towards your 182 days of entitlement.

Typo in my second sentence - should read "...essentially the same as for IS"