Hubby claiming JSA for both of us?

J

jtk

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My husband & I had worked for a company for 18mths & 12mths respectively, but last aug the company went bust & we've only been given approx. €3,000 statutory redundancy.

Our joint income (€30pw from a previous employer), savings, mortgage etc was means tested after which we were granted JSA, now my husband goes along each month to sign & collects his money each wk at the PO.

He's had two interviews at the SWO to help with job seeking, CV's etc, & when he asked he was told that he's also claiming for me.... But at no time has anyone from SWO wanted to speak to me, interview me or help me with my jobseeking yet I'm the one who is most qualified & likely to get work... Hubby's been 'encouraged' to do as many training courses as he wants, yet when he asked if I could do one he was told that only he was eligible...

Is all this normal? Hubby's 60yo & having a serious problem coming to terms with diabetes & being out of work for the 1st time ever, I'm only 51, I want to work... & would love some help from them to get a job...

Sorry for the long post,
JTK's wife
 
Qualified adult dependants (for that is what you are) are not required to be seeking work, only the main claimant (your husband) has to be actively seeking work. You could sit at home all day watching Jeremy Kyle on TV and SW would take no interest in you.

You are not eligible for courses as you are not the one claiming JSA.

You really need to go into SW and switch roles. You should be the one claiming and your husband should be the dependant.
 
If you have been working in the past and have a PRSI contribution record, then you should be signing on to keep your record up to date for the future (a person signing on gets a PRSI credit).

As Time said, you could switch roles, so that your husband signs off and you sign on (but then he gets no PRSI credits which count towards his pension).

Alternatively, if you are both looking for work, then you could both sign on. The total amount paid to both of you would be the same as now, but then you'd both get PRSI credits and both be eligible for courses, etc.
 
Thank you to you both for explaining this to me, it makes sense now.

As gipimann suggested we will go in to SWO this wk & switch to signing on seperately...
 
one further question if I may ask, if we were to stay as we are with me as a qualified adult dependant & I am offered a job would my potential employer be able/allowed to take me on under one of the employment support schemes?
 
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