old fat biker bloke

Upon our return, (missus, 3 kids under 16 & myself), can we claim 'benefits' until we find employment again? My family in UK says not as we haven't paid NI for just over 2 years.

No an ideal situation, we would prefer to be going back to jobs and will move heaven and earth 'til we get 'em!!! In the meantime the kids will keep asking for this food stuff.....

Candy001

Just curious - is this and any other benefits only available if you have paid into the NI?
I left over 20 yrs ago and was not even aware of NI then!

dinner-dash

yes you can....as long as you have a national insurance number.

just ask the poles who invade the uk, off the boat at dover, straight to claiming dole,family benefit. they even get it paid into polish bank accounts so relies can draw it out of polish atm's......true. i worked with a polish guy who got benefits for 4 children back in poland.

bromleygirl

Not strictly speaking..as you have been away outside of the EU you may be required to prove that you are returning to become habitually resident in the UK again. Although saying this you can quote the swaddling decision which states that from day 1 you are eligible for benefits - income support and housing benefit but the thing with this is that not a lot of DWP staff are aware and still make you sit the HRT..

The Poles are entitled because they are coming from an EU country into the UK.

I know it makes no sense that we as returning UK citizens have to go through this

Bermudashorts

I returned to the UK after just over two years in Bermuda, my husband transferred with his company but I wanted to get Job Seekers Allowance.

You can claim benefit based on income or on contributions, I could not claim income based as my husband was working, but if he hadn't been then I am sure we would have got it. The contribution based claim that I did make was not as clear because contributions need to be recent, the fact I had paid NI contributions for the previous 16 years was not relevant. I was told at my interview that it would go off to be assessed and there was a 50:50 chance that I would get it. I did.

I think not quite the same situation, I don't have kids and husband was at work straight away, but I think you will be ok.

Deedee13

my brother who did reside in germany ( EU) and has done for the past 9 years went back to the uk last month and went to claim something, anything and they told him he wasnt entitled because he hasnt paid NI contributions for the past 9 years!!!! They didnt give a damn that he doesnt have 2 pennies to rub together..

old fat biker bloke

Interesting!! Thank you posters!! Any more info' gratefully received - Any Ex-DSS staff out there???

Candy001

I don't even remember my NI # - where can I find out - as it was over 20 yrs ago

Jerseygirl

Have you tried Google?

bev2

Hi

Before people call me a scrounger, we had never claimed anything untill we got back from WA. Always worked and paid Thousands in taxes

We had to prove we had habitury rights to calim benefits in the uk and we get job seekers allowance. Thought we would have jobs by now but dont. Things are really bad here and i dont know how people can live on benefits and were living with relatives, we would never cope if we had our own home and had bills to pay

Fleaflyfloflum

Yes you can claim. I went back last year to start a new job and one week later ended up in hospital with pneumonia. All i had to do was fill in a HRT form which was only 3 pages explaining why i was back and was i staying permanently and other such questions.

Once filled in it was sent off and i subsequently qualified for income support whilst i was sick.

unrefined_mind

After coming back to UK from spending a few years in Oz, the job centre told me I could claim job seekers allowance almost straight away, but a week later - letter arrived in post to inform me that I had not paid any NI contributions in last 2 years, and hence was not entitled to any benifits...

Never did get a penny in support, but was lucky enough to find employment in my trade quickly to pay the rent, etc
Was upset by the fact I have never claimed a penny off the state and have paid tax/NI since leaving school, and the only time in my life I needed a little support I was turned away...

Begs the question, how can people who have been unemployed for over two years in UK claim job seekers allowance, when they have not made any NI contributions themselves.

Bermudashorts

There is contribution based job seekers and income based job seekers alowance. If you have savings over £12k (or something don't quote me!) or a partner in employment then you won't get income based job seekers allowance. But if you don't have those things then you will regardless of contributions.

The contribution based job seeker allowance is based on recent contributions. I was also out of the country for two years and got it, but it could have gone either way, I think it depended on when exactly the contributions were made in the tax year.

Hillybilly

It used to be the case (well, it was the only time I was ever briefly unemployed) that your NI contributions are paid for you whilst you are unemployed...perhaps this is still so? Otherwise all the unemployed would have gaps in their contributions.

USAGypsies

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTax...rk/DG_10018757

Hope this helps