Job Grant :Cross Stitch – Money, tax and benefits

Job Grant is a discretionary work related payment you may get when you or your partner move directly from benefit into work. Find out if you qualify for a Job Grant, how much it is and how to claim it.

You may be able to get a Job Grant if your benefit claim begins before 1 October 2023 and you are moving directly from benefit into work of at least 16 hours a week. This could be starting a new job, increasing the hours you work in an existing job or having a combination of jobs.

You may also get a Job Grant if your partner starts working at least 24 hours a week and as a result your benefit stops.

The work must be expected to last for at least five weeks, and you must notify Jobcentre Plus within 21 days of starting work.

You must also have been claiming one or a combination of the following benefits for at least 26 weeks immediately before moving into work:

Jobseeker’s Allowance
Income Support
Employment and Support Allowance
Incapacity Benefit
Severe Disablement Allowance
Jobcentre Plus/New Deal Allowance payments where the allowance is based on Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Employment Support Allowance, Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance
Employment Zone payments where the allowance is based on Jobseeker’s Allowance

Any period where you are not entitled to one of the above benefits does not count towards the 26 week qualifying period.

You will not get a Job Grant if:

you have been signing as unemployed to receive your National Insurance contributions only
you have been sending in medical evidence to receive your National Insurance contributions only

Changes to Job Grant will be brought in for new claims to benefit from October 2012 onwards.

This means there will be no new payments of Job Grant from 1 April 2013.

The amount of Job Grant you get will depend on your circumstances.

You can get one of the following amounts:

£100 for single people and couples without children
£250 for lone parents and couples with children