If you used to get income-based JSA

Income-based JSA has ended for everyone. 

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) should have sent you a letter asking you to claim Universal Credit. This is called a ‘migration notice’.

You should have claimed Universal Credit within 1 month of the date on your letter at the latest - this is called the 'final deadline'. 

If you claimed by the final deadline, you might have got a 'transitional element'. This is an extra payment to make sure you don’t get less money on Universal Credit than you did on JSA.

If you used to get income-based JSA, there might still be things you can do to make sure you got the right amount of support. Depending on your situation, you can:

• check if you missed out on extra money if you're disabled or have a health condition

• report a successful disability benefit claim you were waiting for

• challenge an income-based JSA decision

• deal with an overpayment

Check if you should have been getting income-based JSA

You might have been able to get income-based JSA if you:

• worked less than 16 hours a week on average

• were available for and actively looking for work

• had no income or a low income

• had £16,000 or less in savings (including your partner’s savings)

• were under State Pension age - check your State Pension on GOV.UK

Check if you should have got extra money because you're disabled or have a health condition

You might have been entitled to extra money on top of your standard monthly JSA payment. Depending on your circumstances, you might have been able to get 1 or more of the following:

• the disability premium

• the enhanced disability premium (EDP) 

• the severe disability premium (SDP) 

Check if you should have got the disability premium

You should have received the disability premium if you or your partner got any of the following qualifying benefits:

• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

• Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance

• Adult Disability Payment

• Armed Forces Independence Payment

• Working Tax Credit with a disability element

• Constant Attendance Allowance

• War Pensioners Mobility Supplement

• Severe Disablement Allowance

• Incapacity Benefit

The amount of disability premium you would have received would have gone up for each tax year you were getting income-based JSA. 

For the 2025 to 2026 tax year, you would have been entitled to:

• £43.20 a week - if you didn't live with a partner

• £61.65 a week - if you lived with a partner 

Check if you should have got the enhanced disability premium (EDP)

You should have received the EDP if you or your partner got any of the following qualifying benefits:

• the enhanced rate of the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

• the highest rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) 

• Armed Forces Independence Payment

• the enhanced rate of the daily living component of Adult Disability Payment

• the highest rate of the care component of Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance

If your partner had reached State Pension age, you wouldn’t have received the EDP. You can check your partner’s State Pension age on GOV.UK.

The amount of EDP you would have received would have gone up for each tax year you were getting income-based JSA.

For the 2025 to 2026 tax year, you would have been entitled to:

• £21.20 a week - if you didn't live with a partner

• £30.25 a week - if you lived with a partner 

Check if you should have got the severe disability premium (SDP)

You might have been entitled to the severe disability (SDP). What you could claim depended on your circumstances.

Asking the DWP to add a premium to an old JSA claim

If you should have been getting a premium but didn't, the DWP might have underpaid your income-based JSA.

You can ask the DWP to add it to your old JSA claim. You can either:

• write to the address on one of your old JSA letters

• call Jobcentre Plus

If the DWP agree, they'll automatically pay any money they owe you as a lump sum - you won't have to ask for it.

If the DWP don't agree, you can challenge their decision.

If you were waiting for a decision about a disability benefit

You might be able to get a disability premium, an enhanced disability premium, or a severe disability premium added to your income-based JSA if either of the following apply:

• you or your partner are awarded a disability benefit for the time you were on JSA

• the amount of disability benefit you got changed while you were on JSA

Disability benefits include:

• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

• Attendance Allowance

• Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

• Adult Disability Payment

• Pension Age Disability Payment

• Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance

You should tell the DWP as soon as possible, so you get the extra money you’re entitled to. 

If you do this, the DWP should pay you a lump sum for the JSA you missed while you were waiting for a decision on your disability benefit claim. They should do this even though your JSA has now ended. 

You can report your successful claim by phoning Jobcentre Plus.

If other circumstances changed while you were on JSA

There are some changes you should have told the DWP about. Any changes might have affected how much JSA you got.

You should have reported changes to your:

• work or earnings - for example, if you or your partner started or stopped a job

• money or savings - for example, if you or your partner claimed a new benefit

• living situation - for example, if you started living with a partner or they went to stay in a care home

• relationship - for example, if you got married, divorced or formed a civil partnership

• education - for example, if you or your partner started or stopped a course

• immigration status - for example, if your right to reside changed

If you didn't report a change at the time, you might have been paid too much money. This is called an overpayment and the DWP will usually ask you to repay it.

If the DWP said you had an overpayment of JSA

The DWP might have stopped or reduced your JSA because they were taking back an overpayment.

The DWP should only have reduced your JSA if you:

• gave wrong information when you applied or while you were getting JSA

• didn’t report a change of circumstances which would have affected your JSA

If you gave the correct information and reported any changes, you might not have to pay the money back.

Challenging a JSA decision

You can still challenge or appeal a decision about your income-based JSA. For example, if:

• the amount you got wasn’t correct

• your JSA stopped when it shouldn't have

You can check how to challenge a JSA decision.

Check you’re claiming all the benefits you’re entitled to

You can check what benefits and extra help you might be able to get.