Applied for job seekers allowance 18 months ago..... never heard back

So about 18 months ago I went to the social welfare office for the first time to see about getting the dole. As my job had finished more than 2 years before that I was told I wasn't entitled but that I may be entitled to job seekers allowance - the girl in the office was just awful to me and it was already a really stressful experience for me but she made it worse - e.g. she announced my husbands salary very loudly and snorted that I wouldn't be entitled to the allowance as it was means tested, laughed at the fact that I only had a provisional licence as form of id " do you not have a proper licence?", etc, etc

Anyway the whole episode was pretty bad - she said I would get a letter and "probably be sending inspectors out too!!!".

I left a dribbling mess - my husband said I should write a letter of complaint but I thought that that would probably make them treat me worse the next time so I didn't complain. I never heard anything back from them about my application - no letter nothing - and I didn't pursue it - I just wanted to forget about it.

However now we have a massive mortgage and my husband has lost his job. He will be applying for job seekers benefit which he is entitled too and I guess now I will be entitled to job seekers allowance.

I am dreading going back and I am also worried - will it stand against me that I didn't follow it up when they never contacted me about my last application?

Hello Crazyone

I am sorry your experience with the Social Welfare office was so horrible, you really should have written a letter of complaint about this person. Some of these employees have no idea the damage they do to people who are often at their most vulnerable.

When your husband applies for his Job Seekers benefit, he will be advised to put you down as an adult dependent so you wont have to apply for job seekers allowance. Tell him to make his initial claim immediately otherwise he will lose benefit, if it takea a few weeks to process his application he will get the backpay from the first day he signed on.

Also make an appointment with the Community Welfare Officer in your local area to make an application for mortgage interest relief.

It's a difficult time for you both but try not to stress yourself out too much at this stage.

You should be signing for credits yourself in order to keep your state pension contributions going, perhaps when your husband goes to the Social welfare office you should go along with him and enquire about it.

Hi cashier,

thanks for your reply - great information - so relieved I don't have to go back - but I know you are right about signing on for credits - I'll try and go with him when he goes

thanks again

To sign for credits you will have to sort out your previous claim, as you can't sign for credits if you have a 2 year gap in your insurance record. You should have been receiving credits from the claim that you previously put in, even if you weren't entitled to a payment (and i wouldn't take anything that a welfare officer told you at face value, you very well may have been entited to a payment!!!).

At the very least you should have received notifcation of the result of your claim, I would be concerned that you didn't, and as this may have an impact on your ability to claim credits, this could well affect your pension entitlement. It may be daunting, but it is important that you sort this out.