Will I lose out on benefits if I leave my job voluntarily?

When you leave your job, you may need to claim benefit until you find work again, so the details of how your job ended will be important. This is because when you claim Job Seekers’ Allowance, you might face a sanction (reduced JSA, no JSA, or no National Insurance cover) if:

• You left your job voluntarily without just cause, or
• You lost your job because of misconduct.

For more information on how this decision is made, you can download a copy of our leaflet “Jobseeker’s Allowance rules for people leaving work voluntarily or through misconduct".

Your trade union can give advice if you are making a claim for benefits and think you might face sanctions. Also if you live in a town or city with an Unemployed Workers' Centre it is also worth checking out their services. There is a list of these at: www.tuc.org.uk/the_tuc/tuc-8444-f0.cfm

The Jobcentre Plus website, www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk has a very useful guide to claiming benefits for people who haven’t done this before.