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Have I paid enough national insurance contributions to claim JSA?

Having been employed for a number of years I was suddenly made redundant. I was unemployed for five months and then found a job, which lasted nine months. I tried to reclaim JSA, but I've now been told that I cannot claim, as I have not paid enough Class 1 National Insurance. Is it possible for me to pay this to the Inland Revenue in order to claim benefits?

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Yes it is, you can pay your Class 1 National Insurance credits on the gov.uk website if the outstanding amount is not that much.

If you have not paid enough Class 1 National Insurance Contributions, you won’t be able to get ‘New Style’ JSA, but you can apply for Universal Credit if you (and your partner) have children or housing costs and less than £16,000 in savings between you.

Check your National Insurance record

For anyone else wondering, ‘Have I paid enough national insurance?’, you can check your national insurance contributions record here.

You can always get a rough idea of what benefits you might be entitled to, and how much, using this online benefits calculator. It will also tell you how to apply. You could also visit a local advice agency, such as the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB), and ask them to run a full benefits check.