Everything about calling Jobcentre Plus from abroad
Which Jobcentre Plus number to call
GOV.UK says you can apply for New Style Jobseeker's Allowance online, unless you are under 18 or applying as an appointee on someone else's behalf. If you cannot apply online or need help, the number to claim by phone is 0800 055 6688, which the ESA guide also gives as the new claims helpline for New Style Employment and Support Allowance. Once you have a claim, 0800 169 0310 is the line for JSA, ESA or Incapacity Benefit: to discuss your claim, to tell the Department for Work and Pensions about a change in your circumstances, or to ask for letters in braille, large print or audio CD. GOV.UK says you will need your National Insurance number when you call. Universal Credit and claims in Northern Ireland have their own contact details.
Going abroad is a change you must report
GOV.UK's guide to benefits abroad says to tell your local Jobcentre Plus or the office that pays your benefit if you are going abroad, and, for a temporary move, when you are coming back. On New Style JSA, the changes you must report include leaving Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) for any period of time, and going on holiday, including holidays in Great Britain. The ESA list also includes leaving Great Britain for any period. GOV.UK warns that your claim might be reduced or stopped if you do not report a change straight away.
New Style JSA in the EEA or Switzerland
GOV.UK says you may get New Style JSA in the EEA or Switzerland for up to 3 months if you are entitled to it on the day you go abroad, register as a jobseeker at least 4 weeks before you leave, are looking for work in the UK up to the day you leave, are going abroad to look for work, register at the equivalent of a Jobcentre in the country you are going to, follow that country's rules on registering and looking for work, and are covered by the Withdrawal Agreement. For help and advice on JSA abroad, the same guide lists the International Pension Centre on +44 (0)191 206 9390, Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 3.30pm.
Calling a Jobcentre Plus 0800 number from abroad
Both lines are UK 0800 numbers. GOV.UK's call charges page lists 0800 numbers as free, and tells you to check the actual cost with your phone provider, particularly if you are calling from abroad. GOV.UK gives the hours without a time zone.
What Losali does with these lines
Losali is an independent dialler that works in a web browser. Your call travels over the internet and Losali's telecom carrier connects it to 0800 055 6688 or 0800 169 0310 in the UK, so the network you are on only carries data. There is no app to install and no UK SIM card to buy. You need a browser, a microphone and a stable connection.
- Your National Insurance number: GOV.UK says you will need it.
- The date you leave and, for a temporary trip, the date you come back.
- Any letters about your claim, which carry the address of the office that pays it.
- The hours: Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
Other ways in
You can apply for New Style JSA or ESA online. To report a change in writing, GOV.UK says to write to the Jobcentre Plus office that pays your benefit, at the address on the letters you get about it. Relay UK users dial 18001 then the number, a British Sign Language video relay service is offered, and GOV.UK lists Welsh language lines. If your partner or someone you live with has died, the Tell Us Once service tells Jobcentre Plus and other government organisations in one go.
What kind of number is this?
Freephone 0800 / 0808. Free to call from inside the UK. Losali shows the price before the call starts.