COVID-19 isolation benefit

Isolation benefit has ended

Isolation benefit has ended in line with the change to mandatory isolation.

If you started isolating on or before Thursday 28 April 2022 you can still apply for isolation benefit. 

Apply for isolation benefit

We will use the information provided as part of any application for isolation benefit, to check whether you can claim coronavirus short term incapacity allowance from Friday 29 April 2022. You have 30 days to make a claim from the end of your isolation period

If you are unfit for work and isolating in line with the Public Health guidance on or after Saturday 29 April, you may be eligible to claim coronavirus STIA. 

Payments if you're off work sick (Short Term Incapacity Allowance)

Who can claim isolation benefit

You can claim isolation benefit if you were instructed to isolate by Public Health because you were at risk of transmitting coronavirus.

To qualify for isolation benefit, you must be:

1. known to Public Health and have received an instruction to isolate and a recovery letter
   
2. normally employed or self-employed
   
3. working age (between compulsory school leaving age and pension age)
   
4. not in receipt of a Government of Jersey old age pension
   
5. not working from home because:
• it's not possible for you to do your job from home, or
• you're too unwell
  

Amount payable

Isolation benefit is paid at the standard rate of up to £33.21 per day for the duration of your isolation period where the isolation period is longer than a day.

Your isolation period must be claimed in strict accordance with your Public Health instruction to isolate.

Isolation benefit cannot be paid for more than 10 days. If you have symptoms and are unwell for more than 10 days you may qualify for Short Term Incapacity Allowance (STIA) once your isolation benefit claim has ended.

As isolation benefit has ended, any dates that you were isolating up to and including Thursday 28 April 2022 will be processed as isolation benefit and paid at the standard benefit rate.

Any dates that you were isolating and were unfit for work because you had coronavirus symptoms from Friday 29 April 2022 will be processed as Short Term Incapacity Allowance (STIA) and paid in line with your contributions record (we will check this automatically when we process your claim).

Find out more information about claiming STIA

How does this effect other benefits

Other contributory benefits

You may not receive the full standard rate of benefit, or any payment at all if you are claiming another contributory benefit as the maximum amount of contributory benefit payable at any one time is capped at the standard rate of benefit. We will check to see if you have any overlapping benefit claims and adjust your claim accordingly.

Other contributory benefits include:

• Short Term Incapacity Allowance
• Long Term Incapacity Allowance
• Invalidity Benefit
  
• Home Carer's Allowance
• Parental Allowance
• Incapacity pension
• Survivors Pension
• Survivors Allowance (paid at the standard rate of benefit plus 20%)
  

Income Support

If you are part of a household that has an Income Support claim, a payment of Isolation Benefit may cause an overpayment of Income Support that will need to be recovered at a later date. We will notify you of any changes to your Income Support claim as a result of any claim for Isolation Benefit.