Jobseeker's Benefit. INTREO - the integrated employment and support service

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1 Information Jobseeker's Benefit Jobseeker's Benefit is a weekly payment from the Department of Social Protection (DSP) to people who are out of work and are covered by social insurance (PRSI). If you don't qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit you may qualify for Jobseeker's Allowance. INTREO - the integrated employment and support service Intreo is a new service from the Department of Social Protection which provides a single point of contact for all employment and income supports. Details of Intreo locations are published on welfare.ie. Rules To qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit you must be aged under 66 and: Be unemployed (you must be fully unemployed or unemployed for at least 4 days out of 7) Have had a substantial loss of employment and as a result be unemployed for at least 4 days out of 7 Be capable of work Be available for and genuinely seeking work Have enough social insurance (PRSI) contributions You can read more about the conditions for getting a jobseeker's payment and about the employment services the Department of Social Protection offers to jobseekers. Jobseeker's Benefit and work To get Jobseeker's Benefit you must be unemployed or have lost at least one day's employment and as a result be unemployed for at least 4 days out of 7 days. You may continue to get Jobseeker's Benefit if you can only find part-time or casual work. Where a Jobseeker's Benefit recipient is working for part of a week, their entitlement will be based on a 5-day payment week. This means that for each day that a person is employed, 1/5th of the normal rate of Jobseeker's Benefit is deducted. If they get part-time work for 2 days, they will get 3/5ths of the normal Jobseeker's Benefit for that week and if they get part-time work for 3

2 days they will get 2/5ths of the normal rate of Jobseeker s Benefit for the week. You must still be unemployed for at least 4 days out of 7 to claim Jobseeker's Benefit. You can read FAQS about these changes. There is an exemption from some of the rules for retained firefighters. More information is available about work and Jobseeker s Benefit. Loss of employment You must have suffered a substantial loss of employment in any period of 7 consecutive days to be eligible for Jobseeker's Benefit (casual workers and retained firefighters with no other employment are exempt from this rule). This means that you must have lost at least one day's employment and as a result of this loss be unemployed for at least 4 days out of 7. Your earnings must also have been reduced because of the loss of employment. Social Insurance (PRSI) To qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit, you must pay Class A, H or P PRSI contributions. Class A is the one paid by most private sector employees. Class H is paid by soldiers, reservists and temporary army nurses, who do not qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit until they have left the army. To qualify you need: At least 104 weeks PRSI paid since you first started work And 39 weeks PRSI paid or credited in the relevant tax year (a minimum of 13 weeks must be paid contributions*) Or 26 weeks PRSI paid in the relevant tax year and 26 weeks PRSI paid in the tax year immediately before the relevant tax year. *If you do not have 13 paid contributions in the relevant tax year, you must have paid 13 contributions in any of the following years: The 2 tax years before the relevant tax year The last complete tax year The current tax year.

3 The relevant tax year is the second last complete tax year before the year in which your claim is made. So, for claims made in 2015, the relevant tax year is There are a number of circumstances in which you can be awarded credited contributions. For example, pre-entry credits are given when you start employment for the first time in your working life. However, you can only qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit when you have actually paid 104 contributions. Credits are also awarded while you are getting certain social welfare payments, including Jobseeker's Benefit (provided it is for 6 days), Illness Benefit and, in some cases, Jobseeker's Allowance. Contributions you have paid in other member states of the EU/EEA will be added to your Irish contributions. If you are applying for Jobseeker's Benefit and need the contributions paid in another EU/EEA country to help you qualify, then your last contribution must have been in Ireland. Under the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005 the employer is obliged to register all employees for PRSI. Read more in our document on your Employer's duty to pay social insurance. Disqualification You may be disqualified from getting Jobseeker's Benefit for 9 weeks if you: Left work voluntarily and without a reasonable cause Lost your job through misconduct Refused an offer of suitable alternative employment or suitable training - if you have been on a penalty rate of JB for at least 21 days Are aged under 55 and get a redundancy payment of more than 50,000. The exact length of your disqualification (up to 9 weeks) will depend on the amount of redundancy payment you received. Redundancy If you are aged under 55 and get a redundancy payment of more than 50,000 you are disqualified from claiming Jobseeker's Benefit. The table below shows how long you may be disqualified for. The length of the disqualification is at the discretion of the deciding officer (who can take your circumstances into account). Any period of disqualification is subtracted from your total Jobseeker's Benefit entitlement. So if you are disqualified for 3 weeks (which is 18 days payment) your JB claim starts on day 19. Note that people who take voluntary redundancy and do not get a redundancy payment of over 50,000 can claim jobseeker's payments immediately.

4 Amount of redundancy payment Period of disqualification 50, ,000 1 week 55, ,000 2 weeks 60, ,000 3 weeks 65, ,000 4 weeks 70, ,000 5 weeks 75, ,000 6 weeks 80, ,000 7 weeks 85, ,000 8 weeks 90, and over 9 weeks Duration of Jobseekers Benefit The duration of Jobseeker's Benefit reduced by 3 months with effect from 3 April For people with 260 or more PRSI contributions paid, it reduced from 12 months (312 days) to 9 months (234 days). For people with fewer than 260 PRSI contributions paid, it reduced from 9 months (234 days) to 6 months (156 days). There are some special provisions for older jobseekers. People over 65 who are claiming Jobseeker s Benefit (JB), and who have at least 156 PRSI contributions, can continue to receive JB until their 66th birthday even if their claim is due to end before that date. For new JB claimants from 4 April 2013 Number of contributions Duration of JB claim 260 or more 234 days (9 Less than days (6 Re-qualifying for Jobseeker's Benefit You can re-qualify for JB if: You have used up your full JB entitlement (either 9 or 6 and You have paid 13 PRSI contributions for at least 13 weeks (these contributions can be counted only after you have claimed at least 156 days (6 of JB)

5 However if you are working and claiming JB (systematic short-time workers and part-time workers) you cannot simply continue your JB claim when it is exhausted since you must have suffered a substantial loss of employment to re-qualify for JB, (unless you are a casual worker). If you have lost your job you will have suffered a substantial loss of employment. If you are a part-time or systematic short-time worker DSP will look at your pattern of employment over the last 13 weeks or another representative period to find out whether you have suffered a substantial loss of employment. For example, if you are getting JB and working 3 days each week as a systematic short-time worker or a part-time worker and your employment pattern has not changed during the course of your JB claim, you will not have suffered a substantial loss of employment and will not re-qualify for Jobseeker s Benefit when you exhaust your claim. However, if your JB claim ends and your 3 day week working week is then reduced to a 2 day week, you will have suffered a substantial loss of employment and may re-qualify for Jobseeker s Benefit. Linking claims If you claim JB for a period, sign off and then claim JB again within 26 weeks your claim may be linked to the earlier claim. This means that your claim is not treated as a new claim and: You do not have to wait for 3 days before getting your payment The cumulative total of days from the previous claim is continued (so, for example, if you have used up 100 days of your total JB entitlement of 234 days you have 134 days remaining on your claim) The rate of JB is the same rate payable as on the previous claim, unless there has been a budgetary increase or change in family circumstances (such as a new child dependant). If your JB claim does not link to a previous claim it is treated as a new claim. You must wait for 3 days before getting a payment and your cumulative total of days starts from the first day of payment. You can read more about linking claims including information on linking to a different scheme (such as Illness Benefit) and linking to an earlier JB claim through a different scheme or period spent in training or on an employment scheme. Short-term employment or training

6 The Department of Social Protection operates a fast-tracking system for people who sign off to take up work for a short period (up to 8 weeks) or to go on a short training course (up to 8 weeks). This ensures that your payment is re-instated without delay. It is important that you inform your Intreo centre or local social welfare office in advance that you are taking up work or training. Your Rent Supplement or Mortgage Interest Supplement claim can also be suspended for up to 8 weeks. Rates Jobseeker's Benefit is not paid for the first 3 days you are unemployed (the first 3 days are any 3 days, not necessarily consecutive, in a period of 7 consecutive days). If you are unemployed for a second time within 26 weeks of your last JB payment your application for Jobseeker's Benefit is not treated as a new claim and you do not have another 3 days of non-payment. See 'Linking claims' above. Weekly Jobseeker's Benefit payment in 2015 Average weekly earnings Less than Personal rate Increase for a qualified adult or more Increase for a qualified child You get a personal rate and may get an increase for an adult dependant and child dependant (see below). Your average weekly earnings do not affect the amount you get for a child dependent. Average weekly earnings Jobseeker's Benefit rates are graduated according to your earnings in the relevant tax year. Your average weekly earnings are your gross yearly earnings from employment divided by the number of paid A, H or P contributions in the relevant tax year. The relevant tax year is 2 years before the year of your claim. For example, if you claim Jobseeker's Benefit in 2015 the relevant tax year is If you only qualify for a reduced JB

7 payment, it may of greater benefit for you to claim Jobseeker's Allowance instead of Jobseeker's Benefit. Penalty rates Your payment can be reduced if you refuse or fail to attend meetings requested by the Department or if you refuse or fail to participate in an appropriate employment support scheme, work experience or training. You can find out about sanctions for not meeting the conditions of your jobseeker's payment. Penalty rates do not apply to people aged over 62 from 1 January Claiming for dependants with Jobseeker's Benefit If your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is dependent on you or is on a low income you may be able to claim an increase in your payment for him or her. This increase is called an Increase for a Qualified Adult (IQA). If your adult dependant is earning 100 or less you will get the maximum IQA. If he or she is earning between 100 and 310 you will get a reduced rate of IQA. If your adult dependant is earning more than 310 you will not get an increase in your Jobseeker s Benefit for your adult dependant. You can look at our documents on Claiming for an adult dependant and Jobseeker's Benefit and work to find out more. If you have dependent children you may also be able to claim an increase in your payment for them. Linking claims In some cases, a current JB claim may be linked to an older claim (see above). If your JB claim is linked to a claim earlier than 2009 the following graduated rates apply: For claims in 2015 linked to JB claims started before 2009: Average weekly earnings Personal rate Qualified adult rate Less than or more Getting paid You can collect your Jobseeker's Benefit payment weekly from your nearest Post Office.

8 You must bring valid photographic identification (photo ID) with you to collect your payment. The following is regarded as valid photo ID: Public Services Card Driving licence Passport GNIB card Staff working in the Post Office may ask to see your photo ID before giving you your payment. Taxation of Jobseeker's Benefit Jobseeker's Benefit is taxable. However, if you are getting Jobseeker's Benefit because your normal working week has been reduced temporarily (systematic short-time work) your Jobseeker's Benefit is not taxed. If you are working part-time and getting Jobseeker s Benefit for the days you are not employed your Jobseeker s Benefit is taxable. Find out more about the taxation of Jobseeker's Benefit and the taxation of JB for systematic short-time workers. Extra benefits If you are getting Jobseeker's Benefit, you may be entitled to: Rent Supplement - a payment under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme. Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance - an allowance to help with the cost of uniforms and footwear for children who are attending school. Medical card - if your income is below a certain level, you may get a medical card. You do not qualify for the Household Benefits Package or Free Travel with Jobseeker s Benefit. How to Apply You should apply for Jobseeker's Benefit the first day you become unemployed. It is important to apply on the first day you become unemployed because you will not get paid for the first 3 days of your claim. Jobseeker's Benefit application forms are available online. You can also get an application form from your social welfare local office or Intreo centre. You will also need certain documents when you apply for Jobseeker's Benefit. If you do not have these documents to hand, you should apply anyway and supply them later. You should remember that delay in applying for Jobseeker's Benefit may mean that you lose out on your full entitlements.

9 You can get help to fill in your application form at your Intreo centre, social welfare local office or Citizens Information Centre. More information is available in our document about signing on for the first time. If you think you have been wrongly refused Jobseeker's Benefit you can appeal the decision. Where to Apply You should apply for Jobseeker's Benefit to your Intreo centre or social welfare local office. Social Welfare Appeals Office D'Olier House D'Olier Street Dublin 2 Ireland Tel :(01) Locall: Fax:(01) Homepage: swappeals@welfare.ie Further Information Half-rate Jobseeker's Benefit with another social welfare payment People getting a Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's Pension, a One-Parent Family Payment or a deserted wives payment and who met all the conditions for Jobseeker's Benefit, were entitled to half the normal rate of Jobseeker's Benefit. These half-rate payments were discontinued from February Changes to duration of Jobseeker's Benefit The duration of Jobseeker's Benefit reduced by 3 months with effect from 3 April For people with 260 or more PRSI contributions paid, it reduced from 12 months (312 days) to 9 months (234 days). For people with fewer than 260 PRSI contributions paid, it reduced from 9 months (234 days) to 6 months (156 days). Claimants getting Jobseeker's Benefit for 6 months

10 or more on 3 April 2013 (or 3 months for people with fewer than 260 contributions) were not affected (see table below). For people already claiming JB on or before 3 April 2013 Number of paid contributions Number of days claiming JB Maximum duration of JB claim Effect of change 260 or more 156 or more (6 months or more) 312 days (12 No change 260 or more Less than 156 (less than days (9 Claim duration reduces by 78 days (3 Less than or more (3 234 days (9 No change Less than 260 Less than 78 (less than days (6 Claim duration reduces by 78 days (3