Unemployment benefit in Ireland not a automatic entitlement

Sceala Philosopher Location: Navan

Not my topic, this is posted for ScottyIrishGer, as he is offline with PC problems.

Contrary to the British daily telegraph advice about easy touch Ireland.

Ireland does not provide any automatic right to unemployment benefits or other benefits.

Strict conditions apply.

The actual rules for automatic unemployment benefit in Ireland have many and strict conditions.

Jobseeker's Benefit

Information

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). Jobseeker's Benefit used to be called Unemployment Benefit (the name of the payment changed in 2006). 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 will provide a single point of contact for all employment and income supports. Currently Intreo is available in several Department of Social Protection offices. More Intreo centres are due to open during 2013. Details of new locations will be published on welfare.ie and Intreo will be available in all offices by 2014.
Rules

To qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit you must:

Be unemployed (you must be fully unemployed or unemployed for at least 4 days out of 7)
Be under 66 years of age
Have enough social insurance (PRSI) contributions
Be capable of and genuinely seeking work
Have had a substantial loss of employment and as a result be unemployed for at least 4 days out of 7.

Work and Jobseeker's Benefit

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 days they will get 2/5ths of the normal rate of Jobseeker’s Benefit for the week. This change was implemented on 26 July 2012. 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.

Social insurance (PRSI) contributions

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.

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 2013, the Relevant Tax Year is 2011.

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), Jobseeker's Allowance or Illness Benefit.

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.
Capable of work

You are capable of work unless you can prove otherwise. You must produce medical evidence to prove that you are not able to work. If you have been incapable of work for some time you must produce a final medical certificate to prove that you are now fit for work.

If you are ill and incapable of work you may be entitled to Illness Benefit.
Available for and genuinely seeking work

You must be available for work and actively looking for work to qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit. You may be asked to show evidence that you are actively seeking work. For example, letters showing job applications or failure to get a job.

Unavailable for work

You can be regarded as not being available for work and not entitled to Jobseeker's Benefit, if you put unreasonable restrictions on the following:

The nature of the employment
The hours of work
Rate of pay
The duration of the employment
The location of the employment

In any case where a Deciding Officer is of the opinion that you have placed unreasonable restrictions, you will be interviewed and given the opportunity to respond.

If you are looking after a sick or elderly person you may be entitled to Carer'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 (retained firefighters 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 days. Your earnings must also have been reduced because of the loss of employment. 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
Are aged under 55 and get a redundancy payment of more than €50,000. The exact length of your disqualification (up to nine weeks) will depend on the amount of redundancy payment you received - see below.

Redundancy

If you are 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.
Amount of redundancy payment Period of disqualification
€50,000.00 - €55,000 1 week
€55,000.01 - €60,000 2 weeks
€60,000.01 - €65,000 3 weeks
€65,000.01 - €70,000 4 weeks
€70,000.01 - €75,000 5 weeks
€75,000.01 - €80,000 6 weeks
€80,000.01 - €85,000 7 weeks
€85,000.01 - €90,000 8 weeks
€90,000.01 and over 9 weeks
On strike

If you are on strike, you are not considered unemployed and not entitled to Jobseeker's Benefit. However, your family may get Supplementary Welfare Allowance.

If you are out of work as a result of a strike (if, for example, you have been laid off), you are however in a different position. You may qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit if you are "not participating in or directly interested in the trade dispute which caused the stoppage at work".
Duration of Jobseeker's Benefit

The duration of Jobseeker's Benefit reduced by 3 months with effect from 3 April 2013. 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 or more on 3 April 2013 (or 3 months for people with fewer than 260 contributions) were not affected (see tables below).

If you are aged between 65 and 66 when your JB claim would end you can continue to claim it until you reach 66 if you meet certain conditions.

For new JB claimants from 4 April 2013 Number of contributions Duration of JB claim
260 or more 234 days (9 months)
Less than 260 156 days (6 months)

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 months) No change
260 or more Less than 156 (less than 6 months) 234 days (9 months) Claim duration reduces by 78 days (3 months)
Less than 260 78 or more (3 months) 234 days (9 months) No change
Less than 260 Less than 78 (less than 3 months) 156 days (6 months) Claim duration reduces by 78 days (3 months)

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 months)

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 months) of JB)

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

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 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.
Claiming for dependents with Jobseeker's Benefit

If your spouse’s, 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 dependant children you may also be able to claim an increase in your payment for them.
Work experience for jobseekers

JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme provides work experience for people who have been getting a jobseeker’s payment or signing for credits for at least 3 months. See our document on JobBridge. The Work Placement Programme provides 9 months’ work experience for graduates and other unemployed people. For more information contact your local employment services office.
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.

Weekly Jobseeker's Benefit payment in 2013:
Average weekly earnings Personal rate Qualified adult rate
Less than €150 €84.50 €80.90
€150 - €219.99 €121.40 €80.90
€220 - €299.99 €147.30 €80.90
€300 or more €188 €124.80

You get a personal rate and may get an increase for an adult dependant and child dependant (see above). Your average weekly earnings do not affect the amount you get for a child dependent.

Reduced rate of Jobseeker's Benefit

Jobseeker's Benefit rates are graduated according to your earnings in the relevant tax year. Since January 2009, a reduced rate of Jobseeker's Benefit is payable if your average weekly earnings in the Relevant Tax Year before you became unemployed were under €300. Your average weekly earnings is your gross yearly earnings from employment divided by the number 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 2013 the relevant tax year is 2011. If you are affected by this rule, it may of greater benefit for you to claim Jobseeker's Allowance instead of Jobseeker's Benefit.
Reduction in payment

The Social Welfare Act 2010 provides that your payment can be reduced if you:

Refuse an appropriate offer of training by an officer of the Department of Social Protection or FÁS
Decline an intervention under the Employment Action Plan (EAP), do not attend EAP meetings with a FÁS officer under the EAP or drop out of the EAP process

Community Employment Schemes are not considered to be FÁS training opportunities.
Penalty rates of payment Personal JB rate Reduction
€84.50 €65
€121.40 €93
€147.30 €113
€188 €144

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 2013 linked to JB claims started before 2009:
Average weekly earnings Personal rate Qualified adult rate
Less than €80 €84.50 €80.90
€80 - €124.99 €121.40 €80.90
€125 - €149.99 €147.30 €80.90
€150 or more €188 €124.80
Getting paid

You can collect your Jobseeker's Benefit payment weekly from your nearest Post Office.

You must bring valid photographic identification (photo ID) or your Public Services Card with you to collect your payment. The following is regarded as valid photographic identification:

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:

Mortgage Interest Supplement or Rent Supplement - payments under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme.
Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance - an allowance designed to help towards 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. It covers you for free doctor's care, approved prescriptions etc. Contact your Local Health Office for more information.
School Book Scheme - each year the Department of Education and Skills provides grants to primary, secondary and comprehensive schools towards the cost of school books for students in financial need. You should contact the school principal for more information. The school principal will also advise you whether the school runs a book loan scheme, whereby your children's books are provided for a nominal rental charge each year.

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 now available online. You can also get an application form from your social welfare local office or Intreo centre.

You will also need to bring certain documents to prove your claim. You may find this list of documents you need when you apply for Jobseeker's Benefit useful. 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.

You can get help to fill in your application form at your social welfare local office or nearest Citizens Information Centre.

If you think you have been wrongly refused Jobseeker's Benefit you can appeal this decision.

More information about applying for Jobseeker’s Benefit is available in our document about signing on for the first time.
Where to apply

You should apply for Jobseeker's Benefit to your social welfare local office or Intreo centre.

If you wish to appeal a decision regarding the refusal of a social welfare payment, you should make this appeal to the Social Welfare Appeals Office using the contact information below.

Social Welfare Appeals Office

D'Olier House
D'Olier Street
Dublin 2
Ireland

Tel:(01) 673 2800
Locall:1890 747 434
Fax:(01) 671 8391
Homepage: http://www.socialwelfareappeals.ie/
Email: swappealsATwelfare.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 2012.

P45

If your employer does not issue you with a P45, it may be because you have not been registered for PRSI by your employer. It also could be that you have been registered but your employer has not paid the PRSI contributions which are due or has not paid the correct amount. Under the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 1993 the employer is obliged to register all employees for PRSI. More information can be found in our document about your Employer's duty to pay social insurance.
Jobseeker's Benefit without a P45

If your former employer refuses to give you a P45 it can affect your application for Jobseeker's Benefit (JB). You should still apply for JB but the Department of Social Protection cannot pay JB to you until they verify your former employment.

If you do not have a P45, the Department may informally contact you employer at the time of your application for JB and request him/her to send you a P45 to help process your claim for JB. If this hasn't resulted in your former employer giving you your P45, you can ask to fill-in form IA49 at your local Social Welfare Office.

Form IA49 is a declaration stating that you believe your former employer did not comply with social insurance regulations. As a result of your declaration, there will be an investigation into your employer's payment of PRSI. Filling-in form IA49 may not result in your P45, however, it may help to determine if you qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit.
How to get your P45

If you are not given a P45 when you leave your job you should first ask your employer for it. If the employer does not supply it you should contact the tax office.

If you contact your tax office, Revenue will contact the employer and obtain your P45 for you. If you have started a new job, Revenue will send you a new tax credit certificate so you will not have to pay emergency tax in your new job. More information about how to get your P45 is available.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/unemployed_people/jobseekers_benefit.html#l1f4da

There is another form of unemployment benefit in Ireland
known as
Jobseeker's Allowance

Introduction
Rules
Rates
How to apply
Where to apply
Further information

Introduction

If you are aged 18 or over and unemployed, you may be paid either Jobseeker's Allowance (JA) or Jobseeker's Benefit (JB). Both payments are paid by the Department of Social Protection (DSP). Jobseeker's Allowance used to be called Unemployment Assistance (the name of the payment changed in October 2006).

You may get Jobseeker's Allowance if you don't qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit or if you have used up your entitlement to Jobseeker's Benefit. In some cases, if you are only entitled to a reduced rate of Jobseeker's Benefit you may be better off on Jobseeker's Allowance. However, Jobseeker's Allowance is means-tested and your means must be below a certain level to qualify.

You must be unemployed to get Jobseeker’s Allowance. You must also be capable of, available for, and genuinely seeking work to qualify for Jobseeker’s Allowance – and you must be able to show evidence of this to the Department of Social Protection. However, you may get a proportion of your Jobseeker’s Allowance if your days at work are reduced or if you can only get part-time or casual work. There is an exemption from some of the rules for retained firefighters. People who had been getting a One-Parent Family Payment and who no longer qualify because their youngest child has reached the age limit can qualify for a special payment called Jobseeker's Allowance Transition.

Income from work affects the amount of Jobseeker’s Allowance you get. Find out more about how income from work is assessed for Jobseeker’s Allowance.
Budget 2014

From January 2014 people without children getting Jobseeker’s Allowance or Supplementary Welfare Allowance who are aged between 18 and 24 years will receive €100 per week. Existing claimants aged between 18 and 24 on a higher rate will have no change in their rate.

People without children getting Jobseeker’s Allowance or Supplementary Welfare Allowance aged 25 years will receive €144 a week. Existing claimants aged 25 on a higher rate will have no change in their rate. This weekly €144 rate will increase to €188 when they reach 26 years of age.

These reduced rates of Jobseeker’s Allowance will apply to people aged 25 and under who have exhausted their entitlement to Jobseeker’s Benefit.

From 1 January 2014 all new Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) participants aged under 26 who were getting a reduced age-related Jobseeker’s Allowance payment, will get a maximum BTEA rate of €160 per week (any means participants have will be deducted from this rate).

Currently, all Jobseeker's Allowance and Supplementary Welfare Allowance recipients, regardless of age, who have children receive a personal rate of €188 per week and an increase for a qualified adult, if applicable, of €124.80 plus qualified child increases. There are no changes to those arrangements.

The HSE care provision for people getting JA is also extended to age 24. So, for example, a person aged 20 who is in receipt of a rate of €188 because they were in the care of the HSE during their 17th year can remain on this rate up to age 24.

These provisions require legislation and are not yet in effect.
Intreo - the integrated employment and support service

Intreo is a new service from the Department of Social Protection which will provide a single point of contact for all employment and income supports. Currently Intreo is available in several Department of Social Protection offices. More Intreo centres are due to open during 2013. Details of new locations will be published on welfare.ie and Intreo will be available in all offices by 2014.
Rules

To get Jobseeker's Allowance you must:

Be unemployed (you must be fully unemployed or unemployed for at least 4 days out of 7)
Be over 18 and under 66 years of age
Be capable of work
Be available for and genuinely seeking work
Satisfy the means test
Meet the Habitual Residence Condition

Unemployed

To get Jobseeker’s Allowance you must be unemployed. However, there are circumstances in which you can do some work and get Jobseeker’s Allowance. You can also take up to two weeks holiday in a year and continue to get your payment.
Part-time or casual work

If you get part-time or casual work (up to and including 3 days per week), you may still be paid a proportion of your Jobseeker's Allowance. However, you must show that you are trying to get full-time employment.

If you have been getting long-term Jobseeker's Allowance (over 390 days or 15 months) and you take up part-time work for less than 24 hours a week you may be eligible for the Part-time Job Incentive Scheme (PTJI). This scheme allows you to take up part-time work and get a special weekly allowance instead of your jobseeker’s payment. Days of unemployment on Jobseeker's Benefit count towards the 390 days if your Jobseeker’s Benefit claim was immediately before the award of Jobseeker’s Allowance.

Reduced days at work

If your employer reduces your days at works to 3 days week or less, you may get Jobseeker's Allowance for the other days. You must meet the other conditions that apply to Jobseeker's Allowance, for example, you must satisfy a means test.

Lay off

A lay-off situation arises where your employer is unable to provide work for you, but believes this to be a temporary situation and tells you this before the work finishes. If you are laid off work you may get Jobseeker’s Allowance. You will not get Jobseeker’s Allowance for any day you are getting holiday pay.

Self-employment

If you are self-employed, you may be entitled to Jobseeker's Allowance, depending on your income from your business. You can find out out more about self-employment and unemployment on selfemployedsupports.ie. Self-employed farmers on a low income should apply for Farm Assist.

Voluntary work

You may be able to do voluntary work and continue to get Jobseeker's Allowance. You must continue to satisfy the conditions of the payment, which means that you must be available and looking for work. You must also get permission from a Deciding Officer at your social welfare local office or Intreo centre. Find out more about voluntary work and social welfare payments.

On strike

If you are on strike, you will not be considered unemployed and will not get Jobseeker's Allowance. However, if you are out of work as a result of a strike, for example, you have been laid off because of the strike, you may get Jobseeker's Allowance. You may get Jobseeker's Allowance if you are "not participating in or directly interested in the trade dispute which caused the stoppage at work".

If you are on strike your family may get Supplementary Welfare Allowance.
Capable of work

You are capable of work unless you can produce medical evidence to prove that you are not able to work. If you have spent some time incapable of work you must produce a final medical certificate to prove that you are now fit for work. If you are ill and incapable of work you may be entitled to Disability Allowance or Illness Benefit.
Available for work

The Department of Social Protection’s Operational Guidelines state that you are considered available for employment, if:

You state that you are available for work
You do all that is asked to show compliance with this availability condition
There is no evidence to suggest the contrary

Essentially the Department of Social Protection considers that you are available for employment if you are prepared to accept any offers of suitable employment immediately.

However you can be regarded as not being available for work and therefore not entitled to Jobseeker's Allowance if you put unreasonable restrictions on the following:

The nature of the employment
The hours of work
The rate of pay
The duration of the employment
The location of the employment

If a Deciding Officer thinks that that you have placed unreasonable restrictions, you will be interviewed and given the opportunity to respond. Note that if you refuse a suitable offer of work you can be disqualified from Jobseeker’s Allowance. If you are looking after a sick or elderly person you may be entitled to Carer's Allowance.

You can read more about the available for work condition in the Department of Social Protection’s Operational Guidelines. See also 'Further information' below.
Genuinely looking for work

You must also show that you are genuinely looking for work. The Operational Guidelines state that a day is not treated as a day of unemployment unless on that day you are genuinely seeking suitable work.

You must be able to show that you are making genuine efforts to secure employment. You need to provide examples of such steps. Steps which would indicate that you are considered to be genuinely seeking work may include:

Making oral or written applications for work
Looking for information on the availability of employment from employers, advertisements and employment agencies
Taking up reasonable training opportunities
Acting on the advice given by a Job Facilitator, a FÁS adviser or other placement agency such as the Local Employment Service (LES)
Taking positive, well advised steps towards establishing yourself in self-employment such as researching possible areas of self-employment
Preparing business plans for a self-employment project
Attending relevant "start your own business" courses or seeking information, advice or guidance in relation to any of these steps

You can read more about the genuinely looking for work condition in the Department of Social Protection's Operational Guidelines.
Means test

Jobseeker's Allowance is a means-tested payment. Your means must be below a certain level to get Jobseeker’s Allowance. A means test looks at all your sources of income including your spouse’s, civil partner’s or cohabitant's. However, some income may not be taken into account. (A cohabitant is a person living in an intimate and committed relationship with a person of the same or opposite sex who is not that person’s spouse, civil partner, or a close relative.)

Your total household means is deducted from the maximum payment for your household's circumstances (usually this is the personal rate including any increases for adult and child dependants) to find the actual amount of Jobseeker’s Allowance you are entitled to. Find out more about the means test for Jobseeker’s Allowance.

Your means are halved if your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is getting a social welfare payment in his or her own right* or is on a FÁS or VTOS course and getting an allowance. If your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is getting a payment in his or her own right you will not get an Increase for a Qualified Adult but you will get a half-rate increase for each qualified child.

*Except for Child Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance, Disablement Pension, Guardian's Payment, Supplementary Welfare Allowance and half-rate Carer's Allowance.

If you are 24 years of age or under and you are living with a parent or a step-parent in the family home, some of your parents' income will also be taken into account in the assessment for Jobseeker's Allowance. The Department call this an assessment of the 'benefit andprivilege' you get from living with your parents. Find out more about how living with your parents is assessed in the means test.
Spouse, civil partner or cohabitant working

If your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant works it can affect your Jobseeker's Allowance. Their earnings from insurable employment are assessed in the same way as your earnings from part-time or casual work. Find out more about work and Jobseeker’s Allowance.
Disqualification from Jobseeker's Allowance

You may be disqualified from getting Jobseeker's Allowance for 9 weeks if you:

Left work voluntarily and without just cause
Lost your job through misconduct
Refused an offer of suitable alternative employment or suitable training

Suitable employment does not include employment in a job that is vacant because of a trade dispute. In addition, the employment must be suitable, having regard to your age, sex, physique, education, normal occupation, where you live, rate of pay offered and your family circumstances.
Reduction in payment

The Social Welfare Act 2010 provides that your payment can be reduced if you:

Refuse an appropriate offer of training by an officer of the Department of Social Protection or FÁS
Decline an intervention under the Employment Action Plan (EAP), do not attend EAP meetings with a FÁS officer under the EAP or drop out of the EAP process

Community Employment Schemes are not considered to be FÁS training opportunities.

If you are:

Age 25 or over, your payment can be reduced to €144
Age 22-24, your payment can be reduced to €111
Age 18-22, your payment can be reduced to €75

Students

If you have just left school you cannot get Jobseeker's Allowance. To get Jobseeker's Allowance you must have been out of school for three months and you must be at least 18 years of age.

Third-level students cannot claim Jobseeker's Allowance or Benefit while they are studying full-time. This disqualification also applies to the summer holiday periods between academic years (unless you are a mature student). However once you have finished college permanently you can claim a jobseeker's payment if you cannot find work. This is also the case if you leave college without finishing your course.
Short-term employment or training

The Department of Social Protection operates a fast-tracking system for people who sign off a jobseeker's payment 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 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.
Work experience for jobseekers

JobBridge, the National Internship Scheme provides work experience for people who have been getting a jobseeker’s payment or signing for credits for at least 3 months. See our document on JobBridge. The Work Placement Programme provides 9 months’ work experience for graduates and other unemployed people. For more information contact your local employment services office.
Rates
Jobseeker Allowance rates in 2013
Maximum rate for people aged 25 or over New and existing claimants Personal rate Increase for a qualified adult Increase for a qualified child
Maximum rate €188 €124.80 €29.80
Maximum rate for people under 25 Age Personal rate Increase for a qualified adult
18 - 21 €100 €100
22 - 24 €144 €124.80

Exceptions to age-related Jobseeker's Allowance payments for people under 25

The reduced age-related personal and qualified adult rates of Jobseeker’s Allowance for claimants under 25 years of age do not apply to:

Claimants with dependent children
People transferring to Jobseeker’s Allowance immediately after finishing their entitlement to Jobseeker’s Benefit
People transferring from Disability Allowance to Jobseeker’s Allowance
Existing Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants who are assessed at the higher rate of allowance, get work but lose that job and are back on Jobseeker’s Allowance within 12 months
People under 25 participating in a course of education, training or Community Employment. (However, when the course ends you will return to an age-related JA payment, if you were getting one before you started the course.)
People who were at least 20 years of age on 30 December 2009 and became unemployed on or before 30 December 2009
People who were 18 or 19 on 30 December 2009 and became unemployed on or before 29 April 2009
People aged 22 to 24 who are taking part in the Work Placement Programme

Certain children in the care of the HSE during the 12 months before reaching 18 years of age are also assessed using the JA rate for people aged 25 or over. This exception only applies between the ages of 18 and 21. From the age of 22, the age-related rate applies.
Payments for dependants

If you qualify for Jobseeker’s Allowance you get an amount for yourself, which is called the 'personal rate of payment'. You may also get an increase in your payment for an adult dependant and any child dependants you may have.

Child dependants
A 'child dependant' is usually a child up to 18 years of age who lives with you.

If you are getting a Jobseeker’s Allowance for at least 156 days and your child is in full-time education, an Increase for a Qualified Child (IQC) will be paid up to 22 years of age or up to the end of the academic year in which he or she reaches 22.

You will only get a half-rate IQC if you and your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant are both getting a social welfare payment. You will each get a half-rate IQC.

Adult dependants
You may get an Increase for a Qualified Adult (IQA) for an adult dependant (this is usually your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant). If you are single, widowed, divorced, separated, a former civil partner or not living with your civil partner, and living with a person aged 16 or over, you can claim an IQC for them but only if he or she is caring for a child dependant of yours. See also 'Means test' above.
Getting paid

You can collect your Jobseeker’s Allowance payment weekly from your nearest Post Office.

You must bring valid photographic identification (photo ID) with you to collect your payment. The following is considered to be valid photo ID:

Driving licence
Passport
GNIB card
EU/EEA nationals may use a National Identity Card

Staff working in the Post Office may ask to see your photo ID before giving you your payment.
Other benefits

See Extra benefits with your Jobseeker's Allowance at the end of this document.
How to apply

You should apply for Jobseeker's Allowance 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 three days of your claim.

Jobseeker's Allowance application forms are available online. You can also get an application form at your social welfare local office or Intreo centre. You will need to bring certain documents to prove your claim. You may find this list of documents you need when you apply for Jobseeker's Allowance useful.

You can get help with filling in your application form at your social welfare local office or nearest Citizens Information Centre.

More information about applying for Jobseeker's Allowance is available in our document about signing on for the first time.
Where to apply

Apply for Jobseeker's Allowance at your social welfare local office or Intreo centre.

If you think you have been wrongly refused Jobseeker's Allowance you can appeal the decision.
Further information
Unavailable for work

You can be regarded as not being available for work and not entitled to Jobseeker's Allowance (JA) or Jobseeker's Benefit (JB) if you put unreasonable restrictions on the following:

The nature of the employment
The hours of work
The rate of pay
The duration of the employment
The location of the employment
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/unemployed_people/jobseekers_allowance.html

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Unemployment benefit in Ireland not a automatic entitlement