self employed claiming the dole?

cojomo2

hey,

If i am self employed, and can only afford to pay myself minimum wage or slightly less, can i claim anything untill i can afford to pay myself more?

probably not but woth asking.

i ask as i see that people that have been cut back to a 3 day week seem to be able to claim and some of them would be earning more in their 3 days than i would in my 6..

thanks

cojomo2

any1 have any advice at all?

zooned

Go to your local social welfare office and sign on for Jobseeker's Allowance.
This is means tested so you will be given an appointment for an interview with a social welfare inspector.
You will have to bring your business accounts for last year and details of your savings and bank accounts and any other details relevant to your situation.

I have heard the Minister of Social Welfare Mary Hanafin say on radio that they will take into account your current circumstances when assessing your claim.
My own experience of this tells me that they do not.
When I applied for JA I explained to the inspector that I had no income.
I had used all my savings and had no other source of income.
When the application was decided I was told that based on my 2008 income they would deduct €233 off my weekly payment.
This left me with €158 per week to feed 2 adults and 2 children. (and of course a mythical €233 which they decided I was earning every week).
There are thousands of self employed people who have no income and who are not entitled to any social welfare assistance.
The unemployment figures do not reflect the true numbers of people out of work because self employed people who have no work do not appear on the register.

greendom

I was self-employed but work virtually dried up this year so looked into my options. If you're an employee the state will provide top ups if you have a family and a low income but not if you're self employed. I had to close the business and get my accountant to confirm I had done this and then go through the means testing process described by zooned.