What does Budget 2010 mean for you?

cee_jay

Changes announced in this Budget take place from 30 December 2009.

The main changes announced are Jobseekers' Allowance reduced for under-25s and in cases where job offers have been refused, and child benefit reduced by €16 per month.

For all NEW applicants from 30th December 2009, the rate for Jobseekers Allowance is as follows:
Aged 18 - 21: Weekly rate is now €100 per week.
Aged 22 - 24: Weekly rate is now €150 per week.

If you are in the above age brackets, and currently in receipt of a payment, your payment will not be reduced to the above.
If you are in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance, and have refused job offers, your payment can also be reduced to €150 per week regardless of your age.

Weekly rates of payment for people under age 66 will reduce by between 3.5% -4.2%.
Qualified Allowance for spouse or partner will reduce by 4.1%.

See this table for a guide to revised payment rates.

Older people will continue to get their State Pension at current rates as well as the Free Travel, Free TV Licence, Electricity or Gas Allowance.
Allowances such as the Living Alone Allowance, Over 80 Age Allowance and Fuel Allowances will not change.
See here for more information.

Child benefit has been reduced by €16 per month per child. This page shows the new rates in relation to the old rates.

Increase of €3.80 per week in Qualified Child Increase for people who are dependent on a weekly social welfare payment. New weekly rate will be €29.80.
Family Income Supplement weekly income thresholds will increase by €6 per child per week.

jaffa20

"For all NEW applicants from 30th December 2009, the rate for Jobseekers Benefit/Allowance is as follows:
Aged 18 - 21: Weekly rate is now €100 per week.
Aged 22 - 24: Weekly rate is now €150 per week."

I'm 24, I have worked an paid prsi for the last year. It is likely i may lose my job next year. Does that mean i will only get 150 per week despite having paid a substantion amount of prsi?:( I thought it would only be jobseeksers allowance and not benefit only.

LeahBaby

so in my case im 21 getting js benefit. my payment will stay 204 until a apply for assistance then down to 100?

Anna23

I receive 204.30 a week, unemployment benefit, I am over 25, does this mean from the 1st of January 2010 the unemployment benefit will be brought down to 196.00 euro? Or the over 25's are not affected?

Source: The Budget 2010.

"In the case of working age rates of payment there will be a reduction of about 4.1 per cent"

Is everyone on unemployment getting their benefit reduced to 196.00 E. Sorry I just dont know what to understand anymore. I am also waiting for mortgage relief from the Health Office which they have been dealing with my claim since September 09, and all i get is letters saying we need something else, even though I have provided them with what they have requested already. I dont know what else to understand.

Thanks

Anna

cee_jay

jaffa20 wrote: »

"For all NEW applicants from 30th December 2009, the rate for Jobseekers Benefit/Allowance is as follows:
Aged 18 - 21: Weekly rate is now €100 per week.
Aged 22 - 24: Weekly rate is now €150 per week."

I'm 24, I have worked an paid prsi for the last year. It is likely i may lose my job next year. Does that mean i will only get 150 per week despite having paid a substantion amount of prsi?:( I thought it would only be jobseeksers allowance and not benefit only.

Sorry typed that wrong - it is Allowance that is affected by the under 25 reduction.

jasjnr

I'm a first year mature student in UL on BTEA. According to the budget I will no longer qualify for the maintenance grant! There is a substantial amount of mature students in college at the moment relying on the maintenance grant to pay their fees and living costs. I can see a lot of people having to drop out because of this!

cee_jay

LeahBaby & Anna23, your payments will be reduced by 4.1%, so instead of 204.30, you will be getting 196 euro per week.
http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Topics/Budget/bud10/Pages/bud10s7.aspx

People transferring to Jobseeker’s Allowance immediately after finishing their entitlement to Jobseeker’s Benefit should not be affected by the reduction to 100/150 euro either if the current rules for under 20s apply.

the reduced personal and qualified adult rate of Jobseeker’s Allowance for claimants under 20 years of age will not apply in the following cases:

* Claimants with dependent children
* Claimants with a qualified adult and 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
* Where an existing Jobseeker’s Allowance claimant gets a job and stops claiming the allowance but loses that job an ends up back on Jobseeker’s Allowance within 12 months
* People aged 18 and 19 participating in a Youthreach course for young early school leavers or a full-time course in a Senior Traveller Training Centre
* Claimants who qualify for the Back to Education Allowance full-time second level course or post Leaving Cert course
* People aged 18 to 19 participating in a full-time FAS training course.

When a person on reduced Jobseeker’s Allowance reaches the age of 20, if they still qualify, they will be entitled to the full adult rate.

Hopefully the above conditions still stand with the increased ages. I don't think that has been announced officially yet however.

jaffa20

cAr0l wrote: »

Sorry typed that wrong - it is Allowance that is affected by the under 25 reduction.

Phew. Well, hope i don't lose my job anyway. It's all very confusing.

billy the squid

have you a link to that?

cee_jay

A link to which Billy?

emzolita

im 23 and on disability allowance, besides the 50c for every item on my prescription, which will prob work out at about 15euro a month, (and you can be sure this fee will rise every year) has the D.A been affected, i cant see?

and im hoping to go back to Uni in sept as a mature student, I was told i was eligable for BTEA and a maintenance grant, does anyone know has this changed???
cheers

cee_jay

emzolita wrote: »

im 23 and on disability allowance, besides the 50c for every item on my prescription, which will prob work out at about 15euro a month, (and you can be sure this fee will rise every year) has the D.A been affected, i cant see?

and im hoping to go back to Uni in sept as a mature student, I was told i was eligable for BTEA and a maintenance grant, does anyone know has this changed???
cheers

Disability Allowance has been cut to €196.
http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Topics/Budget/bud10/Pages/bud10s7.aspx

fend

Id BTEA still 205? Or has that changed?

billy the squid

emzolita wrote: »

im 23 and on disability allowance, besides the 50c for every item on my prescription, which will prob work out at about 15euro a month, (and you can be sure this fee will rise every year) has the D.A been affected, i cant see?

and im hoping to go back to Uni in sept as a mature student, I was told i was eligable for BTEA and a maintenance grant, does anyone know has this changed???
cheers

There is a cap of €10 per month on the prescription charges.

billy the squid

fend wrote: »

Id BTEA still 205? Or has that changed?

BTEA is 196, but by the look of it, the grant is gone for BTEA recipients.

lmahoney79

I cant see anywhere if Rent Allowance is affected?

dragona

lmahoney79 wrote: »

I cant see anywhere if Rent Allowance is affected?

http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Topics/Budget/bud10/Pages/bud10s8.aspx



At the bottom it says Rent Supplement
The minimum contribution remains unchanged. Rent limits will be reviewed to reflect reductions in private rent levels (during 2010).

Gael23

Im on DA so €8.30 a week. What was the grant for BTEA? I will hopefully be switching to that in the near future.

katana1

I will be down about 11 euro PW.I have spinal problems and have 8 items on prescription--4 euro.
They will bring in water rates and property tax and when this happens I am basically unable to live.
sorry forgot to mention I will not be able to afford to heat the house and my broadband and any other luxury will have to go as I am stretched to the limit as it is.:mad:

Grafenwalder

Hi Carol was wondering if u could clear this up

I am 24 and claiming job seekers allowance I thought it was u 23s that were gonna get targeted? Am i right in sayin it is under 25's?

I work 2 days so i get 172.40 out of 204.30

If its reduced to 150 per wk for u25s then il be gettin 120 ish?

Thats 50euro? And not 4.1 % ?

Oh dear....

cee_jay

Grafenwalder wrote: »

Hi Carol was wondering if u could clear this up

I am 24 and claiming job seekers allowance I thought it was u 23s that were gonna get targeted? Am i right in sayin it is under 25's?

I work 2 days so i get 172.40 out of 204.30

If its reduced to 150 per wk for u25s then il be gettin 120 ish?

Thats 50euro? And not 4.1 % ?

Oh dear....

Because you are already in payment from JSA, you don't drop to 150 per week. However your weekly rate drops by approx 4% to €196 from 204.30.

Grafenwalder

Many thanks Carol.

kevinmcc

Was wondering if anyone could answer me this?

I'm 23, was on Jobseekers Allowance this year at the 204 euro rate, found a job in America for a year so will finish that in July and come back home. Does this mean I'm only entitled to the 150 rate? Seriously sucks if it does, I don't see the sense in penalising me for actually getting off my ass and getting a job, whereas if I'd stayed on it, I'd have gotten the full 196 rate!

Also I read you can get the full rate if you go on an approved training course? Am I exempt if I already have a Degree and Diploma? I seriously doubt a FAS qualification will be of higher value than the qualifications I already have.

cee_jay

kevinmcc wrote: »

Was wondering if anyone could answer me this?

I'm 23, was on Jobseekers Allowance this year at the 204 euro rate, found a job in America for a year so will finish that in July and come back home. Does this mean I'm only entitled to the 150 rate? Seriously sucks if it does, I don't see the sense in penalising me for actually getting off my ass and getting a job, whereas if I'd stayed on it, I'd have gotten the full 196 rate!

Also I read you can get the full rate if you go on an approved training course? Am I exempt if I already have a Degree and Diploma? I seriously doubt a FAS qualification will be of higher value than the qualifications I already have.

Currently the reduced personal and qualified adult rate of Jobseeker’s Allowance for claimants under 20 years of age will not apply in the following cases:

* Claimants with dependent children
* Claimants with a qualified adult and 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
* Where an existing Jobseeker’s Allowance claimant gets a job and stops claiming the allowance but loses that job an ends up back on Jobseeker’s Allowance within 12 months
* People aged 18 and 19 participating in a Youthreach course for young early school leavers or a full-time course in a Senior Traveller Training Centre
* Claimants who qualify for the Back to Education Allowance full-time second level course or post Leaving Cert course
* People aged 18 to 19 participating in a full-time FAS training course.

When a person on reduced Jobseeker’s Allowance reaches the age of 20, if they still qualify, they will be entitled to the full adult rate.

Hopefully the above conditions still stand with the increased ages. I don't think that has been announced officially yet however.

And as for the FAS Course, I got more value and learnt more out of the FAS course I did for a year after I finished my degree. Don't knock it til you try it

Balagan

billy the squid wrote: »

BTEA is 196, but by the look of it, the grant is gone for BTEA recipients.

Anyone have fairly definite answers to the following

If you started 4 year college course this September 2009, on BTEA and with a County Council grant of which you have received the first one/third payment of 1,100 (ish) Euro last month

can you

a) expect to retain that grant minus the announced 5% reduction and receive the next payment in Jan/Feb and rest later this year?

b) will you be able to apply for the grant again for next Sep/October or will your being in receipt of BTEA mean that you can't apply for the grant at all again but will have your fees/student charges paid?

mud

jasjnr wrote: »

I'm a first year mature student in UL on BTEA. According to the budget I will no longer qualify for the maintenance grant! There is a substantial amount of mature students in college at the moment relying on the maintenance grant to pay their fees and living costs. I can see a lot of people having to drop out because of this!

Balagan wrote: »

Anyone have fairly definite answers to the following

If you started 4 year college course this September 2009, on BTEA and with a County Council grant of which you have received the first one/third payment of 1,100 (ish) Euro last month

can you

a) expect to retain that grant minus the announced 5% reduction and receive the next payment in Jan/Feb and rest later this year?

b) will you be able to apply for the grant again for next Sep/October or will your being in receipt of BTEA mean that you can't apply for the grant at all again but will have your fees/student charges paid?

These questions are important to me also. Any chance of a bit of clarification? According to some people, if I'm in the system this year then I can continue to receive both BTEA and Co.Council grant. That the changes are effective from next Sept.

Others say that it's either/or. I'm on BTEA and waiting for my grant. I'm a 1st year mature student.

Cheers.

Balagan

mud wrote: »

These questions are important to me also. Any chance of a bit of clarification? According to some people, if I'm in the system this year then I can continue to receive both BTEA and Co.Council grant. That the changes are effective from next Sept.

Others say that it's either/or. I'm on BTEA and waiting for my grant. I'm a 1st year mature student.

Cheers.

Okay, my family member concerned with this called into the County Council and got confirmation that the grant payments while on BTEA will be paid as promised for this academic year, with the 5% reduction (unfortunately Mud, if you haven't yet received the first installment, it will come with the 5% reduction too.) The Council staff member was not sure if, although going into 2nd year next Sept/Oct, my family member would be eligible for BTEA and Grant. The Council is waiting to see what emerges in terms of clarification on the legislation. Unbelievable that all this time after the budget, it is still not clear. And a sign of how bad the times are that we simply have to accept this uncertainty. Though I don't understand how quiet everyone is about it. Maybe the McCarthy/An Bord Snip report prepared the ground so well that all the fight is gone, along with the money.

PolishGuy

The following information is of particular relevance to 18/19 year old individuals which have applied for jobseeker's allowance before the 30th of December 2009.

The are several Government aided websites namely www.citzensinformation.ie and www.welfare.ie which display incorrect, misleading and illegal information regarding what certain jobseeker allowance claimants are entitled to.

Those in question which have encountered difficulties because of certain Government departments not working within legislation and Irish law should seek legal advice.

The following has been sourced from http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/social-welfare/social-welfare-payments/unemployed-people/jobseekers-allowance

Jobseeker's Allowance maximum rate for people under 25 years of age
Age Personal rate Increase for a Qualified Adult Applies to
18 - 19 €100 €100 New and existing claimants
20 - 21 €100 €100 New claimants
22 - 24 €150 €130.10 New claimants


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 in the following cases:

* 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
* Where an existing Jobseeker’s Allowance claimant is assessed at the higher rate of allowance gets work but loses that job and is 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.
* You were at least 20 years of age on 30 December 2009 and became unemployed on or before 30 December 2009
* You were 18 or 19 on 30 December 2009 and you became unemployed on or before 29 April 2009
* You are 22 to 24 and taking part in the Work Placement Programme run by FÁS.

Certain children in the care of the HSE during the 12 months before reaching 18 years of age will also be assessed using the JA rate for people aged 25 or over.

The fact of the matter is as long as the 18/19 year-old signed on before the changes in Budget 2010 came into effect older rules will apply.

"You were at least 20 years of age on 30 December 2009 and became unemployed on or before 30 December 2009"

Incorrect. An 18/19 year old which signed on before the 30th December 2009 will receive the higher amount of Jobseeker's allowance once they reach 20 years of age because this was set in Budget 2009.

"You were 18 or 19 on 30 December 2009 and you became unemployed on or before 29 April 2009"

Misleading. The definition of unemployed according to Irish law is the following:

Unemployment Assistance Act, 1933

4.—(1) A person shall not be deemed to be unemployed within the meaning of this Act—
[GA]

( a ) on any day on which he works for wages or other remuneration, whether paid in money or in goods or otherwise howsoever, nor
[GA]

( b ) during any period which is in respect, of such person an employment period within the meaning of this section.
[GA]

(2) For the purposes of this Act two periods of unemployment of not less than two days each, separated by a period of not more than two days during which a person has not been employed for more than twenty-four hours, shall in relation to such person be treated as a continuous period of unemployment, and the expression "continuously unemployed" shall have a corresponding meaning.
[GA]

(3) The Minister may by regulations made by him under this Act prescribe, either generally or in respect of any particular class or classes of persons or any particular district or districts, any period to be an employment period and accordingly no person of such class or resident in such district shall during such employment period be regarded as unemployed within the meaning of this Act.

Information sourced from http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Publications/sw19/Pages/sw19_sect6.aspx

Jobseeker's Allowance maximum rate for people under 25 years of age
Age Personal rate Increase for a Qualified Adult Applies to
18 - 19 €100 €100 New and existing claimants
20 - 21 €100 €100 New claimants
22 - 24 €150 €130.10 New claimants

Where a claimant of Jobseeker’s Allowance is aged under 18 - 21 years, the rate applicable to 18 to 21 year olds shown above does not apply where/to:

* The period of unemployment commenced on or before December 30, 2009.

When a person on reduced Jobseeker’s Allowance reaches the age of 20, if they still qualify, they will be entitled to the full adult rate.

Amendments made in the Budget 2010 came into effect after the 30th of December 2009. If a claimant signed on before the 30th of December 2009 then the older rules apply. *From 1 May 2009 to 31 Dec 2009* in some cases.

SOCIAL WELFARE (CONSOLIDATED CLAIMS, PAYMENTS AND
CONTROL) (AMENDMENT) (NO. 7) (CHANGE IN RATES)
REGULATIONS 2009
(Prn. A9/1945)
2 [584]
S.I. No. 584 of 2009
SOCIAL WELFARE (CONSOLIDATED CLAIMS, PAYMENTS AND
CONTROL) (AMENDMENT) (NO. 7) (CHANGE IN RATES)
REGULATIONS 2009
The Minister for Social and Family Affairs, in exercise of the powers conferred
on her by sections 2 (as amended by sections 8 and 9 of the Social Welfare
(Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2008 (No. 22 of 2008)), 3 (as amended by section
37 and Schedule 7 of the Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Act 2006),
4 (as amended by section 17 and Schedule 3 of the Social Welfare Law Reform
and Pensions Act 2006), 41 (as amended by section 15(1)(a) of the Social Welfare
(Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2008), 49 (as amended by section 4 and
Schedule 1 of the Social Welfare Law Reform and Pensions Act 2006), 53 (as
amended by Section 16(1) of the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act
2008), 60 (as amended by section 4 and Schedule 1 of the Social Welfare Law
Reform and Pensions Act 2006), 64 (as amended by section 18(1) of the Social
Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2008, 125, 178A (amended by section
23 of the Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2007), and 297 of the Social Welfare
Consolidation Act 2005 (No. 26 of 2005), hereby makes the following
Regulations:
Citation and construction.
1. (1) These regulations may be cited as the Social Welfare (Consolidated
Claims, Payments and Control) (Amendment) (No.7) (Increase Change in
Rates) Regulations 2009.
(2) These regulations and the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments
and Control) Regulations 2007 to 2009 shall be construed together as one and
may be cited together as the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments
and Control) Regulations 2007 to 2009.
Commencement.
2. These regulations come into operation—
(a) in so far as they relate to jobseeker’s allowance, pre-retirement allowance
and farm assist, on 30 December 2009,
(b) in so far as they relate to jobseeker’s benefit, on 31 December 2009,

AN BILLE LEASA SHÓISIALAIGH AGUS PINSEAN
(UIMH. 2) 2009
SOCIAL WELFARE AND PENSIONS (NO. 2) BILL 20094.—(1) Schedule 4 to the Principal Act (as amended by section 11
of the Act of 2009) is amended by substituting the Parts set out in
Schedule 2 for Parts 1 and 3 of the said Schedule 4.
(2) This section comes into operation—
(a) in so far as it relates to jobseeker’s allowance, pre-retire- 25
ment allowance and farm assist, on 30 December 2009.

snubbleste

Anyone know when this 50c per presciption item on Medical Cards kicks in? It was provisionaly stated as April 1st in the budget, has the implementation date closed?

katana1

snubbleste wrote: »

Anyone know when this 50c per presciption item on Medical Cards kicks in? It was provisionaly stated as April 1st in the budget, has the implementation date closed?

I asked in my local pharmacy and they seem to be as in the dark as the rest of us..

Fionn MacCool

Wow. Just had my weekly rate cut from €204 to €100 because I missed my signing date and had to re-sign. So that's been 3 months without any money and now I've to live off about €40 a week.

eyesofvenus

I was on €153.60(Hard enough to get by on)p/w on JSB, that has run dry and applied for JSA, will i get the seriously low amount of €130 p/w? If so I may as well look for work abroad cause after my finances are paid il have about €30 a month to socialise