Back To Work Enterprise Allowance

Barker

Confusing information available on the qualifying conditions of the BTWEA. Thought I might see if anyone knows any better than what I can find..?

The Social Welfare's own web site indicates that one of the conditions is that you must be claiming "Jobseeker's Benefit or Assistance for at least 2 years" and that it is then paid at reducing percentages for a total of 4 years.


The Citizens Information's web site indicates that either you must be
"Getting a Jobseeker's Allowance for 12 months" or
"Unemployed for 2 years and getting Jobseeker's Benefit" or
"if you have an underlying entitlement to Jobseeker's Allowance and are unemployed for one year you can qualify for the allowance."
It states that it is paid for two years in reducing percentages.


So. Which information is correct?
If you are unemployed on Jobseeker's Benefit for 1 year (which then runs out and you have to start a claim for Jobseeker's Allowance, do you qualify or do you not?

snubbleste

Barker wrote: »

So. Which information is correct?
If you are unemployed on Jobseeker's Benefit for 1 year (which then runs out and you have to start a claim for Jobseeker's Allowance, do you qualify or do you not?

They are both right but the second one is more so. :cool:

..be 12 months on the Live Register and getting Jobseeker's Benefit or Jobseeker's Allowance. A person on Jobseekers Benefit must have an underlying entitlement to Jobseekers Allowance.
If there is no jobseekers allowance entitlement, the qualifying period for a Jobseekers Benefit recipient is two years.

You can apply after one year if you are eligible for JA ie. satisfy means-testing and other conditions

Barker

Thanks for the response.
I did't think you can claim JB for 2 years? I thought most people's contributions only gives them up to 12 months...

So if I have been on JB for 1 year, I might be eligible if my situation hasn't changed and entitled to JA... That correct?

So I have to wait for them to process my JA application which takes several weeks before I can apply for BTWEA.

Joy!

Thanks for the help..

I Drink It Up!

I have been on JSA for almost 1 year. I also heard word that it had gone to 6 months now before you could get onto the BTWA. I have a good plan but I am looking for ways of presenting my ideas without giving anything away first.

Barker

Ah sorry - get the 2 years JB qualification thing now...

snubbleste

Barker wrote: »

Thanks for the response.
I did't think you can claim JB for 2 years? I thought most people's contributions only gives them up to 12 months...
So if I have been on JB for 1 year, I might be eligible if my situation hasn't changed and entitled to JA... That correct?
So I have to wait for them to process my JA application which takes several weeks before I can apply for BTWEA.

If you think/know you meet the criteria for JA and have been receiving JB/JA for 12 months, then there is no harm in applying for the Btwea now.

I Drink It Up!

Does anyone have any practical experience of the BTW scheme? How stringent are they? Do you have to be Ernst&Young Entrp. of the year to be accepted???:cool:

Nehaxak

I was on the original scheme about, erm, I think 12 years ago or something at this stage. Stayed on it for just over a year before I decided to take a full time career change.

I thought it was excellent and a great incentive at the time. There wasn't a great many support structures in place back then other than a short few days tax/book-keeping course and some very small funding opportunities for advertising.
The main benefit I got was the ability to just do what I wanted as a sole trader (odd jobs, short contracts, etc.,) while keeping the social welfare (100%) as a backup payment for the first year while you got yourself sorted, less pressure, nothing really to lose. Second year it was 75%, third was 50% and final (4th) year of the scheme you got 25% of your welfare.

Went about asking into the whole thing again around a week ago and was seriously put off by it all. Asking me for qualifications, education, business degree's and whatnot. All seemed a bit iffy to me, maybe it was just the bloke I was talking too, I dunno. Just seemed like he didn't want to know, couldn't care less, didn't want to help and that I was going to be put through the third degree just because I wanted to take the chance myself of going it as a sole trader and see what I can make of it with something to fall back on in case it took a while to get going.

All I wanted was a "yes no problem" - I'd do all the rest myself and it'd be me off the welfare making a go of it on my own, rather than being bored stupid and sitting on my arse getting pissed off sending CV's around and for the most part not even getting a reply.

My benefit runs out soon enough and I'll be going on JSA, I'd prefer to go straight onto something like this instead and pick up anything and everything I could, while also starting a small internet based business and some consultancy work.

The scheme back then was about getting unemployed people back into the workplace by pushing them to create work and jobs for themselves rather than having to rely on other businesses to create employment.
If they ended up creating business that further employed people then great stuff, if they just continued as a sole/self employed person then fair enough also as it gave them hope and opportunities with nothing to lose really in the first year and something at least in the following years of the scheme.

Doesn't seem to be the case now and I don't know what to make of it all.
Reckon I'll push ahead with trying for it anyway, going above that guy if I get the runaround again.

dermothickey

For me it was simple enough told them my idea, she told me what to do bring in income tax registration certificate, fill in a business idea application style thing and that was it, Though the person from the local partnership group signed off and approved my business plan. She then rang the woman in the welfare office up and told her I'd a solid business plan. There is a backlog of a few weeks before the money will go in to the bank account instead of the post office collection though. All in all your one I was dealing with was easy going, Im sure its probably all down to the person themselves.Was half thinking that anyone who even wanted to go around washing windows could go on it, doing odd jobs keep them off your back while you work away instead of looking over your shoulder all the time.The 1st year is 100% of your dole and the second is 75% and thats it. There used to be a four year option but its gone now.

Barker

Nehaxax,
Yeah, I was sorta hoping for the same. The BTWEA seems like a good idea - though not without risk; if I can't get much work on my own as a sole trader (and the market is pretty dead) then gonna be struggling in 1-2 years time without ANY benefits to fall back on.

Tis a gamble I suppose.

Nothing is made easy by the welfare is it? Can't believe the amount of time everything takes, the pi ssing around and the lack of information. I know they are busy but you get the feeling sometimes that they would quite like people to complain higher than them so that they can argue that they are understaffed and overstretched. Maybe they are, I don't know - but theres alot of scope for efficiency from what I can see.

Hey ho - thanks for the replies lads.

I Drink It Up!

dermothickey wrote: »

For me it was simple enough told them my idea, she told me what to do bring in income tax registration certificate, fill in a business idea application style thing and that was it, Though the person from the local partnership group signed off and approved my business plan. She then rang the woman in the welfare office up and told her I'd a solid business plan. There is a backlog of a few weeks before the money will go in to the bank account instead of the post office collection though. All in all your one I was dealing with was easy going, Im sure its probably all down to the person themselves.Was half thinking that anyone who even wanted to go around washing windows could go on it, doing odd jobs keep them off your back while you work away instead of looking over your shoulder all the time.The 1st year is 100% of your dole and the second is 75% and thats it. There used to be a four year option but its gone now.

Hi Dermot...the delays and all that sound like the usual Department stuff....I was waiting 4 months for my JSA....so it ain't all that new, this waiting game, at least it has given me the time to cultivate this caper and get it up and running. As soon as I am good to go, I am going to come back here and offer you all an exciting product for a really reasonable price.....next to nothing price in terms of the fun you will have!!!

Sparky J

Just wondering what are yer thoughts on the Short Term scheme as opposed to the main BTWEA scheme.
I'm out of work 3 months so am looking into this but i've heard it could take 3 months to get the business plan approved so that would only give me 6months of self-employment work while recieving the 100% JB.

Also would anyone know if you can become a shareholder in another start-up company while on any of these schemes so long as you don't recieve payment from that company?

Barker

I think the year would start once the process is complete ...?

Barker

It isn't actually JB or JA - its another scheme - they just match the payments I think.

Perhaps one thing to keep in mind though is that after a year of this you wouldn't be entitled to benefits as you wouldn't have paid the correct PRSI (I think) - perhaps someone could clarify that..?

Sparky J

Barker wrote: »

I think the year would start once the process is complete ...?

Unfortunately not, you only can recieve the STEA payments until your current entitlement of JB runs out, so that 9months from now for me.
You are allowed to keep any benefits such as rent supp during this though which is a plus.

However the risk of having no benefits in 9months if the self-employment thing doesn't pan out is a downside alright.

Barker

Shish my kebabs. You're right about the JB. Hardly an incentive is it? They should work it through somehow.. How you supposed to get a business up and running with decent drawings in that time?

I really don't get why JB exists. What's wrong with going straight onto JA?

dermothickey

In the context of starting a business your right Barker but if not, Jobseekers benefit is your stamps its your money not theirs..whereas JA is their handout to you, as far as I'm aware thats their outlook on it.I stand corrected.