Can I get job seekers benefit if I have been traveling for 1 year and a half?

LegacyUser

Hi I have been traveling around Asia for a year and 4 months without working. Can I get jobseeker benefit?

mrsbyrne

To qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit you must:

Be unemployed (you must be fully unemployed or unemployed for at least 3 days out of 6)
Be under 66 years of age
Have enough social insurance (PRSI) contributions
Be capable of work
Be available for and genuinely seeking work
Have had a substantial loss of employment and as a result be unemployed for at least 3 days out of 6.
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.

At least 104 weeks PRSI paid since you first started work
And

Have 39 weeks PRSI paid or credited in the relevant tax year (a minimum of 13 weeks must be paid contributions*)2009 is last tax year for a claimant in 2011
Or

Have 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 paid 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 2011, the Relevant Tax Year is 2009.

There are a number of circumstances in which you will 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 will 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 six consecutive days to be eligible for Jobseeker's Benefit. 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 3 days out of 6 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, in practice, depend on the precise amount of redundancy payment you received - see below.
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 3 days out of 6 days. You may continue to get Jobseeker's Benefit if you can only find part-time or casual work. More information is available about work and Jobseeker’s Benefit.

LegacyUser

I'd say that surely answered your question ^^^^


Were you working before you left?
If you have over 2 years worked in your either working life and 39 weeks worked in 2009 you can claim JSB.