Losing my job!! :(

MadKat

Hi everyone, i'm in need of a bit of help!
I'm 14weeks pregnant and i have a job in a department store.
They took me on at the end of August last year on a 6 month contract.
They found out i was pregnant and have been dropping hints that at the end of my six month contract i will be let go. I left college at the end of September for financial reasons and i have been told i cannot apply for any social welfare payments untill i am 6 months out of education. I am not living at home i am living with my boyfriend who is on Job Seekers so his income is only 188euro a week. The rent allowance is being stopped as we had to move house due to dampness and we cannot find a house under 400euro a month and according to a new law it has to bit 400euro a month for a couple living in our county. So we are basicly screwed and i don't know what i can do and i shouldn't be stressing like this being pregnant! HELP what can i do?

mp22

Step 1) If and when you are let go,you will apply to be a qualified adult on you BF's claim.(I'm sure he notified the dept that you were working and had his claim adjusted)

Step 2)When the baby is born He/She will be added to the claim.

3) Rent allowance rates increase with the size of a family,reapply when there are 3 of you.,

Lugh Ildanach

If you believe that your termination of employment is due to your pregnancy, then you can claim for unfair dismissal. The burden of proof will be on the employer to prove that they did not discriminate against you on this basis.

If there is any chance of getting more work, then make sure to take it. If you are employed in the last 16 weeks of your pregnancy, you will probably be entitled to Maternity Benefit.

It is not correct that you cannot apply in your own right for a social welfare payment for six months. There is no such rule. As long as you can prove that you've finished college, you can apply for a Jobseekers payment. There is no waiting period after college.

If you have enough PRSI contributions, you may be eligible for Jobseekers Benefit, which may be more beneficial than going on to your partner's claim (although it may not be, you will need to check the figures to see which is more beneficial).

If you don't have the contributions for Jobseekers Benefit, you can still claim Jobseekers Allowance in your own right if you want to do this. This opens up more options for training/education schemes that may be available. You can claim a Jobseekers payment while pregnant, although they excuse you from signing for the last 4 weeks of the pregnancy and the first 12 weeks after the baby is born.

And as the above poster states, rent limits increase when you have a child in the family unit, so consider this again once the child is born, or even talk to your Community Welfare Officer about applying before you have the baby, as they will sometimes allow you to make the move into larger accommodation prior to the birth so that you don't have to run around changing house with a new baby.

For any pregnancy related expenses that come up, you can also apply for an Exceptional Needs Payment from the Community Welfare Officer.