help!carers benefit to JB @lowest rate

forgodssake

hi all
am new to this site,so sorry if post is confusing!
ok im returning to work soon(on reduced days, employers request) after being on carers benefit for 2 years.SW have told me i will only get 14.08 euro per day for each day i sign on:eek:.i will only be working twelve hours/two days per week.im so bewildered i always though my entitlements to SW were protected while on CB.apparently because i earned under 150.00 per week whilst on CB this is all im entitled to.:mad: is this correct even though while on CB you cant work more than 15 hrs per week outside of home?i live with my partner who earns 480.00 per week and have 3 children.i have over 500 prsi contributions and my wages before were always above 350.00 per week. im so confused so anyone with some advice please help me .
thanks in advance x

Lugh Ildanach

This sounds about right for Jobseekers Benefit at the lowest rate.

Your social insurance record is kept up to date while you are on Carer's payment, but that's not the same as saying you're in the same position as you would be if you were working. Your PRSI contributions while in receipt of Carers are creditted contributions, not paid ones, and this can lead to a lower rate of payment.

You have the alternative of applying for optional Jobseekers Allowance to bring you up to the full Jobseekers rate, although this will be means tested due to your partner's income, so you won't get a full payment.

If after your reduced Jobseekers and your partner's income, your total family income is still less than 703 Euro/week, your partner can apply for FIS (provided he is an employee and you are working 19 hours a week between the two of you) http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Schemes/BirthChildrenAndFamilies/ChildRelatedPayments/Pages/fis.aspx

Lugh Ildanach

How much are you bringing in yourself? If you let us know, then someone can let you know if FIS for your partner by itself or Jobseekers for you and FIS for your partner is better.

Also, do you get rent or mortgage supplement? Do you have a medical card?

forgodssake

hi lugh Iidanach,
i will be earning 137.83 per week net pay.
we get interest back on mortgage payment each month is that the same as supplement sorry im not sure.and yes we currently have a medical card its on review at the mo,
thanks for your replies.

Lugh Ildanach

OK, with those figures, I reckon it would be much the same whether you applied for Jobseekers Allowance by itself or a combination of FIS/JA. Either way, it should get you a few extra Euro than your reduced Jobseekers Benefit.

I reckon you would be entitled to an optional Jobseekers Allowance payment of about 91.50 instead of your current Jobseekers Benefit of 56.32 (4 days x 14.08).

If one of the days you work is a Sunday though, the calcuation would be a little different, as Sunday working affects the two payments slightly differently. You'd probably still be better off on optional JA, although the difference would be less.

If you find at any time in the future that you want to switch back from optinoal Jobseekers Allowance to JObseekers Benefit, you can.

Alternatively, if your partner was to apply for FIS as well, you would be entitled to an optional Jobseekers Allowance of 77.36 (as the means test is applied differently when one partner is on FIS), and your partner would qualify for the minimum FIS payment of 20 Euro. So that would be a total social welfare payment of 97.36

Given that FIS applications take 5 months or more, the extra 6 Euro a week may not be worth the hassle.

On those figures you'd probably not be entitled to any mortgage interest supplement, but it sounds like what you're getting at the minute is mortgage interest relief, which is something different. How much is the interest portion of your mortgage? Unless it is more than 890 Euro/month, mortgage interest supplement won't apply.

A word of caution on the above figures, I've used your figures without questioning them, there are various disregards that may apply, so if you want someone to give you a precise calculation you should really call into your local Citizens Information Office with all the relevant payslips and they should be able to tell you exactly what you should be getting.

Lugh Ildanach

Also, if you are going to apply for optional Jobseekers Allowance, ask them to backdate it to the start of your claim.

If they won't, then you should request a copy of your file under the Freedom of Information Act and have a look at a copy of the form that you first applied for JObseekers on. There is a box where you can ask for optional Jobseekers Allowance. If you have ticked this box, then you should have been paid the optional Jobseekers automatically!

forgodssake

Lugh Ildanach wrote: »

Also, if you are going to apply for optional Jobseekers Allowance, ask them to backdate it to the start of your claim.

If they won't, then you should request a copy of your file under the Freedom of Information Act and have a look at a copy of the form that you first applied for JObseekers on. There is a box where you can ask for optional Jobseekers Allowance. If you have ticked this box, then you should have been paid the optional Jobseekers automatically!

thanks so much, that has really helped me, i have ticked that little box i cant follow the means testing and assessable income etc so thanks for all your help ive been enlightened!
it is mortgage interest relief were getting and last year we paid in march 1316.31,in june 1706.99,in sep 1699.68 and in dec 1674.21 in interest.