Conditions for Job Seekers Benefit

e02bf0c5

Having recently become unemployed, I thought I surely must qualify for job seekers benefit but there appear to be fairly arbitrary requirements... or maybe I'm reading this wrong.



To qualify you need:

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

And

- 39 weeks PRSI paid or credited in the relevant tax year (a minimum of 13 weeks must be paid contributions*)

Or

- 26 weeks PRSI paid in the relevant tax year and 26 weeks PRSI paid in the tax year immediately before the relevant tax year.



Having worked more than 2 years in my life, I satisfy the first requirement but the 2nd part seems to say you need at least to have worked at least half of the current year.
I have 21 weeks put in this year (plus 4 weeks in lieu so 25 in total I think) so I apparently do not qualify.

Does this not mean though that anyone who loses their job in the first half of the year does not qualify for it regardless of how many years they've worked or contributions made???

Tigger

Donno but it means that my 15 years of self employment mean nothing

jjll

e02bf0c5 wrote: »

Having recently become unemployed, I thought I surely must qualify for job seekers benefit but there appear to be fairly arbitrary requirements... or maybe I'm reading this wrong.



To qualify you need:

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

And

- 39 weeks PRSI paid or credited in the relevant tax year (a minimum of 13 weeks must be paid contributions*)

Or

- 26 weeks PRSI paid in the relevant tax year and 26 weeks PRSI paid in the tax year immediately before the relevant tax year.



Having worked more than 2 years in my life, I satisfy the first requirement but the 2nd part seems to say you need at least to have worked at least half of the current year.
I have 21 weeks put in this year (plus 4 weeks in lieu so 25 in total I think) so I apparently do not qualify.

Does this not mean though that anyone who loses their job in the first half of the year does not qualify for it regardless of how many years they've worked or contributions made???

You will be assesed for jobseekers allowance

wokingvoter

e02bf0c5 wrote: »

Having recently become unemployed, I thought I surely must qualify for job seekers benefit but there appear to be fairly arbitrary requirements... or maybe I'm reading this wrong.



To qualify you need:

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

And

- 39 weeks PRSI paid or credited in the relevant tax year (a minimum of 13 weeks must be paid contributions*)

Or

- 26 weeks PRSI paid in the relevant tax year and 26 weeks PRSI paid in the tax year immediately before the relevant tax year.



Having worked more than 2 years in my life, I satisfy the first requirement but the 2nd part seems to say you need at least to have worked at least half of the current year.
I have 21 weeks put in this year (plus 4 weeks in lieu so 25 in total I think) so I apparently do not qualify.

Does this not mean though that anyone who loses their job in the first half of the year does not qualify for it regardless of how many years they've worked or contributions made???

The relevant tax year for this year is 2014.
You need to have 39 credits or contributions in 2014, but at least 13 must be actual contributions.

if you had continued reading that page you would have seen that:

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

And
•39 weeks PRSI paid or credited in the relevant tax year (a minimum of 13 weeks must be paid contributions*)

Or
•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 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 2016, the relevant tax year is 2014.

Thargor

If you don't get benefit you'll just get the allowance, same money, no difference that I can see anymore...

njs030

Thargor wrote: »

If you don't get benefit you'll just get the allowance, same money, no difference that I can see anymore...

Jobseekers allowance is means tested.

Canadel

notjustsweet wrote: »

Jobseekers allowance is means tested.

For under 25s only?

njs030

Canadel wrote: »

For under 25s only?

For everyone as far as i know.

Canadel

notjustsweet wrote: »

For everyone as far as i know.

Though anyone over the age of 25 could just go for the €188..

njs030

Canadel wrote: »

Though anyone over the age of 25 could just go for the €188..

Well I'm open to correction if you can post a link?

Canadel

Canadel wrote: »

Though anyone over the age of 25 could just go for the €188..

If you have enough stamps you get Unemployment Benefit.
Otherwise you have to be means tested (Jobseekers Allowance) and if you satisfy that means test and are over 25, you may get €188.

wokingvoter

Canadel wrote: »

For under 25s only?

For everyone

wokingvoter

notjustsweet wrote: »

Well I'm open to correction if you can post a link?

There you go:


http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/unemployed_people/jobseekers_allowance.html

Tasden

Canadel wrote: »

For under 25s only?

Under 25s get a reduced rate regardless of income but everybody is subject to means test for the allowance. Jobseekers benefit can be paid regradless of partner's earnings for example, but allowance is means tested so if your partner earns a lot then you may not be entitled to a payment or it will be a reduced rate. The age related reduction is different to the means test.

njs030

wokingvoter wrote: »

There you go:


http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/unemployed_people/jobseekers_allowance.html

I said that it was means tested for everyone, it was the other poster who insisted it was for under 25s.

wokingvoter

notjustsweet wrote: »

I said that it was means tested for everyone, it was the other poster who insisted it was for under 25s.

Sorry about that. Maybe he spotted the link anyway