Move from Jobseekers allowance to benefit?

lolo62

Can anyone explain this to me because I don't understand how contributions work.

I currently work one day a week in a private school and one day a week self employed. I currently receive jobseekers allowance. I had always been on jobseekers benefit during summer, Easter and Christmas but in September 2016 due to low income I started claiming for the week days I didn't work as a casual worker. My hours at the school i worked had dried up and my days dropped from 3 to 2 in the year previous. So in September 2016 when they dropped from 2 to 1 I started working self employed 1 day.

January 2017 I stopped receiving my jobseekers benefit payment and when I asked why they said I couldn't re-claim jobseekers benefit as I hadnt paid enough contributions and would have to be means tested for jobseekers allowance. I have been on this since.

My question is how do I get back on jobseekers benefit? My school can give me 2 days again and I want to give up the self-employed day. So I would be back working the way I was when I qualified for jobseekers benefit. But the contributions confuse me. Am I paying contributions now? How do I build up enough to claim jobseekers benefit only for Christmas, Easter and summer and not also days I don't work? Are my contributions being used up currently by my jobseekers allowance claim and the week days I claim for that i dont work?

I hope that makes some sense. Any advice much appreciated.

_Brian

It’s not simple.
Here’s the information on building credits in part time work.
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/irish_social_welfare_system/social_insurance_prsi/part_time_work_and_social_insurance_prsi.html

The benifet payment is only paid once you have 13 contributions made.

JSB is designed for those who have just had a substantial drop in income due to loss of work, complete loss or partial loss.

You will only qualify for Benifet again once you have built up 13 credits
AND
Just had a loss of work which impacts your income, so your hours/days reduced.

You don’t currently qualify as your days have just been increased from 1 to 2.

See here
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/unemployed_people/jobseekers_benefit.html

Your only payment for the moment would be Assistance as it’s means tested.

lolo62

_Brian wrote: »

It’s not simple.
Here’s the information on building credits in part time work.
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/irish_social_welfare_system/social_insurance_prsi/part_time_work_and_social_insurance_prsi.html

The benifet payment is only paid once you have 13 contributions made.

JSB is designed for those who have just had a substantial drop in income due to loss of work, complete loss or partial loss.

You will only qualify for Benifet again once you have built up 13 credits
AND
Just had a loss of work which impacts your income, so your hours/days reduced.

You don’t currently qualify as your days have just been increased from 1 to 2.

See here
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/unemployed_people/jobseekers_benefit.html

Your only payment for the moment would be Assistance as it’s means tested.

Thank you.

How did I ever qualify for it though? As long as I have worked part time in a private school, I and all my colleagues have qualified for and claimed jobseekers benefit during Christmas, Easter and summer holidays. There was never a situation where there was a loss of work...Or maybe claiming at breaks of term was technically a loss of work, although only temporary.

How do you build up 13 credits/contributions? Is that working weeks?

lolo62

I'll be more specific.

If I stop claiming jobseekers allowance at the end of August 2018 and work 2 days a week from the start of September (excluding mid term) in employment where I pay prsi contributions, at Christmas can I claim jobseekers benefit for the temporary loss of income?

I would not be claiming for a payment, benefit or allowance, during this time period for week days I don't work. It seems going that route used up my contributions on my last benefit claim.

splinter65

You are not understanding that there are other conditions attached to JSB apart from PRSI.
In order to claim JSB you must have “suffered a loss of employment”.
You haven’t suffered a loss of employment.

lolo62

splinter65 wrote: »

You are not understanding that there are other conditions attached to JSB apart from PRSI.
In order to claim JSB you must have “suffered a loss of employment”.
You haven’t suffered a loss of employment.

I do understand that that is a condition, but what I'm saying is that at Christmas I essentially will suffer a loss of employment when the school closes for term holidays.

My question is will I have paid enough contributions between September and Christmas?