Returning home after 7 years

tommyIV

I have been working abroad for 6 years and I plan to return home in 2021. Before I left, I was employed in Ireland and paid tax for 5 years.

I hope to gain employment as soon as possible, but I expect a couple of months of unemployment while I settle, apply for jobs etc.

During this first couple of months, will I be eligible for some unemployment/jobseekers benefit? Does being abroad for so long count against me?

Any general advice or information would be much appreciated.

Some other information that may be relevant: I will be taking my daughter and non-EU wife with me. She will not be able to work initially so both will be dependent on me.

Wanderer78

As far as I'm aware, you will be entitled to welfare, but as always, I could be wrong also. Best of luck with the return home

splinter65

tommyIV wrote: »

I have been working abroad for 6 years and I plan to return home in 2021. Before I left, I was employed in Ireland and paid tax for 5 years.

I hope to gain employment as soon as possible, but I expect a couple of months of unemployment while I settle, apply for jobs etc.

During this first couple of months, will I be eligible for some unemployment/jobseekers benefit? Does being abroad for so long count against me?

Any general advice or information would be much appreciated.

Some other information that may be relevant: I will be taking my daughter and non-EU wife with me. She will not be able to work initially so both will be dependent on me.

Tommy you most certainly can apply but you will have to fulfill the HRC and a means test in order to be successful.
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/irish_social_welfare_system/social_assistance_payments/residency_requirements_for_social_assistance_in_ireland.html

I would budget to have enough money to live for around 6 weeks when you get back.

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/moving_to_ireland/coming_to_live_in_ireland/irish_citizens_coming_or_returning_to_ireland.html

The easiest thing to do is to sign on in whatever country you are and transfer your benefit back.

Getting your record transferred back can take months, you may not pass the HRC or Means test.

We have loads of Eastern Europeans here transferring their benefit all the time, they get it for about 10 weeks and its paid to your bank account.

Look into it in whatever country you're in but you'll need to pretend you're not "unemploying" yourself to do it.

splinter65

gilberto_eire wrote: »

The easiest thing to do is to sign on in whatever country you are and transfer your benefit back.

Getting your record transferred back can take months, you may not pass the HRC or Means test.

We have loads of Eastern Europeans here transferring their benefit all the time, they get it for about 10 weeks and its paid to your bank account.

Look into it in whatever country you're in but you'll need to pretend you're not "unemploying" yourself to do it.

You can only transfer benefits between EU countries.

tommyIV

splinter65 wrote: »

Tommy you most certainly can apply but you will have to fulfill the HRC and a means test in order to be successful.
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/irish_social_welfare_system/social_assistance_payments/residency_requirements_for_social_assistance_in_ireland.html

I would budget to have enough money to live for around 6 weeks when you get back.

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/moving_to_ireland/coming_to_live_in_ireland/irish_citizens_coming_or_returning_to_ireland.html

These links are so, so helpful. I cannot thank you eniugh!

tommyIV

I have a couple of questions you may know off the top of your head (no worries if not).

I'm reading about claiming for an additional adult. Would I be able to claim for my wife? She is from a non-EU country and her initial visa does not allow her to work (she will start that process when she lands, but application can take up to 1 year).

For the means test, will that take into account savings I take home with me? Or is it just income based?

171170

tommyIV wrote: »

I have a couple of questions you may know off the top of your head (no worries if not).

I'm reading about claiming for an additional adult. Would I be able to claim for my wife? She is from a non-EU country and her initial visa does not allow her to work (she will start that process when she lands, but application can take up to 1 year).

For the means test, will that take into account savings I take home with me? Or is it just income based?

Why wouldn't you be allowed to claim for your qualified adult? (Unless you keep her offshore!)

Your savings will be assessed for the means test, but unless you've a huge amount they shouldn't matter too much, as the calculation is based on the estimated interest on such savings.

See RULES here: https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/irish_social_welfare_system/means_test_for_social_welfare_payments/how_to_assess_your_means_from_capital_for_social_welfare_payments.html

splinter65

171170 wrote: »

Why wouldn't you be allowed to claim for your qualified adult? (Unless you keep her offshore!)

Your savings will be assessed for the means test, but unless you've a huge amount they shouldn't matter too much, as the calculation is based on the estimated interest on such savings.

No the calculation is based on the actual savings, I suspect you are confusing S.W. with the medical card.
See here:


Rules
To find your means from capital, first you must calculate your total capital value. You do this by adding together all your sources of capital (for example, property, savings and investments). Then you apply the relevant formula below.

The formula for assessing means from capital for all social welfare payments (except Disability Allowance and Supplementary Welfare Allowance) is as follows:

Capital Weekly means assessed
First €20,000 Nil
Next €10,000 €1 per €1,000
Next €10,000 €2 per €1,000
Balance €4 per €1,000
The formula for assessing means from capital for Disability Allowance is as follows:

Capital Weekly means assessed
First €50,000 Nil
Next €10,000 €1 per €1,000
Next €10,000 €2 per €1,000
Balance (any capital over €70,000) €4 per €1,000
The formula for assessing means from capital for Supplementary Welfare Allowance is as follows:

Capital Weekly means assessed
First €5,000 Nil
Next €10,000 €1 per €1,000
Next €25,000 €2 per €1,000
Balance €4 per €1,000

finbarrk

I'd imagine a means test would include everything you have got. Well, everything thats showing up on bank accounts anyway.

171170

splinter65 wrote: »

No the calculation is based on the actual savings,

No it isn't! The formula was originally based on the notional interest that such savings would have earned back in the good old days!

Of course, if you had bothered to go to the link that I had provided, you'd have seen that I knew exactly what I was talking about!

splinter65

171170 wrote: »

No it isn't! The formula was originally based on the notional interest that such savings would have earned back in the good old days!

Of course, if you had bothered to go to the link that I had provided, you'd have seen that I knew exactly what I was talking about!

That’s ludicrous 171170. You are confusing medical cards with S.W. I provided the document from S.W. explaining how savings are treated in the means test.
Please stop giving misinformation.
If you actually read the document that you linked to then you would know what you’re talking about.
Here is the link again to means testing of SW payments.
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/irish_social_welfare_system/means_test_for_social_welfare_payments/how_to_assess_your_means_from_capital_for_social_welfare_payments.html

tommyIV

splinter65 wrote: »

No the calculation is based on the actual savings, I suspect you are confusing S.W. with the medical card.
See here:

The formula for assessing means from capital for all social welfare payments (except Disability Allowance and Supplementary Welfare Allowance) is as follows:

Capital Weekly means assessed
First €20,000 Nil
Next €10,000 €1 per €1,000
Next €10,000 €2 per €1,000
Balance €4 per €1,000
The formula for assessing means from capital for Disability Allowance is as follows:

So, lets say someone has 20,000 euro in savings. Weekly means assessed is nil.... so it does not affect someone's jobseeker's allowance?

tommyIV

171170 wrote: »

Why wouldn't you be allowed to claim for your qualified adult? (Unless you keep her offshore!)

See RULES here: https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/irish_social_welfare_system/means_test_for_social_welfare_payments/how_to_assess_your_means_from_capital_for_social_welfare_payments.html

I guess I have been living abroad for too long!

I'm currently living in Thailand where there is no state support for most umeployed natives, and when there is it is a pittance. Even as they grow old there is very little support from the state.

And the idea of "foreigners" getting any support from the state is absolutley absurd here. We literally get charged double price at national parks and tourist sites too.

splinter65

tommyIV wrote: »

So, lets say someone has 20,000 euro in savings. Weekly means assessed is nil.... so it does not affect someone's jobseeker's allowance?

That’s right.

171170

splinter65 wrote: »

If you actually read the document that you linked to then you would know what you’re talking about.
Here is the link again to means testing of SW payments.
https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/irish_social_welfare_system/means_test_for_social_welfare_payments/how_to_assess_your_means_from_capital_for_social_welfare_payments.html

Yep that's the link that I provided to the poster! Well done for competently copying and pasting my link - clearly you're a very talented person.

As for the contents of the link, well, I helped to draft them - but hey! you're a woman so evidently you know much more about the topic than I do!

And now, as they say on Dragon's Den - I'm out!

splinter65

171170 wrote: »

Yep that's the link that I provided to the poster! Well done for competently copying and pasting my link - clearly you're a very talented person.

As for the contents of the link, well, I helped to draft them - but hey! you're a woman so evidently you know much more about the topic than I do!

And now, as they say on Dragon's Den - I'm out!

I copied and pasted the link from the citizens information website. It’s freely available to everyone.
The first €20000 is disregarded, the next €10000 has a value of €10, the next €10000 is valued at €20 and every €1000 after that is valued at €4.
That’s the means test.
I’m sorry if you’ve become confused over the years but posters here deserve accurate information.

Balagan1

171170 wrote: »

Yep that's the link that I provided to the poster! Well done for competently copying and pasting my link - clearly you're a very talented person.

As for the contents of the link, well, I helped to draft them - but hey! you're a woman so evidently you know much more about the topic than I do!

And now, as they say on Dragon's Den - I'm out!

You were never in!

giggs76

tommyIV wrote: »

I guess I have been living abroad for too long!

I'm currently living in Thailand where there is no state support for most umeployed natives, and when there is it is a pittance. Even as they grow old there is very little support from the state.

And the idea of "foreigners" getting any support from the state is absolutley absurd here. We literally get charged double price at national parks and tourist sites too.

As far as i know she will not be entitled to any social welfare in ireland until she will become naturalised which will take 3 years or more,

I'm from the cork but currently living in belfast with my thai wife, she tried to get a visa for ireland but got rejected so we got an eu family permit which we got after 10 days and cost nothing it was a simple process to get it, now she has a 5 year uk settled visa, just plan to live here for 3 years and she will be entitled to an irish passport as she will be living in the island of ireland with her irish spouse,

then we plan to move back down to cork,

tommyIV

giggs76 wrote: »

As far as i know she will not be entitled to any social welfare in ireland until she will become naturalised which will take 3 years or more,

I'm from the cork but currently living in belfast with my thai wife, she tried to get a visa for ireland but got rejected so we got an eu family permit which we got after 10 days and cost nothing it was a simple process to get it, now she has a 5 year uk settled visa, just plan to live here for 3 years and she will be entitled to an irish passport as she will be living in the island of ireland with her irish spouse,

then we plan to move back down to cork,

Thank you for reaching out with that information.

That sounds like a very smart and manageable plan B which I will explore further too. I hope those 3 years fly by for you+