Is the government run 'Benefit of Work and JS Estimator' correct or bs?

walter the second

I've been unemployed since 31st August 2020. I signed on and now my income is €203 per week. I have an interview with one of the german retailers shortly offering €12.30 per hour and I want to see if it is worth taking it or just keep looking for another better paid job - which could take a while in this climate.

There's no one I can talk to at my local Intreo office (closed for COVID or whatever reason) and no one picks up the phone.

I am separated, 3 children, 1 over 12 years old and 2 under, no medical card, living in same house as the wife unfortunately, she gets child benefit.

Wife is working, she earns about €37,000 per year I would say. We both split mortgage/family expenses equally.

So my question is, is it true that in my current circumstances that if I am working 30 hours over 4 or 5 days a week at €12.30 per hour my income - social welfare included - will come out €578.49 per week after tax??

I get the €578.49 figure here: https://www.mywelfare.ie/benefitofworkjsestimator

which is a government website. Is it bs?? From what I've read online and heard you could only work up to 3 days per week max and still get the dole? €578.49 seems high.

Also, €203 for a dad with 3 kids seems wrong by what I've read, but maybe that's a matter for another thread...

SourSessions

Which payment were you basing the figures on?

walter the second

Which payment were you basing the figures on?

On the Estimator Page there's 4 options and I select the second one, Jobseeker's Benefit.

Maybe it is assuming when I select 'Separated' I am the sole custodian of 3 children when in fact the situation is that my ex and I are financially supporting them together.

shmeee

You basically are getting the WFP (FIS) so is what they are adding onto your wage.

See here:

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/social_welfare_payments_to_families_and_children/family_income_supplement.html#

walter the second

Cheers thanks for that information.

So it looks like that, even though I am separated, the case being that I am living in the same home as my 'wife' and as we both support our 3 kids, I should really be describing my situation as 'married' (option 3) in the estimator?

That would give me a net income of €428.26 at 40 hours per week over 4/5 days (no benefits at all, just being paid by employer for work done) rather than the €578.49 when I describe myself as separated. That figure must assume that I am the sole carer/contributor for my 3 kids.

Cherry Blossom

Those calculators only work for set sets of circumstances. The disability one is the same, if doesn’t calculate my benefit of work figures correctly because I have means and am not on the full disability payment.