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JSA with partner working

  • 23-02-2021 7:04pm
    #1
    sallyanne12
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 259 ✭✭


    Hi I was wondering could anyone help me. I’m currently unemployed as is my partner. We have a child. My partner secured a full time job thankfully but it’s minimum wage. Are we entitled to anything? Can I still stay on my jobseekers or do we sign off? How do we even talk to anybody about it during the pandemic. Is there a number or email to get information? Thank you


Comments

  • #2
    houseyhouse
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 706 ✭✭✭houseyhouse


    It depends on you partner's income. They'll means test you and then compare your needs, as they have assessed them, to your income. If it is minimum wage you will likely still be entitled to something for yourself and possibly also an increase for your child. You should try the 'Benefit of Work' calculator on mywelfare.ie. You can also email SW and they tend to get back quickly but sometimes without the level of detail you might want. Good luck!


  • #3
    sallyanne12
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 259 ✭✭sallyanne12


    houseyhouse wrote: »
    It depends on you partner's income. They'll means test you and then compare your needs, as they have assessed them, to your income. If it is minimum wage you will likely still be entitled to something for yourself and possibly also an increase for your child. You should try the 'Benefit of Work' calculator on mywelfare.ie. You can also email SW and they tend to get back quickly but sometimes without the level of detail you might want. Good luck!

    Thank you so much for helping me out. I did try that benefit of work calculator but it asks how many hours I will be working which you have to select but I won’t be working at the moment yet so it didn’t work for me


  • #4
    ShaShaBear
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,528 ✭✭✭ShaShaBear


    I would imagine Working Family Payment would be a better option depending on how much your partner is going to make weekly. The upper limit is €541 weekly for a family with one child, and you are awarded 60% of the difference between your weekly wage and this amount. So, for example, if your partner's weekly wage was €350 weekly, you would be awarded 60% of 541-350 (191), which would be roughly €114.60. If your partner has been claiming social welfare for the last year, you might also be entitled to the Back To Work Family Dividend, which will award the amount for a child dependent to you every week for a year, and half that amount for another year after that. How much you would be entitled to on Jobseekers for yourself and your child would depend totally on how much your partner is earning weekly, but it is also worth noting that on WFP, social welfare will not be contacting you to participate in schemes/courses/interviews and you can look for work yourself at your own pace.


  • #5
    sallyanne12
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 259 ✭✭sallyanne12


    ShaShaBear wrote: »
    I would imagine Working Family Payment would be a better option depending on how much your partner is going to make weekly. The upper limit is €541 weekly for a family with one child, and you are awarded 60% of the difference between your weekly wage and this amount. So, for example, if your partner's weekly wage was €350 weekly, you would be awarded 60% of 541-350 (191), which would be roughly €114.60. If your partner has been claiming social welfare for the last year, you might also be entitled to the Back To Work Family Dividend, which will award the amount for a child dependent to you every week for a year, and half that amount for another year after that. How much you would be entitled to on Jobseekers for yourself and your child would depend totally on how much your partner is earning weekly, but it is also worth noting that on WFP, social welfare will not be contacting you to participate in schemes/courses/interviews and you can look for work yourself at your own pace.

    Thank you for explaining this to me 😊
    My partner will be on minimum wage and working full time but he was told it’s 30 hours a week so sounds like a bit less than full time. You’re right it would be nicer to be off the jobseekers payment but I think it might pay us a bit more (I’m not sure on this though). Would it be ok to start on jobseekers and then change to WFP after a while? Or once I decide am I stuck to it?
    I also amnt sure if my partner would be entitled to the back to work family dividend as I was the one claiming and he was just an increase on my payment..


  • #6
    houseyhouse
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 706 ✭✭✭houseyhouse


    You could try filling out the benefit of work calculator as if you also got a job and include your partner's new job details and then see what the 'before' amount is. It should show the amount you'd receive on JA even with your partner working.

    I think your partner would claim the working family payment, not you (because they're the one working). You can be on JA and they can get WFP at the same time as far as I know.


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  • #7
    ShaShaBear
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,528 ✭✭✭ShaShaBear


    sallyanne12 wrote: »
    Thank you for explaining this to me 😊
    My partner will be on minimum wage and working full time but he was told it’s 30 hours a week so sounds like a bit less than full time. You’re right it would be nicer to be off the jobseekers payment but I think it might pay us a bit more (I’m not sure on this though). Would it be ok to start on jobseekers and then change to WFP after a while? Or once I decide am I stuck to it?
    I also amnt sure if my partner would be entitled to the back to work family dividend as I was the one claiming and he was just an increase on my payment..

    The hours per week will be totally irrelevant in determining the amount you might be entitled to, it can only be worked out based on means aka wage/salary amount.
    If you decide to claim Jobseekers, your partner can at any point claim the WFP. They would claim the amount themselves as they are the working parent. If you are both married, your partner can also claim special tax credits if you are acting as a stay at home parent - you just have to apply for it and transfer it to them.


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