Grey area around covid emergency payment

Patd6 · 22-05-2020 9:35pm #1

So I am getting the 350 emergency social welfare as work have temporarily laid me off due to covid having impact on business. The reality is there is no guarantee I will get role back with them as their business has been hit hard. Hence I have interviewed elsewhere. And thankfully I got an offer from elsewhere. However per my contract I will not be able to start in other place until late July due to covid. If I hand in my notice in current role now and sign contract for new role will I be given zero monies by social welfare over coming 2 months?

lughildanach · 23-05-2020 9:02am

COVID payments are not currently conditional on Genuinely Seeking Work, but the suggestion is that they will be in the near future. Possibly not until after August, but I wouldn't risk handing my notice in yet. You don't know for sure that the other job will come through, and if it doesn't, then you could be left in a difficult position, no job at all and trouble explaining the situation to social welfare.

You shouldn't be left without a payment, but why risk it?

Sign for the new job. And if your current/previous employer offers you hours, then review the situation. If your employer doesn't offer you hours before your new job starts, then you can resign then.

TheBeach · 23-05-2020 9:12am

You should apply got jobseekers benefit for the interim period.

lughildanach · 23-05-2020 9:19am

TheBeach wrote: »

You should apply got jobseekers benefit for the interim period.

There could be difficulty getting Jobseekers if they have resigned their position. The person has been laid off due to COVID, there is no reason why the COVID payment can't continue until the new job starts, as long as they don't resign before that.

lughildanach · 23-05-2020 9:26am

There are also other employment law reasons why you should not resign yet. If your current position ultimately is not available for you to return to, you may be able to obtain a redundancy payment (if you have been working for more than 2 years).

Under normal circumstances you can claim redundancy if you have been laid off for 4 consecutive weeks, although this provision has been suspended by the emergency legislation.

If you resign, you may not be able to claim any redundancy that you would otherwise have been owed. You may have a new job, but you will have lost the benefit of any years service that you had in your previous employment.

Also, if your old does become available, if you have resigned, your employer will be under no obligation to offer you the job back.

By not resigning, you keep your options open. You can always resign later. Although that does come with its own potential complications, such as requirement to work notice periods.

Patd6 · 05-06-2020 8:38pm

told them i was not handing my notice at this time as i might lose covid, resultingly they asked that i forfeit any o/s monies they owe to me. the supposed idea being that they facilitate me a little, i facilitate them. annoying.

lughildanach · 06-06-2020 8:41am

You are not obliged to forfeit anything. They can't offer work for you, so they are not doing you any favours. When do you think they may have work for you? How much notice are you required to give under your contract?

Patd6 · 07-06-2020 7:09pm

they can't give me any assurances re any resumption of work. 2 weeks notice due. they feel as I am signing contract elsewhere I should be formally handing notice with them, they are happy for me not to hand the notice such that I can continue claiming 350 if I forfeit monies they owe me

Gumbi · 08-06-2020 1:36pm

I hope it's OK to post here. Would I be entitled to apply for the reduced rate Covid payment? Before Covid-19 hit I was working making 30-60 euro a week in grinds money (taxed) and then 50-70 euro cash-in-hand. Does this exempt me from any payment at all? I'm making nothing at the moment.

Thanks in advance.

lughildanach · 09-06-2020 8:28am

Gumbi wrote: »

I hope it's OK to post here. Would I be entitled to apply for the reduced rate Covid payment? Before Covid-19 hit I was working making 30-60 euro a week in grinds money (taxed) and then 50-70 euro cash-in-hand. Does this exempt me from any payment at all? I'm making nothing at the moment.

Thanks in advance.

Are your grinds taxed as self-employed or PAYE?

If PAYE, then seems that you will get the reduced rate from July.

It seems that self-employed will continue to get the 350, although this isn't 100% clear yet.

Grey area around covid emergency payment

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