Stopped dole, started a job, won't get paid for a month. What to do?

JackieChang · 10-06-2019 8:53pm #1

Graduated from a HDip a few weeks ago after blasting all my savings on it, signed onto jobseekers shortly after, then I found a job which began today. Will be 'signing off' tomorrow.

I know I won't be able to get 'jobseekers', but has anybody had any luck with getting some cash to tide them over for the month. From the community welfare office or something? What options do I have? A month of no money will be very grim.

Gael23 · 10-06-2019 8:54pm

Yes I believe the community welfare officer can give you something. But it might needed be repaid in the future.

paw patrol · 10-06-2019 8:58pm

sign on till just before pay day

JackieChang · 10-06-2019 9:02pm

Might need to be repaid? The world is not fair. According to the letter from the social welfare I have something like 260 days of JSB remaining. I paid income tax for 5 years before this HDip, I know people on the dole since 2009, FOREGINERS TAKIN UR JERBS etc etc.

I'll go in to ask them for some sort of assistance tomorrow. Hopefully somebody's done this before and can give some advice before then so I know what to expect and how to approach it.

JackieChang · 10-06-2019 9:03pm

paw patrol wrote: »

sign on till just before pay day

Apparently these days the revenue and social welfare are linked so they'll just send me a letter asking me for it all back.

Ultimate Seduction · 10-06-2019 9:04pm

JackieChang wrote: »

Might need to be repaid? The world is not fair. According to the letter from the social welfare I have something like 260 days of JSB remaining. I paid income tax for 5 years before this HDip, I know people on the dole since 2009, FOREGINERS TAKIN UR JERBS etc etc.

I'll go in to ask them for some sort of assistance tomorrow. Hopefully somebody's done this before and can give some advice before then so I know what to expect and how to approach it.

If your going to be stuck for money don't say anything till closer to pay day. Once your working they'll want nothing to do with you

Sardonicat · 10-06-2019 9:06pm

You'll have to fill a form out and meet the CWO. Bring bank statements, proof of address etc. And you will have to pay it back.

Dante7 · 10-06-2019 9:08pm

paw patrol wrote: »

sign on till just before pay day

Do not do this as it is illegal. Notify welfare about the job and go to the community welfare who will give you a form to apply for supplementary welfare allowance where you explain the situation. This CWO should then pay you the welfare rate til you are paid.

This is what I did a couple of years ago, so hopefully it hasn't changed.

Sardonicat · 10-06-2019 9:09pm

Don't leave it til closer to pay day. You'll have to wait for the CWO's decision. You don't know how long that will take.

Baron Kurtz · 10-06-2019 9:10pm

If you're going to be in dire straits for a brief period, you have to do what you have to do - leave it a bit closer to pay day and sign off then. They'd have zero hesitation making things awkward for you at this point, jumping through hoops etc.

JackieChang · 10-06-2019 9:15pm

paw patrol wrote: »

sign on till just before pay day

Dante7 wrote: »

Do not do this as it is illegal.

Baron Kurtz wrote: »

leave it a bit closer to pay day and sign off then.

What should I do.

Dante7 wrote: »

The CWO should then pay you the welfare rate til you are paid.

This is what I did a couple of years ago, so hopefully it hasn't changed.

Did you have to pay it back? How long until you got supplementary welfare allowance? How gruesome was the meeting?

Dante7 · 10-06-2019 9:18pm

I can only speak from my personal experience, and I have heard that different CWOs implement the system differently, but I had no problem getting paid by the CWO while awaiting first pay cheque and I was never asked to repay. If you continue signing on while working you will definitely have to repay. It may have helped my situation in that I had a previous long history of employment and paying taxes.

Loveinapril · 10-06-2019 9:26pm

Ultimate Seduction wrote: »

If your going to be stuck for money don't say anything till closer to pay day. Once your working they'll want nothing to do with you

Although not advisable, I did this a few years ago when moving from invalidity pension to working full time. I just contacted the department the week before I was due my first wage and set up a payment plan to pay the money back. It was no hassle at all but I suppose the difference for me was that it was going straight to my bank account so I didn't have to collect a payment in the post office.

JackieChang · 10-06-2019 9:30pm

It will probably be less hassle to continue getting the dole, and and sort out a payment plan when I get paid my first paycheck. Or just stop collecting it the week of my first paycheck and let them assume I've died or something, then they'll automatically cancel it and that'll be that.

The other option is to cancel the dole tomorrow, try to get the supplementary allowance and be refused. You see I have about 500 left in my savings account (which I don't want to go near, that's what's remaining of my 'deposit for a house') which is why I'm worried.

Opinions on option #1?

Sardonicat · 10-06-2019 9:55pm

Do not do option number 1. Go to the community welfare offIcer. There shouldn't be a problem but they do have to go through the motions, ie you have to fill out the forms and meet the officer for a chat.

JackieChang · 10-06-2019 10:39pm

I found some info from Citizens Info which seems to be in my favour:

Rules

If you have returned to work, you can claim the basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance for up to 30 days while you are waiting for your wages.

Means test

The main items taken into account for the means test include:

All cash income (I don't have any cash income so that's grand)

The value of investments, savings or property is calculated as follows:

First €5,000: not taken into account

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/supplementary_welfare_schemes/supplementary_welfare_allow.html#ld1a9a

Although I've had pretty bad luck with the dole office, so will print the page out and bring it with me just in case.

Sardonicat · 10-06-2019 10:43pm

See, you should be grand. Just go through the formals.

Ultimate Seduction · 10-06-2019 10:48pm

JackieChang wrote: »

I found some info from Citizens Info which seems to be in my favour:

Rules

If you have returned to work, you can claim the basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance for up to 30 days while you are waiting for your wages.

Means test

The main items taken into account for the means test include:

All cash income (I don't have any cash income so that's grand)

The value of investments, savings or property is calculated as follows:

First €5,000: not taken into account

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/supplementary_welfare_schemes/supplementary_welfare_allow.html#ld1a9a

Although I've had pretty bad luck with the dole office, so will print the page out and bring it with me just in case.

Bringing the page with you is a terrible, terrible idea.

Dante7 · 10-06-2019 11:12pm

JackieChang wrote: »

I found some info from Citizens Info which seems to be in my favour:

Rules

If you have returned to work, you can claim the basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance for up to 30 days while you are waiting for your wages.

Means test

The main items taken into account for the means test include:

All cash income (I don't have any cash income so that's grand)

The value of investments, savings or property is calculated as follows:

First €5,000: not taken into account

https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social_welfare/social_welfare_payments/supplementary_welfare_schemes/supplementary_welfare_allow.html#ld1a9a

Although I've had pretty bad luck with the dole office, so will print the page out and bring it with me just in case.

There you go. This is definitely the best option as it is the legal route and also has the possibility of you not having to pay back the money you get from the CWO.
I don't think any taxpayer would begrudge that few bob being paid to someone who is returning to the workforce.

JackieChang · 11-06-2019 12:14am

Ultimate Seduction wrote: »

]

Bringing the page with you is a terrible, terrible idea.

Care to explain why?

JackieChang · 12-06-2019 11:59pm

hi folks, OP here

Might as well update this as I go in case somebody frantically googles this topic in the future ( like myself a few days ago).

I went online and signed off the dole on welfare.ie

Then I called the social welfare office asking about the community welfare allowance and if they can keep me going until the next paycheck in a months time, explaining that I'll be signing a work contract in the next day or two. They told me send everything in by post. I don't even need to be there.

There was one section on the CWA form that asked for the income of everybody in my house. I'm living with random housemates and told her on the phone there's no chance of me getting their pay slips ever. She said leave it blank, it's only for family, parents, next of kin etc.

They also require 6 months of bank statements. For some reason I could only get up to April on Ulsterbank online banking and they don't give out statements anymore in the branches. So there are a few pages of printed screenshots of my recent bank transactions included in my statements. (all printed black & white to save money, hopefully that's ok)

Anyway, I've sent them off. Will update either way.

riffmongous · 13-06-2019 12:03am

Useful to know

Dante7 · 13-06-2019 12:33am

That's standard. Just keep it honest and you should be grand. My experience has been if you are are genuine, you'll be grand.

chuda · 14-01-2021 4:25am

in same shoes, rung CIB, women on a phone...uhh it`s a tuff one.. my choices, get loan, lick supplementary officers shoes , with little chance to get anything , if he is in good mood, and then, after submitting , 100 pages of your history, and anyone you had dinner with, for last ten years, i still will be waiting an answer from then 2 weeks,... or...well starve.

google searches, brought me to these two forums: this one and...

there is always one on a high horse...

I am absolutely dumbfounded. Is it any wonder this country is financially on its knees when "kind hearted" (i.e. incompetent) dole officers will continue to give people 205 euro a week AFTER THEY'VE STARTED WORK??

Get an overdraft, a loan from a family member or a credit union loan - don't sponge off the social welfare! ARGH! This sort of thing really gets on my nerves!

...2009 but still on first page of google search..

oh yeah, my father is donald trump, my mother is Margaret Thatcher, and sister ketty perry... they will back me up, if not... well i just bring my contract to credit union, and they will just give me a grand.

was studying, no savings, on my own, no incentives from government,
they are fine to shed 25.000 to jobpath/seetec, if they takes you of a dole/per person, but they won`t give you 4 more weeks support (a bare minimum survival package) , where you go to your dole officer and say: pls mister, i wanna get off a dole, i just need beans on toast and rent/esb/communications ... otherwise, will have to work from, free wifi on a street, eat soup once a day at St mercy`s church... all because i wanna start work, get off a dole, contribute taxes and service to society .

i hope for those who googles same question , will know and get their answer with this.

p.s. gl in your new job

Stopped dole, started a job, won't get paid for a month. What to do?

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