What benefit?

beanie10

Hi looking for some advice on which, if any, benefit we are entitled to. This is our situation: we are an unmarried couple, with a mortgage of €650 per month. I am self employed and havent taking home a wage of more than €300 in last 12 months (times are tough). My girlfriend is currently on maternity benefit and due back to her job at end of march. She works 4 hours a day and takes home €296 per week. The cheapest quote we got for a creche is €80 per week. As you can see from these figures things are going to get tough. Doea any body know of any benefit we may be entitled to. Thanks in advance.

tenchi-fan

It doesn't sound like you're entitled to anything at all to be honest.

mrsbyrne

the only thing i can think of is a medical card. sure, you're outside the means but i think if you include a letter with your completed application form laying out all your current circumstances in bullet points, you might at least get a gp card.

beanie10

Thats crappy. With rules like that no wonder there is so much fraud going on.
The girlfriend could say she has a bad back so cant go back to work,and get disability benefit. Then i could run the business into the ground and get dole. We could then apply for lone parent allowance and with that comes free creche,medical card and fuel allowance(never understood why free creche was availeable to those on dole).What kind of a fool makes up these rules. Its an open cheque to those who have nothing but time on their hands to con the system.
Surely we have to be entitled to something even if its just free child care. I know I get shafted cause im un the S tax class(self employed),makes you wonder why should you bother at all.

mrsbyrne

beanie10 wrote: »

Thats crappy. With rules like that no wonder there is so much fraud going on.
The girlfriend could say she has a bad back so cant go back to work,and get disability benefit. Then i could run the business into the ground and get dole. We could then apply for lone parent allowance and with that comes free creche,medical card and fuel allowance(never understood why free creche was availeable to those on dole).What kind of a fool makes up these rules. Its an open cheque to those who have nothing but time on their hands to con the system.
Surely we have to be entitled to something even if its just free child care. I know I get shafted cause im un the S tax class(self employed),makes you wonder why should you bother at all.

your girlfriend would get illness benefit until the SW doctor decided that she wasnt suffering from back pain at all. you could run your business into the ground but when youd apply for dole youd be put through the wringer and probably not get anything at al, especially if you own your business premises. if yourself and your girlfriend split up she might get one parent family but you would be expected to pay her maintenance. i dont know why you think lone parents get free child care, they dont neither do those on the dole. im sorry your so worried about everything. if you are having problems paying bills you should contact MABS and they will set up payment plans for you. go for the medical card, go to your mortgage lender and ask for interest only payments, do what you can to keep your mortgage paid, having your house repossessed in ireland is a disaster. best of luck.

paddy147

Being self employed,usually means you are screwed when it comes to state benifits.

This country is still in pre-historic times sadly.:(

The best place to go for advice is the citizins information beureau.

They are brilliant at matters like these,and will be able to tell you exactly what you could or could not claim for.

eastbono

self employed people can apply for job seekers allowance but from what op has posted with regard to his earnings and his partners earnings per week they would be over the threshold but he can go ahead and apply for jobseekers allowance which is means tested. It is incorrect to say self-employed people get nothing from the welfare system.

snubbleste

You will be eligible for Family Income Supplement if your income is under €506 per week. An employee (your spouse in this case) would have to apply.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/reference/worksheets/worksheet_how_to_calculate_your_family_income_supplement.html

eastbono

snubbleste wrote: »

You will be eligible for Family Income Supplement if your income is under €506 per week. An employee (your spouse in this case) would have to apply.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/reference/worksheets/worksheet_how_to_calculate_your_family_income_supplement.html

I believe this will be combined income and from ops post their combined income is over €506

http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Publications/SW22/Pages/4Whatcountsasfamilyincome.aspx

beanie10

Its disappointing to see theres no benefit availeable to people in similar situation. We are just about keeping our heads above water but every penny is watched. I can keep the company going at a meagre wage in the hope that some day it might turn over a decent wage. We are reluctant to seek benefit as we have always fended for ourselves, our mortgage is not the biggest in the world either and we dont sprnd money needlessly. I know there is people out there in worse positions, as stated already if you are self employed you get screwed such as paying prsi and not being able to claim off it ever.
The system is totally backwards as it doesnt give those who are trying to make an effort any chance. I meet alot of different people through my job and the fraud i see going on is unbelieveable, disability benefit, invalidity benefit, job seekers benefit and the best ever deserted wife benefit. I dont know how but any one i met who has a child is getting creche allowance(they only pay €7 a week).
FAS sent a lad to us to be interviewed when he was offered the job he demanded €1,000 take home a week!! When asked how does he justify this he stated that he is on the dole, the girlfriend is on the dole, she gets lone parent allowance, rent allowance, creche allowance which allows her to work during the day for cash and he works behind a bar every night for cash. If he got a job alot of them benefits would be lost so it wasnt worth it for less than €1,000 a week.

tenchi-fan

beanie10 wrote: »

The system is totally backwards as it doesnt give those who are trying to make an effort any chance.
...
If he got a job alot of them benefits would be lost so it wasnt worth it for less than €1,000 a week.

All that tells me is benefits are still far to high.

I'm a single guy & if I return to Ireland a low wage and increased mortgage will leave me struggling.

Should I get benefits too?

Or would it make more sense to slash benefits and watch as prices plummet, leaving workers with more money and people relying on benefits with less.

cee_jay

The creche available for €7 is available to all, working or not, once their child is a certain age. Information here: http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Topics/Budget/bud09_apr/Pages/ECES.aspx

If you are witnessing welfare fraud and not happy about it you can always report it:
http://www.welfare.ie/en/contactus/Pages/reportfraud.aspx