Confused over job benefit eligibility.

Daisy M

Hi I would be grateful if anyone could clarify this query on job benefit for me, thanks in advance.

My situation is I have 4 years of prsi contributions from UK and 5 years in Ireland this is up until 1999 when I left employment to be a stay at home mum. From then until march 2011 I had credited contributions. In Mid march 2011 I returned to part time employment I worked until the end of Dec 2011 when my contract ended as I was covering maternity leave. I am currently seeking employment.

My question is am I entitled to claim job benefit, I am confused to my eligibility as I do not have any paid contributions for 2010 the current year welfare are working from. But on the welfare site it says:

To qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit you must:

• Be unemployed (you must be fully unemployed or unemployed for at least 3 days out of 6)
• Be under 66 years of age
• Have enough social insurance (PRSI) contributions
• Be capable of work
• Be available for and genuinely seeking work
• Have had a substantial loss of employment and as a result be unemployed for at least 3 days out of 6.

Social insurance (PRSI) contributions

To qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit, you must pay Class A, H or P PRSI contributions. Class A is the one paid by most private sector employees. Class H is paid by soldiers, reservists and temporary army nurses, who do not qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit until they have left the army. To qualify you need:

• At least 104 weeks PRSI paid since you first started work

And

• Have 39 weeks PRSI paid or credited in the relevant tax year (a minimum of 13 weeks must be paid contributions*)

Or

• Have 26 weeks PRSI paid in the relevant tax year and 26 weeks PRSI paid in the tax year immediately before the relevant tax year.

*If you do not have 13 paid contributions in the relevant tax year, you must have paid 13 contributions in any of the following years:

• The 2 tax years before the relevant tax year
• The last complete tax year
• The current tax year.

The Relevant Tax Year is the second last complete tax year before the year in which your claim is made. So, for claims made in 2011, the Relevant Tax Year is 2009.

From reading this I took it that once I had 104 prsi contributions and 13 paid contributions in 2011 I would be entitled to JB. But when I rang my local dole office in early Dec the lady I spoke to told me I was reading the above section wrong and I wasnt entitled to JB. Can anyone please explain how I am reading this wrong, I am going to the dole office on mon and I want to know what I am talking about. I realise the lady is probably correct but I just want to educate myself a little.

wmpdd3

Maybe you were not entitled to claim in 2011, but now that its 2012, you are entitled. 2011, now being the 'previous year'.

Gareth2011

As far as I know they will base it on 2010. Credits and contributions from 2011 prob wont stand to you if they take it from 2 years back which doesn't make any sence whatsoever. I will tell you some welfare offices do have their own rules and they can get it wrong even tho its all the one system its how they interpret it. Id call citizensinformation about it and if they can't help you try the main dept of social in Dublin.

Daisy M

Thanks guys, will go in tomorrow and update when my claim is processed and a decision is reached.

Gareth2011

Good luky Daisy. Let us know how you get on please?

Daisy M

Gareth2011 wrote: »

Good luky Daisy. Let us know how you get on please?

Will do, this thread on ask about money is giving me a little hope.

http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=163997

Lugh Ildanach

You should have had an entitlement to Jobseekers Benefit in 2011. You have the 104 stamps, you have the 39 credits in 2009, and you have the 13 paid contributions in a relevant year (ie, the current tax year as it was in 2011).

You should also have an entitlement in 2012.

If you haven't applied already, you should apply to have your Jobseekers Benefit backdated to the date when you enquired (and were given wrong information). If you applied and were refused, you should request that they review the refusal, and if this is unsuccessful, appeal the decision.

You only have credited contributions in both 2009 and 2010, so you will only be entitled to the minimum payment of 84.50 a week (plus 80.90 for a dependent partner/spouse, and 29.80 for dependent child if you have any)

Daisy M

Hi lugh thanks for your reply. I went in this morning with the printed off version of what I copied in the first post re job benefit entitlement. I showed this to the lady who was dealing with me and again she said no I am not entitled to jobbenefit as they are working on the 2010 year and not 2011 when I worked. I pointed out the section where it said that if no paid contributions were made in the relevant year then the last complete tax year would be used. She said no that this was just relevant for people who only had 26 credits in both years. I havent a clue what that means as I am reading it completely differently. On the faq sections on jobbenefit I have just found this info which I think applies to me:

What payment can I claim if I lose my job? Am I entitled to payment if my working week is reduced?
Jobseeker's Benefit (JB) is a social insurance scheme. It is paid weekly to people who have paid adequate social insurance contributions and who are out of work. To qualify for JB, you must have:

• at least 104 reckonable contributions paid since you entered insurable employment. Only contributions payable at Classes A, H and P (or the equivalent rates before April 1979) are reckonable for this purpose; and
• at least 39 reckonable contributions paid or credited in the governing contribution year (currently 2009)* and 13 of these must be paid contributions. If you do not have 13 paid contributions in 2009, you must have the 13 paid contributions in 2007, 2008, 2010 or 2011.

I have been given an application for job seekers allowance and an appointment for next week, but I doubt I will qualify for much of an allowance. Can anyone give me any advice on where to go from here please? Is there an information line I can ring? Thanks a million for all the replies its really helpful.

sparkling sea

Relevant tax year for 2011 is 2009

Relevant tax year for 2012 is 2010 - do you have at least 13 paid contributions for 2010 - if you don't you won't be eligible for JB.

Unlike JB - JA is a means tested payment - as with JB for JA you have to be unemployed;be aged under 66; be capable of work; be available for/genuinely seeking seek work ; satisfy the means test ; satisfy the habitual residence test.

This is the formula for working out the amout of JA you will get
From the gross income of income of the applicant and their spouse/civil partner or cohabitant deduct:
PRSI, Union dues and pension contributions
The Social Welfare disregard 20 per day (maximum disregard of 60 per week).
60% of the balance is assessed as means. The maximum potential rate of Jobseekers's Allowance is reduced by this amount

If you do qualify for JA, there are secondary benefits you may also qualify for - Medical Card or GP Card and the National Fuel Scheme.

You might also qualify for Basic Supplementary, Rent Supplement, MIS, Eexceptional Needs Payment or Urgent Needs Payment.