Am I entitled to Social Welfare over the Christmas period?

Tommo3434343

I'm working as a Non-Casual Part-Time Teacher in a secondary school. I've been covering maternity leave and I will be there until March. I only get paid for the hours I work but I believe that there is supposed to be some sort of holiday payment included in that. Not sure how it all works as I'm new to this. Am I entitled to get social welfare over the Christmas period when I'm not working?

mtoutlemonde

Tommo3434343 wrote: »

I'm working as a Non-Casual Part-Time Teacher in a secondary school. I've been covering maternity leave and I will be there until March. I only get paid for the hours I work but I believe that there is supposed to be some sort of holiday payment included in that. Not sure how it all works as I'm new to this. Am I entitled to get social welfare over the Christmas period when I'm not working?

No you're not entitled to social welfare during Christmas because as you said a proportion of your earnings are deducted and you get paid this money at Christmas, Easter and summer holidays. Have a look at your payslip - probably not today's and you should see holiday pay and as you are covering a maternity - it will be a substantial amount to get you through Christmas unless you're going to Vegas

Tommo3434343

mtoutlemonde wrote: »

No you're not entitled to social welfare during Christmas because as you said a proportion of your earnings are deducted and you get paid this money at Christmas, Easter and summer holidays. Have a look at your payslip - probably not today's and you should see holiday pay and as you are covering a maternity - it will be a substantial amount to get you through Christmas unless you're going to Vegas

Makes sense. Thanks for that.

r93kaey5p2izun

You should receive 12% of your hourly rate for holidays. Depending on your employer though you might not get it in time. I think you can sign on for PRSI credits though and you should if you can.

Masala

And... as part of the SW procedure - you are declaring you are available for work. What would you do if they rang you with a job down the road...could you take it??? if not...then u not available to work!

mtoutlemonde

Masala wrote: »

And... as part of the SW procedure - you are declaring you are available for work. What would you do if they rang you with a job down the road...could you take it??? if not...then u not available to work!

Good point - never thought of that either.

ustazjoseph

I suppose for the day's signed for the you actually are available for work ,capable for work etc. your just not available to take up a full time job. Lots of part time Fet people claim sw for the holidays. Might be worth going to your sw office and putting in a claim. Good to be registered as not full time , not off the lists etc . ?

PaulieBoy

You are entitled to social welfare for Christmas and you should claim it. Your pay does indeed include a contribution towards holiday pay and the social welfare will ask you to have your employer complete a form and on foot of that they calculate how much holidays you were paid for. They deduct this from your claim. So, for example, say your off work for two weeks, as you are, the social welfare do their thing and say you got two days holiday pay from your employer, then they deduct two days claim from the two weeks. The amount will depend on how long you have been working there.
You are off course available for work and if a school rang over the holidays looking for you to work then, yes, according to the social welfare rules you must take up this employment.
It's a bit of trouble to have to go to but once your set up they will send you a form in advance of any holidays to make a claim, mid term etc. So it is far easier the next time. So do by all means make a claim. It also gives continuity for your stamps if you make a claim.
So ignore above armchair social welfare experts and go claim your entitlement. It's a joke having to work under the type of contract you, and many others, have imposed by the state so go claim.
Been there done that!

PaulieBoy

mtoutlemonde wrote: »

No you're not entitled to social welfare during Christmas because as you said a proportion of your earnings are deducted and you get paid this money at Christmas, Easter and summer holidays. Have a look at your payslip - probably not today's and you should see holiday pay and as you are covering a maternity - it will be a substantial amount to get you through Christmas unless you're going to Vegas

Your erroneous advice would have cost the poster a lot of money in lost income

myshirt

Paulieboy, you might be in trouble there because the op is not entitled to social welfare over the Xmas. Keep the head down, because if that case comes up for audit you will be looking at a clawback. You shouldn't have got anything. Yet again, another set of public servants stumbling through their job clueless.

PaulieBoy

myshirt wrote: »

Paulieboy, you might be in trouble there because the op is not entitled to social welfare over the Xmas. Keep the head down, because if that case comes up for audit you will be looking at a clawback. You shouldn't have got anything. Yet again, another set of public servants stumbling through their job clueless.

When working on part time contracts I got Christmas, mid term and all other breaks paid by the dole. Standard procedure. As I said, they send out a claim form in advance of the holidays to facilitate this.Not keeping my head down thanks!

r93kaey5p2izun

PaulieBoy wrote: »

When working on part time contracts I got Christmas, mid term and all other breaks paid by the dole. Standard procedure. As I said, they send out a claim form in advance of the holidays to facilitate this.Not keeping my head down thanks!

Are you aware of the change in how holiday pay is done since Sept 2015? It has changed things a lot.

mtoutlemonde

PaulieBoy wrote: »

When working on part time contracts I got Christmas, mid term and all other breaks paid by the dole. Standard procedure. As I said, they send out a claim form in advance of the holidays to facilitate this.Not keeping my head down thanks!

Lovely Christmas spirit you have. Just to be clear - I am assuming that as the OP is covering a maternity - he/she will have a 22 hour contract where he/she will receive a substantial holiday payment and shouldn't be entitled to dole for holidays. You on the other hand are different because you are on part time where you could be below the threshold - hence the dole for holidays.

mtoutlemonde

myshirt wrote: »

Do you want to reveal the social welfare office? You don't need to reveal your own details. I will personally see to it that the issue is rectified.

Only recently off an assignment with their management reviewing their control structures, process and procedures, and this is an abject failure if they have paid you. Again, googling how to do their job, and working off poor documentation.

Will you pm the office please?

He may be on low hours. I remember when I was subbing casually on the docket system - If I only worked one/two days, it was backed up with SW so paulieboy may have been entitled to it. There are teachers who are 3/4 hour contracts.

PaulieBoy

Clearly the OP needs to go to their local dole office and make a claim. Advice against this may well be doing a disservice to the OP as nobody here is in possession of all the facts and in a position to adjudicate on same.
I have received nothing from the dole office to which I was not fully and legally otherwise entitled to. Any suggestions as to same is fully without foundation.
My circumstances are mine and will not be up for discussion. I merely am trying to alert the OP that she may well have an entitlement that others here have quickly and without all the details said she is not. That is, to any rational thinking person, bad advice.

PaulieBoy

mtoutlemonde wrote: »

He may be on low hours. I remember when I was subbing casually on the docket system - If I only worked one/two days, it was backed up with SW so paulieboy may have been entitled to it. There are teachers who are 3/4 hour contracts.

An astute and educated observation!

Killergreene

Paulie don't reveal the name of your sw office or any further details about your location. Some of the bitters on here are clearly out to spite you and the OP and could make a false accusation against. I'd advise you not to reveal anymore.op should go to her sw office and not listening to the cowboys above posting false advice screwing her out of money . she'll pay enough tax over her lifetime she should take what she's entitled to

mtoutlemonde

Killergreene wrote: »

Paulie don't reveal the name of your sw office or any further details about your location. Some of the bitters on here are clearly out to spite you and the OP and could make a false accusation against. I'd advise you not to reveal anymore.op should go to her sw office and not listening to the cowboys above posting false advice screwing her out of money . she'll pay enough tax over her lifetime she should take what she's entitled to

The OP asked a question and he/she got an answer - there is no one 'screwing her out of money'. If you work as a teacher, you will know that 10/11% is taken from pay and is paid at holidays. In the past, teachers covering maternity or sick leave were on a higher rate as pay included holiday pay and a change was made last year I think where holiday pay is paid prior to holidays. How many times should a person be paid?

atilladehun

I used to get it when I started. The local office used to keep all the teachers in a separate handy file because of the holidays.

Go down, apply. If they say yes then great, if not then you know.

TheDriver

Based on the various postings here, the best advice is to ask your local social welfare office who will advise on the best course of action or entitlement. You could also try a citizens advice bureau. Theres no harm in asking what you are entitled to based on your current circumstances