When Will Social Welfare Payments Return To Weekly?

brigidcooley75

Hi, just a quick query. I was wondering since this current situation started, and being on Disability Allowance, have been getting paid every fortnight instead of every week.

Does anyone know when it will be returned to weekly from fortnightly? Or will it be staying like that for a while? Just unsure, as I haven't heard anything on the news or found anything online to say when it will.

Thank you.

Mekirin

It's going to start in August, depending on which payment you receive.The DEASP made an announcement today about the return to weekly payments here:

https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/d9800-some-social-welfare-payments-will-be-returning-to-a-weekly-schedule-in-august/

brigidcooley75

Mekirin wrote: »

It's going to start in August, depending on which payment you receive.The DEASP made an announcement today about the return to weekly payments here:

https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/d9800-some-social-welfare-payments-will-be-returning-to-a-weekly-schedule-in-august/

Thank you, I couldn't find any information anywhere! That clears it up a bit for me!

Waccamacca3

Will the payments into bank stop as well

splinter65

Waccamacca3 wrote: »

Will the payments into bank stop as well

Yes.

Waccamacca3

brigidcooley75 wrote: »

Thank you, I couldn't find any information anywhere! That clears it up a bit for me!

So if you get paid into bank on 6th next payment in post office on 18th then

dashdoll

Have they confirmed when payments to bank accounts for jobseekers will cease? Can't find any information online. Missed the pandemic payment by a week! ��

Atlantic Dawn

Rather crazy move, makes much more sense from a safety and efficiency point of view to keep it at every fortnight, especially with the elderly being regular users of post offices.

splinter65

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Rather crazy move, makes much more sense from a safety and efficiency point of view to keep it at every fortnight, especially with the elderly being regular users of post offices.

I have had lots of distressed claimants on the phone who simply can’t financially manage fortnightly at all. If those of us on monthly salaries were honest then we’d admit that some months were not much better ourselves.
Some Lone parents with no other income and DA recipients in particular have found it stressful and are starting to fall into the hands of loan sharks again.
Pensioners can actually leave their pension in the PO for up to 13 weeks with no questions asked so there is no pressure on them to go to the PO at all.

sunbeam

I know it would probably be a logistical nightmare, but I wish there was an option to keep payments permanently at 2 weeks intervals for those of us who manage better on them. I'm on DA and find it far easier to manage my budget this way.

That said, I've had periods when I really struggled to manage at all due to my illness, so can understand how it might be difficult for others.

splinter65

splinter65 wrote: »

I have had lots of distressed claimants on the phone who simply can’t financially manage fortnightly at all. If those of us on monthly salaries were honest then we’d admit that some months were not much better ourselves.
Some Lone parents with no other income and DA recipients in particular have found it stressful and are starting to fall into the hands of loan sharks again.
Pensioners can actually leave their pension in the PO for up to 13 weeks with no questions asked so there is no pressure on them to go to the PO at all.

From quickly scanning the Gov.ie link above, It looks like pensions are remaining fortnightly? Which is pretty poor in my opinion.


Like the experiences you stated above, I know a fair few people who are on the state pension and the fortnightly payment has completely wrecked them financially. Provident loans all-round and they're genuinely not able to manage a fortnightly budget.

SourSessions

sunbeam wrote:

I know it would probably be a logistical nightmare, but I wish there was an option to keep payments permanently at 2 weeks intervals for those of us who manage better on them. I'm on DA and find it far easier to manage my budget this way.

I'm with you, I wish there was the option though I understand that's more work for the department. I'm much better able to organize my finances with the fortnightly payments and means I can shop every two weeks which decreases my exposure

Atlantic Dawn

splinter65 wrote: »

I have had lots of distressed claimants on the phone who simply can’t financially manage fortnightly at all. If those of us on monthly salaries were honest then we’d admit that some months were not much better ourselves.
Some Lone parents with no other income and DA recipients in particular have found it stressful and are starting to fall into the hands of loan sharks again.
Pensioners can actually leave their pension in the PO for up to 13 weeks with no questions asked so there is no pressure on them to go to the PO at all.

A little like people who think a ton of lead is heavier than a ton of feathers.

Atlantic Dawn

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

A little like people who think a ton of lead is heavier than a ton of feathers.

What?

con747

Deleted User wrote: »

What?

+1

Atlantic Dawn

[Deleted User] wrote: »

What?

It's the very same amount of money they are getting whether it's once a week or fortnightly.

Irish_peppa

SourSessions wrote: »

I'm with you, I wish there was the option though I understand that's more work for the department. I'm much better able to organize my finances with the fortnightly payments and means I can shop every two weeks which decreases my exposure

Same here plus I have been only travelling when absolutely necessary going back to a busy post office (that also doubles as a convenience store) is not my idea of a good idea during a pandemic. Is there some rush to have people collect cash physically weekly during a global pandemic?

sunbeam

Of course it is the same amount of money, but when you are living on a social welfare payment your budget is tight. This year I have had a number of unexpected bills to pay and fortnightly payments gave me a bit more flexibility in having the money to pay them when I needed it. I do have a spreadsheet and plan my monthly spending down to the last Euro, but unfortunately unforseen emergencies sometimes happen.

Conversely some people might find it harder in that if they are not paid weekly as they might just spend they money they have. As I mentioned earlier, when my health was extremely poor I could not plan at all and sometimes fell into that trap.

splinter65

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

It's the very same amount of money they are getting whether it's once a week or fortnightly.

Long term SW payments institutionalise claimants gradually and when you interrupt the routine chaos results.
You are single with no kids living in a council house in co Tipperary and getting DA with no other income.
In the winter the fuel allowance was payable so weekly you went to the post office every week and when your rent of €26 was deducted at source then you walked away from the counter with €215.
You have pay as you go electricity so you probably put €20 on your Electric card and you light a fire so you buy €20 of fuel (maybe more). You’re putting €15 at least aside for Sky and another €10 for WiFi. So we’ll say €60/€70 for bills.
Now you’ve around €150 left. 3 €50 notes. To last you till next Wednesday. And you’ve still not bought any groceries. Or put €25 off the credit union loan you got at Christmas. So off to Lidl with me for a weeks shopping for €50.
Then the payment suddenly becomes fortnightly and instead of 3 €50s you’ve got 6. (That’s IF you got your head around paying double on all the bills).
IM FU**ING RICH!! First thing I’m doing is going in Costa Coffee and have me a latte macchiato caramel and a Terry's chocolate orange muffin. €7.50? Fu** it I’m rich.

Atlantic Dawn

splinter65 wrote: »

Long term SW payments institutionalise claimants gradually and when you interrupt the routine chaos results.
You are single with no kids living in a council house in co Tipperary and getting DA with no other income.
In the winter the fuel allowance was payable so weekly you went to the post office every week and when your rent of €26 was deducted at source then you walked away from the counter with €215.
You have pay as you go electricity so you probably put €20 on your Electric card and you light a fire so you buy €20 of fuel (maybe more). You’re putting €15 at least aside for Sky and another €10 for WiFi. So we’ll say €60/€70 for bills.
Now you’ve around €150 left. 3 €50 notes. To last you till next Wednesday. And you’ve still not bought any groceries. Or put €25 off the credit union loan you got at Christmas. So off to Lidl with me for a weeks shopping for €50.
Then the payment suddenly becomes fortnightly and instead of 3 €50s you’ve got 6. (That’s IF you got your head around paying double on all the bills).
IM FU**ING RICH!! First thing I’m doing is going in Costa Coffee and have me a latte macchiato caramel and a Terry's chocolate orange muffin. €7.50? Fu** it I’m rich.

They could hand half the money to a responsible adult to give it to them a week later, problem solved.

kieran.

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

They could hand half the money to a responsible adult to give it to them a week later, problem solved.

There are no responsible adults in this story, sorry!

sunbeam

I take your point splinter65, but everyone's circumstances are different. I've become much better with budgeting my money on DA, than I was during my many years of working-simply because I've had to to survive. And of course I must add that I'm very grateful for the support the state gives me.

My bills are paid monthly. The extra flexibility afforded by the fortnightly payments has allowed me to avail of Supervalu money off vouchers when they are issued, doing a big shop one week and a smaller one the next and thus save money. It has allowed me put in a monthly subscribe and save order with Amazon and save substantially on groceries and other items that either cost vastly more in the supermarket or are not available to me locally. It also allowed me to save by buying specialist shoes I needed for my arthritis from the manufacturer's Ebay store when some 'seconds' became available for £20, rather paying 120 Euro in the shops here, or doing as my GP suggested and asking the HSE to fund them for me.

Of course, if it hadn't been for the unexpected bills I've had to pay I might still have been able to do this by saving part of a weekly payment, but for me the fortnightly payments have helped a lot.

Atlantic Dawn

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

It's the very same amount of money they are getting whether it's once a week or fortnightly.

That's not generally how the real world works, though. Many people who just get by on their pension, are now suddenly able to pop down to the shop again a few times or buy that extra slab of cans (let's be realistic) and it's a great novelty and bit of a change, and a bit of freedom.

It's only when the following week's payment doesn't arrive in that they realise they're fcuked. And at that point; it's too late. Their budget being tight gives them little scope to catch up, meaning they ring a loan provider (always Provident or the likes, as the proper banks won't entertain them) and they end up in the downward spiral.

I don't know a lot of pensioners, but I do know some that this has happened to, so it must be a bigger issue than is being portrayed.

I like being paid weekly also I don’t like these double week I hope DA goes back soon also

splinter65

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

They could hand half the money to a responsible adult to give it to them a week later, problem solved.

Who do you trust?

splinter65

[Deleted User] wrote: »

That's not generally how the real world works, though. Many people who just get by on their pension, are now suddenly able to pop down to the shop again a few times or buy that extra slab of cans (let's be realistic) and it's a great novelty and bit of a change, and a bit of freedom.

It's only when the following week's payment doesn't arrive in that they realise they're fcuked. And at point it's too late, they're budget being tight give them little scope to catch up, meaning they ring a loan provider (always Provident or the likes, as the proper banks won't entertain them) and they end up in the downward spiral.

I don't know a lot of pensioners, but I do know some that this has happened to, so it must be a bigger issue than is being portrayed.

None of us are immune from impulse buys from time to time splashing out on stuff we don’t need on the basis that, well, yolo. If you have to dip into your credit card or the overdraft to get you through the last week of the month before payday then your no different then Paddy or Mary getting 40 extra smokes and a bottle of gin for Saturday night and then ending up on the borrow for the next Saturday.

splinter65

splinter65 wrote: »

None of us are immune from impulse buys from time to time splashing out on stuff we don’t need on the basis that, well, yolo. If you have to dip into your credit card or the overdraft to get you through the last week of the month before payday then your no different then Paddy or Mary getting 40 extra smokes and a bottle of gin for Saturday night and then ending up on the borrow for the next Saturday.

I'm not sure if I'm reading your post correctly or not, but I think we're both making the same point..

dartboardio

I literally just sent my form into the intreo centre to have my post office payment changed to my bank account.

I am on JB. Just got it lodged into my bank account there tonight.

So I guess they aren't stopping it? Or will the next payment be in post office?

splinter65

dartboardio wrote: »

I literally just sent my form into the intreo centre to have my post office payment changed to my bank account.

I am on JB. Just got it lodged into my bank account there tonight.

So I guess they aren't stopping it? Or will the next payment be in post office?

As far as I know it’s planned to return jobseekers to the PO in September

Stevolende

Looks like it just changed this week.
Thought I'd get a message to that effect from them. But I assume getting one week rather than 2 is down to this.
Saw message on gov.Ie that it changed in Dublin this week. So looks like across the country too.
That is appears to be weekly to bank account.

SourSessions

The 'working age' payments have gone back to weekly from this week. Things like pensions, carers, disability are still on biweekly as those persons might be more compromised.