Social Welfare JA Jobseekers Allowance under 25

Mikefitzs

Serious frustration in our gaff tonight. Young lad has lost his job, he was employed for 8 months but unfortunatley things just didn't work out. No misconduct etc just the boss lady wanted someone with a lot more experience and that's who she should have hired in the first place. Anyway my gripe is about the totally inadaquate welfare system for ADULTS under 25. Wife and I work in low paid jobs (better than minimum wage), we have high commuting costs as we live in rural ireland without access to public transport. Our lad finished college with his Honours degree last year and secured a good enough job starting out. Now has tried singing on for JA as not enough PRSI payments for JB. DEASP are requesting our payslips and we are refusing to give as he is an adult, he's beeen told that the claim will be refused without us being measn tested.

So until he secures a new job he has no income. Is there any other course of action other than telling lies or moving out to live with his grandparents? This seems to be a ridiculous situation created by idiot politicians.

Why has society just accepted that adults are not being treated as adults? People should be beating down the doors of politicians over this.

TooTired123

• . Parental Income
• 2. Exceptions
• 3. Calculation of benefit & privilege from 30th April 2008
• 4. Assessment of benefit & privilege prior to 30th April 2008
• 5. Claimant working on the family farm or business
• 6. Other Benefit and Privilege Cases
• 7. Assessment of Benefit & Privilege from Seasonal Earnings
• 8. Minimum Weekly Payment

Parental Income

Where a person is living with a parent or step-parent in the family home, an assessment is be made of the yearly value of any benefit and privilege enjoyed by that person by virtue of residing with a parent or step parent. The value of the benefit and privilege assessed is based on the level of the parents income.

No assessment is made where the person is living with other relatives e.g. a brother or sister or with non-relatives.

Exceptions

• Where a married/co-habiting son/daughter is living with his/her parents, no assessment is made. Or where daughter/son has a child dependant and is living with her/his parents.
• Where a person returns to the parental home having had an independent life-style elsewhere in Ireland or abroad for an appreciable length of time e.g. at least 3 years, the assessment in this case is €7.00 per week.
• PRETA. The assessment of B & P from parental income was abolished for all PRETA customers with effect from 30 April 2003
• JA. In recent years, the assessment of Benefit & Privilege from parental income was abolished for persons in excess of certain ages as follows:

Excess of Certain Ages:

Age GroupEffective DateJA customers aged 29 and over30 April 2003JA customers aged 27 and over7 April 2004JA customers aged 26 and over13 April 2005JA customers aged 25 and over1 February 2006

Persons aged under 25

Benefit & privilege applies to persons under 25 years. The assessment of parental income continues to apply to persons aged under 25 who reside with a parent or step-parent. On reaching age 25 the B & P assessment should be revised to "Nil".

Calculation of benefit & privilege from 30th April 2008

Budget 2008 provided for a change in the method of calculating the yearly value of benefit and privilege. The new assessment method is effective from 30th April 2008 and applies to all relevant JA claims whether existing or new.

Parental Income

Under the new arrangements, parental income includes:

• Income from employment
• Income from self employment
• Income from occupational, Irish Statutory Pensions and foreign pensions
• Rental Income
• Maintenance payments
• Social Welfare payments
• Health Service Executive payments
• Solas/Educational Training Board (ETB) Training Allowances
• Income from Community Employment Schemes

All Social Welfare payments are included as income for B & P purposes with the exception of the following:

• National and Smokeless Fuel Allowance
• Child Benefit
• Early Childcare Supplement
• Respite Care Grant
• Guardian Payment
• Domiciliary Care

HSE payments that are not included as income for B & P:

• Blind Welfare Allowance
• Mobility Allowance
• Infectious Diseases Maintenance Allowance
• Foster Care Allowance

Deductions

Deductions are allowed for income tax, pension levy income levy, Universal Social Charge, PRSI, superannuation/ PRSA contributions, private health insurance contribution, union dues and rent/mortgage payments. Where parents are in receipt of Rent or Mortgage Interest Supplement, a disregard applies only to the amount of rent or mortgage actually paid by the parents.

No deductions are allowed in respect of travelling expenses, life assurance premiums, sports/social club subscriptions or savings schemes deductions e.g. Instalment Savings, Credit Union lodgements etc.

In cases where parents have property other than the family home and that property is yielding an income, the net income of that property is asessed e.g. rental income less expenses such as mortgage repayments, insurance costs, repairs etc.

Calculate the net income of the family (gross income less the various deductions, as appropriate). Apply a disregard of €600.00 for a two parent family and €470.00 for a one parent family. An additional disregard of €30.00 applies for all children up to 18 years of age who are not getting a SW or HSE payment in their own right and for all children over 18 years in full time education irrespective of their age (excluding children who are in receipt of a Social Welfare payment in their own right or in employment or self employment).

See above the operational guidelines applying to your sons claim for JSA

TooTired123

So combine both your net wages, deduct the rent or mortgage and then you can disregard the first €600 of the combined amount. Add on to the €600 for each extra dependent child. The amount at the end will be deducted from his max. JSA.

I hope he gets another job real soon.

Mikefitzs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120364060#Comment_120364060

Thanks for all that but that's just public info. I fail to see why an adult that has completed 3rd level and has been working for near 20 months altogether is treated as if they walked out of school at 16 and gave 2 fingers to society. I'm just going to move him into his grandparents over the weekend and he can open a new claim and get everything he can. I know he'll be wroking in a few weeks again as he has car payments, Laya payments and a holiday booked, he's not a tosser. Too easy for politicians on massive incomes to write legislation that afects the less well off.

Dempo1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120364342#Comment_120364342

Unfortunately and I sympathise, as your son is under 25 and living at home not only are his parents incomes assessed his actual payment will be less than the standard Jobseekers payment of €220 PW. This will not change until he's 25 when only his means are assessed.

You may fail to see why this is the case and yes 3rd level education irrelevant when assessing a Jobseekers payment but that's something you'll have to take up with DSP.

I'm not at all sure why you think anyone believes your son is a Tosser or moving him into his grandparents will make much of a Difference in the short term. The Social welfare system treats everyone equally, wether unfairly or not, that's really not for debate here.

If you refuse to permit a means test be completed by supplying the information sought by DSP, there'll be no payment to your son. If you move him to grandparents, evidence of how long he's lived there will be sought.

Your call but facts is facts

chiefwiggum

Very easy to cast blame on " idiot politicians" as usual. Departmental structures and policies are, for the most part, put together by senior civil servants and advisors.

The only person stopping your lad from getting a few bob to tide him over is you.

I have interviewed hundreds of people on JSA who have contributed to society for years, have PhDs, master degrees etc. They are all treated equally in the eyes of the DEASP.

Trying to be clever by moving him won't work either. He has had a claim opened already with his current address. The question of how long he is at his grandparents house will come up very quickly when they see the change of address.

You may think you're "sticking it to the Man" by not supplying documentation for a means test but " The Man" doesn't care and the only one to lose out will be your son.

TooTired123

In my work day life I have heard many times the “move him into his grandparents/aunty Joan’s” threat and 10/10 times either the young person refuses to go or granny refuses to take him.

My own daughter doesn’t have an ordinary degree never mind an honours degree but she never was without a job and only got SW during the lockdown simply because we let her know that she is fit and healthy, thank God, and there is always a job to be got.

She’s working in a great job now and working her way up the pecking order there.

Jobseekers should be the last option for any young person not the automatic go to. Sign on to keep credits going but just dive into the job market and take whatever is the best paid thing on offer until you get something that you think suits you.

Expecting a young person with less than 2 years employment, living at home with no outgoings regarding utilities or rent, to get the same Jobseekers as someone in employment for 30 years living independently is just daft.

Pushing the “he’s got an honours degree” angle doesn’t make any sense at all. What has that got to do with anything?!?

Mikefitzs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120364920#Comment_120364920

"Pushing the “he’s got an honours degree” angle doesn’t make any sense at all. What has that got to do with anything?!?" Means he wasn't a waster like so many other school drop outs that do nothing their whole life, there's plenty of them. Every adult should be treated as an adult regardless of age. He's the one that'll be voting long after I'm gone. Shame on FF and FG for forgetting our young people. They keep pushing them onto planes for Canada and Australia. No housing, low pay, tax tax and more tax. That's what FF and FG and the greens are all about.

TooTired123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120381451#Comment_120381451

If he’s a fit young man looking for a social welfare payment in his early 20s, after making less then 2 years of PRSI contributions, while the country is crying out for retail and hospitality staff then how is he any different then any of the other young fit “wasters” on the dole? Because he’s an extra educated young fit “waster”?

Mikefitzs

I honestly don’t think you have much of an idea how job searching works. You need to search, apply and wait. In the meantime social welfare exists to ensure you have a basic means to feed yourself. If you’re only out of work for a week you still need to eat. As an adult you’re responsible for yourself, parents are not responsible for you. BTW the country is not crying out for retail and hospitality staff. The hotels have no business at present because they’re full of refugees.

Wanderer78

implementing poor welfare supports is a common politically ideologically based approach, it doesnt work, and theres decades of evidence to support this globally, but yet here we are! some countries have implemented far superior welfare supports, such as Scandinavian countries, and its shown to work very well, but higher taxes are generally needed to support such approaches, but we re still highly resistive in implementing such, so yet again, here are are! maybe we should change this!

hope your son gets back to work soon

TuamJ

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120386974#Comment_120386974

Ah there we go. ''hotels have no business.....full of refugees'' I was waiting for that to be trotted out.

I've stayed in 4 different hotels so far this year in Ireland for weekend breaks. Galway, Dublin, Wexford and Kildare. Not a refugee in any of them. Have a parent working in one down the country - no refugees and crying out for kitchen porters and bar staff. If you're in Laois DM me and I'll can give him a contact. Dunnes is also hiring in Laois and I hear they have openings all over. Google up your nearest one. Would tide him over and even part time would be far more than the dole. If he can get something like barista it can be very useful for his CV in the future. Try Costas and Starbucks near you. Even with a degree if he ever goes abroad coffee chains can be lifesavers for earning quick cash, meeting other young people and most chains abroad have good benefits with health insurance for part timers. In his shoes I'd be trying to take anything that will round out his skillset and open doors for him in the future.

Airyfairy12

This is the problem with the constant referring to adults as young people. Anyone under 35 is being infantilised by the government, expected to be supported by their parents or working high waged jobs then by 35 when they still havnt gotten on their feet their considered a grown adult failure! Stop voting for FF & FG! He wont be considered eligable for social welfare in his own right until after 25 & if he was to get it now, he would get a much lower rate.

Dslatt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120386974#Comment_120386974

Places are screaming out for work, there is nothing wrong with getting a quick fix job while waiting for something in his chosen field