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Jobseeker's Benefit after 9 months

  • 29-09-2023 07:19PM
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 723 ✭✭✭


    Hi. I will be leaving my job soon with a severance package. My skills are pretty niche, so it will almost certainly be some time before I am again in full time employment. 4-6 months, with 9 months at the outside. Have been in permanent employment for 22 years and my wife earns approximately 30k.

    Based on my understanding of Jobseeker's Benefit...

    1. I will be eligible to claim Jobseeker's Benefit 9 weeks after I leave my employment.
    2. I can then claim Jobseeker's Benefit for 9 months.

    Question: after those nine months, if I did not yet have a job, what happens then? I've looked at the government and citizen's information sites but it's not clear to me what "reapplying" means in practice.

    Sorry if this is a silly question, and thank you for any insight you can give.



«1

Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,100 ✭✭✭✭Dempo1


    Towards the end of 9 months you'll be invited to apply for Jobseekers Allowance, it's means tested and your wife's income will be included.

    When you say your leaving, is this Voluntary or redundancy 🤔 if voluntary you may face a 9 week penalty. You'll be askex to explain reason for leaving employment, if redundancy, fine but depending on severance amount this may affect when you get JSB.

    REGARDLESS, important to apply immediately to maintain Contribution, Jobseekers Payments are not generally backdated

    Is maith an scáthán súil charad.




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,975 ✭✭✭Conall Cernach


    I would advise you to claim jsb immediately upon becoming unemployed, don't wait 9 weeks. Although you are getting a severance package it is still a redundancy of your job. Worst case scenario the sw office make you wait the 9 weeks but if you apply 9 weeks late and it turns out you would have qualified for an earlier payment then you have feck all chance of it bring back paid.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,232 ✭✭✭TooTired123


    You’re not being very clear. If you are being made redundant on a voluntary basis then you will not be disqualified at all, unless your severance package is more then €50,000 and you are under the age of 55.

    If you really want to beef up on the vagaries of JSB, here are the Operational Guidelines. Pay special attention to the Available for Work section ….

    https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/e95f88-operational-guidelines-jobseekers-benefit/



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 723 ✭✭✭dingbat


    Hi. Yes my package is over 50k and I am under 55.

    Re. the link, that's why I'm posting here. I've read it.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 723 ✭✭✭dingbat


    Hi. It's voluntary, i.e. severance rather than redundancy.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,100 ✭✭✭✭Dempo1


    That might affect your eligibility, redundancy is straight forward, you've lost your job, Voluntary severance might be treated differently and you may be subject to the 9 weeks waiting time

    More details below but regardless you should apply immediately on finishing your employment


    Screenshot_20230930_104659_com.android.chrome.jpg


    Is maith an scáthán súil charad.




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 723 ✭✭✭dingbat


    Yes that bit is clear. I will not be eligible for the first 9 weeks.

    The bit I'm unclear about is what happens after 9 months.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,277 ✭✭✭gipi


    As Dempo1 said in an earlier post, after 9 months, you apply for Jobseekers Allowance. This is means tested, and will include any other income (spouse or partner), savings or property (except for family home).

    If you don't qualify, but are still unemployed, you can continue to sign for PRSI credits - this will maintain your PRSI record for future years.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,100 ✭✭✭✭Dempo1


    Is maith an scáthán súil charad.




  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,936 ✭✭✭✭bucketybuck


    You may have niche skills, but what's stopping you taking employment elsewhere? Even just as a stopgap while waiting for your niche skills to become desired?



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 30,949 ✭✭✭✭Wanderer78


    after 22 years of employment, i think people deserve a break....



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,232 ✭✭✭TooTired123


    The deciding officer gives the claimant around 9 months to find something in their own skills/qualifications. If they’ve not got anything by then, the pressure to take a job outside of your comfort zone is ramped up (referred to a SW backed job finding agency etc) and that’s when they generally find something that suits them pretty quickly.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,232 ✭✭✭TooTired123


    Sure they do. For how long though wanderer and how should the person on the break finance themselves?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,232 ✭✭✭TooTired123


    It’s not really complicated. Your benefit runs out. If you’ve not found a job then two things happen. First of all they invite you to apply for Jobseeker’s Allowance. So you submit evidence of all your income and savings and that of your spouse/co habitant. SW look at that and decide if you need any further financial assistance while you’re continuing to look for work.

    If the decide you don’t need it then you won’t get any more payment but you can ask to continue to sign for credits.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 30,949 ✭✭✭✭Wanderer78


    we pay them, as theyve paid enough in taxes over the years, it all goes back into the economy anyway, as most will be spent straight back into it, swings and roundabouts! a few months off can be a lifesaver, re-energising people after that length of time working, which in turn makes better, happier and more productive workers in the long run



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,018 ✭✭✭BlueSkyDreams


    If its voluntary but with a pay off its still voluntary redundancy. So you are still being made redundant & entitiled to some support.

    I imagine after the 9 months if you still have the majority of your pay out in the bank, you probably wont qualify for Job Seekers since you have your own money to spend.

    Not that I agree with that approach, but I expect that will be what happens.

    Otherwise they wouldnt means test you.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,232 ✭✭✭TooTired123


    But you don’t say for how long, wanderer “we” should pay them this “I’m having a break now” payment. How much should we pay them, too? How long do you think you should have to work before you get “I’m having a break now” Benefit? How long should the benefit last? And don’t forget, how much should we pay, for example, a man (taking a break) who has a wife who doesn’t work outside the home and their 4 teenagers? (Bear in mind, their mortgage is €1000 a month and their car loan is €450 and their health insurance is €350).



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,018 ✭✭✭BlueSkyDreams


    There are plenty who never contribute anything in their life and get free JSA and a free pension.

    Anyone who has ever worked deserves at least as much as those scroungers get.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 30,949 ✭✭✭✭Wanderer78


    most citizens pay taxes, including the long term unemployed!



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,018 ✭✭✭BlueSkyDreams


    And they deserve the same benefits at minimum vs those that never contributed.



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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,232 ✭✭✭TooTired123


    Ok so I’m still waiting for a response from wanderer ( I’m sure he’s composing a response right now) but maybe you can help.

    How many years do you need to have worked before you get this “I need a break now” Benefit. How long will the “I need a break now” Benefit last? Does your employer need to keep your job open while you’re on the benefit? How much will a man claiming for his wife and 3 teenagers get considering he has a mortgage of €1000 a month a car loan of €450 and health insurance of €350?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,466 ✭✭✭phormium


    Basically once your Jobseekers Benefit is up you can apply for Jobseekers Allowance (the Dole in old terms!) so have a read of the means test for JA to see if you would qualify for anything, unlikely I would think as it's hard to get anything with an income coming in however there are family payments that might be a runner at that stage.

    A trip into a citizens information office might be worth it, they are pretty expert in social welfare issues.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,018 ✭✭✭BlueSkyDreams


    Benefit is immediate and lasts forever. The rate is the same, regardless of financial commitments.

    You know, the same as it is for anyone on unemployment benefit.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,232 ✭✭✭TooTired123


    Jobseekers benefit lasts for 9 months max.

    Carers benefit lasts for 2 years.

    Illness benefit lasts for 2 years.

    I have no idea why you think that benefits last forever.

    The rate of illness benefit or jobseekers benefit depends on the rate of pay you earned in the taxable year.

    So. From what I can gather from you, you are suggesting that if someone starts work at age 18 they should be allowed to retire permanently at the age of 40. Once again, how much Retirement Pension should they get at 40?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,018 ✭✭✭BlueSkyDreams


    So if someone does not get a job after 9 months, you are saying that they no longer receive state benefits in any way?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,232 ✭✭✭TooTired123


    Yes they’re finished with benefits. They move on to allowance. It’s means tested.

    You've been reading this forum for years and I thought that you would know this.

    Now, are you going to explain your theory about people being allowed to retire on full pension at aged 40 as long as they’ve 22 years worked.

    That would mean that only people aged 22 to 40 are contributing PRSI and USC and tax into the system. ( that’s where we get most of the money to pay pensions at 66).

    But you are suggesting that people get their pension 26 years earlier now. So how would that work? Where would we get the money to pay these pensions?



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 723 ✭✭✭dingbat


    Thanks folks. Seem to have ignited a debate here :-)

    I have no experience with being out of a job. Have always been in a job, whether contract work or permanent. I think the bit I missed was that Jobseeker's Benefit and Jobseeker's Allowance are two different things. So thank you @Dempo1. Apologies for misunderstanding your point.

    As for other commentary, I'm not planning to be out of a job for over 9 months. But I plan to be prepared. I like knowing what the various outcomes would be if things did not go well. If it came to it, my efforts during that time would have been spent trying to find the next right job; a role that continues my career trajectory in a meaningful way. If I get to a point where I simply need cash from somewhere, that will change the equation and I will need to find any job.

    I've paid a lot into the system, and entirely happy to do so. I'm a strong believer in the welfare state and ensuring our floor is as high as possible. I don't really care if some folks decide they will lie around and scrounge - I'd prefer we had a few too many like that than we leave people who really need it go without (which is what currently happens too often).



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,018 ✭✭✭BlueSkyDreams


    Oh so they DO continue to get benefits for the rest of their lives.

    So, I was correct and you were wrong.

    And in due time, the non contributor also receives a pension, which they never paid into and is called a non-contributory pension.

    This free pension can in fact be higher than the pension earnt by someone that DID contribute for years but wasnt able to gain the full pension credits.

    My point is pretty clear.

    If someone never works in their life and is carred by the state on benefits forever, then someone that has worked, should, during periods of unemployment, recieve at least the same financial supports that the non contributor does.

    And upon retirement age, they should also receive at least the equivalent pension value as the non-contributory pension, to answer your question.



  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 27,100 ✭✭✭✭Dempo1


    This escalated quite quickly.

    Just one point to add. Job activation measures start immediately regardless of wether a claimant is on JSB or JSA, DSP don't wait 9 months for claimants to find a job.

    Within a very short time JSB will be referred to Pathways to work

    Is maith an scáthán súil charad.




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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,232 ✭✭✭TooTired123


    No you’re still wrong, I’m afraid. Benefits are what you’re qualified for when you’ve paid into the system. Allowances are what you get when either your benefits are exhausted or you never had any at all.

    But every day is a school day here on boards and I bet you won’t make the same mistake again.

    You’re also mistaken in your allegation that someone who has never paid into the system can get more money to live on at pension age then someone who has, but just didn’t pay enough.

    The person who didn’t pay enough into the system has the opportunity to apply to be means tested for the non con pension too. Anything else would be ludicrous. Amazing!

    But what time are you going to get back here to tell us how this Retirement Pension at 40 is going to work?



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