Work and Jobseeker's Allowance

Introduction

To get Jobseeker's Allowance usually you must be unemployed. However, there are circumstances in which you can work and get Jobseeker's Allowance. For example:

• Your days at work are reduced
• You are laid off work temporarily
• You are self-employed but your level of business and income has reduced
• You can only get part-time or casual work

You must meet all the other conditions for Jobseeker's Allowance. For example, you must pass a means test and be unemployed for at least 3 days out of 6. You must also continue to look for full-time work.

Jobseeker's Allowance is a means-tested payment. This means your household income must be below a certain level to qualify. Income from work is assessed as means and can affect your Jobseeker's Allowance payment. Your spouse's or partner's income from work can also affect your Jobseeker's Allowance payment. However, only a certain amount of income from work is taken into account. This is called your means from work.

Your income from working as a home-help with the Health Service Executive (HSE) will not affect your payment but your spouse's or partner's home-help income will be taken into account in the means test for Jobseeker's Allowance.

Other sources of income or means can also affect your Jobseeker's Allowance payment. Here we are only looking at how means from work can affect Jobseeker's Allowance.

Jobseeker's Allowance is not taxable.

Family Income Supplement (FIS) and Jobseeker's Allowance

If your income from work is reduced or you are working part-time and you are supporting at least one child you may get FIS. You must be working 19 or more hours per week (or 38 hours per fortnight) and your income must be below a certain amount. You cannot get FIS and Jobseeker's Allowance at the same time. Find out at your Social Welfare Local Office or Citizens Information Centre which payment would be of greater benefit to you.

Calculating means from work

Here we show you how to calculate your means from employment (not self-employment). You can find out how income from self-employment is assessed in our document self-employment and unemployment.

Assessable earnings from work

The following items are always deducted from your gross earnings to get your assessable earnings from work:

• PRSI (social insurance contributions)
• Union dues
• Superannuation
• PRSAs (Personal Retirement Savings Accounts)
• AVCs (Additional Voluntary Contributions)

There are 2 stages to calculating how work will affect your Jobseeker's Allowance.

First you must find out if you have an entitlement to any amount of Jobseeker's Allowance (see 'Part 1' below). If you have an entitlement to some Jobseeker's Allowance then calculated how much Jobseeker's Allowance you may get (see 'Part 2' below).

Part 1: Find out if you have an entitlement to Jobseeker's Allowance

First, you must find out if you have an entitlement to Jobseeker's Allowance.

To do this take your assessable weekly earnings and deduct €20 per day for each day you have worked up to a maximum of €60 (3 days). Next get 60% of the balance. This is assessed as your weekly means.

Assessable weekly earnings - €20 per day (maximum 3 days) = total x 60% = weekly means from work.

Your joint means are halved if your spouse or partner is:

• Getting a social welfare payment (except Child Benefit, Disablement Pension, guardian's payment, Supplementary Welfare Allowance and half-rate Carer's Allowance)
• Getting a Health Service Executive (HSE) payment (except Domicilary Care Allowance and Foster Care Allowance)
• On a FÁS course or on a VTOS course and getting an allowance in his/her own right.

If your weekly means are less than the maximum weekly rate for your circumstances then your daily means is calculated to find the actual amount of Jobseeker's Allowance you will get.

If your weekly means are greater than the maximum weekly rate for your circumstances then you will not get Jobseeker's Allowance.

Note: The maximum weekly rate of Jobseeker’s Allowance for your circumstances is the maximum rate of Jobseeker’s Allowance and any increases for your adult dependant and child dependants. If your means are halved, an increase for a qualified adult is not included in the maximum Jobseeker’s Allowance payment for your situation and you will only get a half-rate increase for each qualified child.

Maximum weekly rate of Jobseeker's Allowance in 2010 for people aged 25 and over:

People under 25 years of age get a reduced age related rate of Jobseeker's Allowance. However, there are exceptions and some people under 25 may get the higher basic JA rate. More information on the JA rate for people under 25 can be found in our document on Jobseeker's Allowance. Jobseeker's Allowance.

Part 2: Calculate how work will affect your Jobseeker's Allowance

If you have an entitlement to Jobseeker's Allowance, calculate how work will affect your payment.

1. Calculate your average daily earnings

To calculate your average daily earnings get your total weekly assessable earnings from employment and divide by the number of days you worked that week.

Total weekly earnings ÷ number of days worked = average daily earnings.

2. Next calculate your daily means from work

To calculate your daily means from work, you must first disregard any income not taken into account. Income not taken into account is €20 for days worked. Next get 60% of the balance. This is assessed as your daily means.

Average daily earnings - €20 = total x 60% = daily means from work.

3. Finally, find your weekly means from work.

To find your weekly means from work, multiply your daily means by the number of days worked. If you work on Sunday do not count Sunday in the number of days worked - see 'Sunday work' below.
However, if you get paid for a public holiday and you don't work that day, it will be included in the number of days worked - see 'public holidays' below.

Daily means from work x number of days worked = weekly means from work.

Your joint means are halved if your spouse or partner is:

• Getting a social welfare payment (except Child Benefit, Disablement Pension, guardian's payment, Supplementary Welfare Allowance and half-rate Carer's Allowance)
• Getting a Health Service Executive (HSE) payment (except Domicilary Care Allowance and Foster Care Allowance)
• On a FÁS course or on a VTOS course and getting an allowance in his/her own right.

Sunday work

If you work on Sunday calculating your means from employment is done differently. Sunday is not counted as a day of work, so your daily means from Sunday are not taken into account for Jobseeker's Allowance. However, you must include your earnings from Sunday to get your assessable weekly earnings.

Public holidays

If you work part-time, your employer must pay you for the public holidays which you don’t work, as long as, you have worked at least 40 hours in the 5 weeks immediately before the week of the public holiday. More information on payment for public holidays can be found in our document on public holidays.

If you get paid for a public holiday and don't work that day, it will be counted as a day of work and included in the ‘number of days worked’ to find your weekly means from work. Depending on your means, you can continue to get Jobseeker’s Allowance for the other days you do not work.

How much Jobseeker’s Allowance you will get

Subtract your weekly means from the maximum Jobseeker’s Allowance payment for your situation to find out how much Jobseeker’s Allowance you will get.

Note: The maximum weekly rate of Jobseeker’s Allowance for your circumstances is the maximum rate of Jobseeker’s Allowance and any increases for your adult dependant and child dependants. If your means are halved, an increase for a qualified adult is not included in the maximum Jobseeker’s Allowance payment for your situation and you will only get a half-rate increase for each qualified child.

If you have other means in addition to means from work they will also be taken into account and will affect how much Jobseeker’s Allowance you will get.

Worksheet

You may find our Worksheet to help you calculate your means from work for Jobseeker's Allowance useful.

Spouse's or partner's income from work

Spouse' or partner's income from employment

To find your spouse's or partner's means from work you must:

• Deduct €20 per day from your spouse's or partner's assessable earnings for each day worked up to a maximum of €60 (including Sunday)
• Next get 60% of the balance. This is assessed as his or her weekly means from work.

Assessable weekly earnings - €20 per day (maximum 3 days) = total x 60% = weekly means from work.

Your joint means are halved if your spouse or partner is also:

• Getting a social welfare payment (except Child Benefit, Disablement Pension, guardian's payment, Supplementary Welfare Allowance and half-rate Carer's Allowance)
• Getting certain Health Service Executive (HSE) payments (except Domicilary Care Allowance and Foster Care Allowance)
• On a FÁS course or on a VTOS course and getting an allowance in his or her own right.

Note: If means are halved, an increase for a qualified adult is not payable but you can get a half-rate increase for each qualified child.

Spouse's or partner's income from self-employment

Your spouse's or partner's income from self-employment is assessed in the means test for Jobseeker's Allowance.

The assessment must reflect the earnings your spouse or partner may reasonably be expected to get from your business over the next 12 months. Income for the last 12 months will be taken as a guide but allowing for any factors which it is known will vary. Your spouse or partner should be prepared to discuss these factors when you are assessed for Jobseeker's Allowance.

Earnings are assessed as gross income less work related expenses over 12 months. The expected annual earnings from self-employment is divided by 52 to find your spouse's or partner's weekly means from self-employment.

Any 'drawings' taken from the business is not an allowable expense. If the 'drawings' from the business are greater than the level of income calculated, the 'drawings' are assessed as cash income.

There is no exhaustive list of all expenses allowed because expenses vary with the nature and extent of the self-employment. However the following are the main allowable expenses in most cases:

• Materials (supplies costs)
• Motor running costs (portion applicable to business)
• Depreciation of machinery or equipment
• Insurance relating to the business
• Telephone (portion applicable to business)
• Lighting and heating (for business and not domestic use)
• Advertising
• Bank charges
• Stationery
• Van leasing
• Labour costs
• Pension plan
• Any other costs associated with running the business
• Household running costs are not allowed as deductions against business profit
• Class S PRSI contributions (where paid or payable) (Note if payable but not being paid, a separate report should be made by the Social Welfare Investigator on this aspect.)

To prove the level of income from the business your spouse or partner must give his or her receipts and payments (documentation showing money coming in and out of the business) or audited accounts to the person dealing with your application in your Social Welfare Local Office.