Work and Jobseeker's Benefit

Introduction

To get Jobseeker's Benefit you must be unemployed. However, there are circumstances in which you can work and get Jobseeker's Benefit. You must meet all the other conditions for Jobseeker's Benefit. For example, have enough social insurance (PRSI) contributions.

You may get Jobseeker's Benefit if:

• Your days at work are reduced (systematic short-time working)
• You are Job-sharing week on and week off (but not if you have chosen to do so)
• You get casual work or part-time work
• You have subsidiary employment.

You may get Jobseeker's Benefit if you are laid off work but you will not get Jobseeker's Benefit if you are on strike. However, your family may get Supplementary Welfare Allowance.

Jobseeker's Benefit is taxable in addition to any income from work. However, it is not taxable if you are getting Jobseeker's Benefit because your hours at work are temporarily reduced (systematic short-time working). Find out more about taxation Jobseeker's Benefit.

Here we also look at how taking up temporary work will affect your Jobseeker's Benefit.

Family Income Supplement (FIS) and Jobseeker's Benefit

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 can not get FIS and Jobseeker's Benefit 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.

If your days at work are reduced (temporarily)

If you normally work full-time

If you normally work full-time but short-time working is introduced by your employer you may get Jobseeker’s Benefit. Reduced working hours on a temporary basis is called systematic-short time working. You will get Jobseeker's Benefit for the days you don't work provided you meet the other conditions that apply to Jobseeker's Benefit, for example, you must not work more than 3 days per week.

For systematic-short time workers the social welfare week is based on 5 working days. For example, if your days of work are reduced to 3 days per week, you will get Jobseeker's Benefit for the other 2 days. This means you will get two-fifths of the normal amount of Jobseeker's Benefit. A case study showing you how to calculate the length of time a systematic short time worker can get Jobseeker's Benefit is available.

You will continue to pay PRSI in the normal way. However, Jobseeker’s Benefit is not taxable if you are systematic short-time working.

If you normally work part-time

If you are a part-time worker and your days of work are reduced temporarily the social welfare week is based on 6 working days. For example, if your working pattern is reduced from 3 days (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday) to 2 days (Monday and Tuesday) per week, you will get Jobseeker's Benefit for the other 4 days once you satisfy all the conditions.

If your days at work are reduced (permanently)

If you normally work full-time but your employer reduces the number of days you work on a permanent basis, you may get Jobseeker's Benefit for the days you don't work. You will be assessed for Jobseeker's Benefit as a part-time worker.

An employer may initially introduce a reduction of work days on a temporary basis, but if there is no expectation of returning to full-time work with that employer you will be reassessed as a part-time worker. In this case, you must continue to look for full-time employment and your Jobseeker's Benefit is taxable.

For each day you are unemployed, one-sixth of the normal rate of Jobseeker's Benefit is payable, provided that you are unemployed for at least 3 days out of a period of 6 consecutive days.

For example:

If you get part-time work for 2 days, you can get four-sixths of the normal Jobseeker's Benefit for that week.

You must claim Jobseeker's Benefit for at least 3 days in any week. If you get 4 days work, Jobseeker's Benefit is not paid for the other 2 days.

Job-sharing and week on/off

If you have been working full-time and then enter a job-sharing arrangement, you are not eligible for Jobseeker's Benefit because you have voluntarily opted to work fewer hours or days.

If you are working week on or off, your entitlement to Jobseeker's Benefit will depend on whether you are available for work on the week off.

In these types of situations, you need to be careful to ensure that you have a full PRSI record. Depending on your precise working arrangements, you could end up with only 26 paid contributions. Find out more about PRSI and job-sharing. However, if you are getting Jobseeker's Benefit, you will get a PRSI credit for the week you are not working.

Casual work or part-time work

You may get Jobseeker's Benefit if you can only get part-time or casual work. Generally speaking, you cannot get Jobseeker's Benefit for a day on which you do casual or part-time work, unless it comes within the subsidiary work rules (see below). You must continue to look for full-time employment.

For each day you are unemployed, one-sixth of the normal rate of Jobseeker's Benefit is payable, provided that you are unemployed for at least 3 days out of a period of 6 consecutive days. So, if you get casual work for 2 days, you can get four-sixths of the normal Jobseeker's Benefit for that week.

You must claim Jobseeker's Benefit for at least 3 days in any week. If you get 4 days work, Jobseeker's Benefit is not paid for the other 2 days.

Subsidiary employment

As a general rule, you will not get Jobseeker's Benefit for any day you are employed or self-employed. However, it is possible to do some subsidiary work and still get Jobseeker's Benefit for the day in question.

Subsidiary work is work that could have been done while you were in full-time employment and outside your normal working hours. For example, you may work a full-time job during the day and have a part-time job in the evening. The part-time job is known as subsidiary or secondary employment if you were able to do the part-time work without it affecting your full-time job for a period of at least 6 months.

If you normally did shift work or worked non-standard hours, such subsidiary work might not be possible. If the subsidiary work involved very late hours, the Department of Social Protection may take the view that you are not actually available for work the next day.

If you already had subsidiary work while working full-time, you will find it easier to meet the requirements.

If you have subsidiary employment, you should always check with the Department of Social Protection to see whether or not your Jobseeker's Benefit will be affected.

If you have less than 117 paid PRSI contributions in the three years before becoming unemployed, you may not earn more than €12.70 a day from subsidiary employment. There is no earnings limit if you have more than 117 paid PRSI contributions.

If you are a farmer with other full-time employment, your farming will be your subsidiary employment.

Public holidays

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 can be found in our document on public holidays.

If you work and get Jobseeker's Benefit, you get a daily rate of Jobseeker's Benefit for the days that you don't work. You will not get Jobseeker’s Benefit for the day you receive payment from your employer for a public holiday but you can continue to get Jobseeker’s Benefit for the other days you do not work.

Temporary work

If you are getting Jobseeker's Benefit and offered temporary work for at least 4 days each week your Jobseeker's payment will stop. If you are unemployed for a second time within 26 weeks your application for Jobseeker's Benefit is not treated as a new claim.

Example

Susan is unemployed and getting Jobseeker's Benefit. She has 260 paid PRSI contributions, which means she can get Jobseeker's Benefit for a maximum of 12 months. She has claimed Jobseeker's Benefit for 8 months. She was offered 2 months temporary work in a factory. When her 2 months work ends she is entitled to claim Jobseeker's Benefit for another 4 months.

However, if you have used up your entitlement to Jobseeker's Benefit, you may re-qualify by working and paying the appropriate PRSI contributions for at least 13 weeks.

On strike

If you are on strike, you are not considered unemployed and not entitled to Jobseeker's Benefit. However, your family may get Supplementary Welfare Allowance.

If you are out of work as a result of a strike (for example you have been laid off), you are however in a different position. You may qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit if you are "not participating in or directly interested in the trade dispute which caused the stoppage at work".

Civil partner, spouse or cohabitant working and Jobseeker's Benefit

Your spouse's/civil partner's or cohabitant's income can affect whether you get an increase in your payment for him or her as a qualified adult. If your adult dependant is earning between €100 and €310 you will get an increase in your Jobseeker's Benefit. If he or she is earning €100 or less you get the maximum increase. If your adult dependant is earning more than €310 you will not get an increase in your Jobseeker's Benefit for your adult dependant.

How your spouse's, civil partner's or cohabitant's income is assessed

Your spouse's/civil partner's or cohabitant's income from all sources is added together to find out if you qualify for an increase in your Jobseeker's Benefit.

Employment and self-employment

Your spouse's/civil partner's or cohabitant's average weekly income from employment is assessed (the gross weekly income is assessed, no deductions are allowed for tax, PRSI contributions or personal expenses). If your spouse/civil partner or cohabitant is paid on a monthly basis, the weekly average over the previous two months is calculated. If he or she is paid weekly or fortnightly, the weekly average over the previous six weeks is used.

To calculate earnings from self-employment the income received in the last completed tax year is divided by 52 to get the average weekly income. Earnings are assessed as gross income less allowable expenses over 12 months. Annual earnings from self-employment are divided by 52 to find your weekly means from self-employment. Any 'drawings' you take from the business is not an allowable expense.

Income from capital

Income from capital, for example, property, savings and investments, is included in the mean test. Where capital is held jointly by you and your spouse or partner, half of the value is assessed as belonging to your spouse/civil partner or cohabitant.

The formula for assessing the means from capital is as follows:

Income from other sources

Income from other sources includes rental income from the letting of property, income from an occupational pension, foreign social welfare payments, income from a trust fund, income under a deed of covenant, other cash income, etc. It is calculated on a weekly basis.

The following social welfare and HSE payments are not taken into account as income:

• Disablement Benefit
• Occupational Injuries Death Benefit in respect of an Orphan
• Guardian's Payment (Contributory)
• Guardian's Payment (Non-Contributory)
• Child Benefit
• Domiciliary Care Allowance
• Supplementary Welfare Allowance