Back to Education Allowance

Information

You may be able to pursue approved second-or third-level education courses through the Back to Education Allowance scheme. If you take part in the scheme you will receive a standard rate of payment that is not means tested.

The allowance is payable for the duration of the course. If you were previously getting a jobseeker's payment, you will not get the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) during the summer period between academic years. If you cannot get work during the summer months, you may be able to apply for Jobseeker's Benefit or Jobseeker's Allowance. You may continue to get BTEA if you are on work placement or experience that is an essential part of your course.

Cost of Education Allowance

In addition to your weekly BTEA payment, you will also get an annual Cost of Education Allowance of €500, which is paid at the start of each academic year.

People signing on for unemployment credits or submitting medical certificates for illness credits may get a Cost of Education Allowance - see 'Unemployment or illness credits' in 'Rules' below. .

Keeping your secondary benefits

If you qualify for the Back to Education Allowance, you will keep an entitlement to any secondary benefits you already have, for example, Fuel Allowance, or Rent Supplement and Mortgage Interest Supplement under the Supplementary Allowance Scheme. However, any increase in income may affect your entitlement to Rent/Mortgage Interest Supplement or the amount of supplement you get. For example, this can happen if you move from a reduced social welfare payment to the standard BTEA rate.

Student maintenance grants

From September 2010, if you are starting a new course and getting a Back to Education Allowance, you will not get a student maintenance grant.

You will not get the Back to Education Allowance and a student maintenance grant, if you:

• Have been getting BTEA and are moving or progressing to a new course
• Are a new BTEA applicant

Although you are not entitled to a maintenance grant, you may get a grant for the payment of college fees or student support charges. You must submit a student grant application form to get payment of the student service charge or tuition fees. Contact your local authority or VEC for more information.

Exceptions

If you are currently getting the Back to Education Allowance and the student maintenance grant, you will continue to be eligible for both payments for the duration of your current course. You must continue to meet the terms and conditions of both schemes.

Spouse/partner can qualify for BTEA

You may qualify for BTEA if you are not getting a social welfare payment but your spouse/partner is getting an Increase for a Qualified Adult in their social welfare payment for you.

To qualify your spouse/partner must have an entitlement to BTEA and be getting an Increase for a Qualified Adult in his/her social welfare payment for you as an adult dependent. You must be a Qualified Adult (3 months for Second Level Option or 9 months for Third Level Option, see 'Rules' below), of a person who would qualify for the BTEA scheme.

If you qualify for BTEA because you are an adult dependent, you will get the same social welfare payment as your spouse/partner but at the maximum standard personal rate. Your spouse/partner will keep his/her entitlement to his/her personal rate of payment. You will also qualify for the annual Cost of Education Allowance.

If you get the Back to Education Allowance your spouse/partner can still keep his/her entitlement to the allowance.

Rules

To qualify for the Back to Education Allowance, you must be at least 21 years of age (24 years of age for a third-level postgraduate course). For exceptions to the age limit - see below.

If you wish to attend a second level course you must be getting one of the social welfare payments listed below for at least 3 months (78 days of unemployment*) immediately before you start the course.

If you wish to attend a third level course you must be getting one of the social welfare payments listed below for 9 months (234 days of unemployment*) immediately before you start the course .

*If you are getting a jobseeker's payment, each day you are unemployed, except Sunday, is counted as a day of unemployment.

Qualifying social welfare payments are:

• Jobseeker's Allowance or Jobseeker's Benefit
• Farm Assist
• One-Parent Family Payment
• Deserted Wife's Benefit/Allowance
• Widow/Widower's (Contributory) Pension
• Widow/Widower's (Non-Contributory) Pension
• Prisoners Wife's Allowance
• Carer's Allowance

If you are getting Illness Benefit for 2 years or more you can also qualify for the Allowance.

Time spent on BTEA, VTOS, FÁS training courses, Fáilte Ireland Training course, Community Employment schemes, FIT, Rural Social Scheme, Back to Work Allowance, Back to Work Enterprise Allowance, Short Term Enterprise Allowance, FÁS Job Initiative, Revenue Job Assist, Supplementary Welfare Allowance, in prison or in Direct Provision can count towards the qualifying period. You may go directly from one of the above schemes to Back to Education Allowance provided you were getting one of the qualifying social welfare payments listed above before you started the scheme. You must start your approved course of study within four weeks of leaving the scheme. Otherwise you must be getting a qualifying social welfare payment immediately before starting an approved course of study.

Redundancy

If you are awarded statutory redundancy under Irish legislation, you can have immediate access to the BTEA. To qualify you must:

• Take part in the BTEA scheme within one year of getting statutory redundancy
• Be entitled to a qualifying social welfare payment before starting your course - see list above

Unemployment or illness credits

If you are signing on for unemployment credits or submitting medical certificates for illness credits, you may qualify to participate in the scheme. You will not get a weekly Back to Education Allowance, but you can get the Cost of Education Allowance. This is a once off payment at the beginning of each academic year. You will continue to be awarded credited contributions while you are taking part in the BTEA scheme.

Exceptions to the age limit

To qualify for the Back to Education Allowance, you must be at least 21 years of age (24 years of age for a third-level postgraduate course).

However, if you are getting Jobseeker's Allowance, Jobseeker's Benefit or One-Parent Family Payment for the required period of time and aged between 18 and 20 and you have been out of the formal education system for at least 2 years you may qualify for Back to Education Allowance.

If you are aged 18 or over and getting Blind Pension, Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension or Incapacity Supplement for the required period of time you may qualify for the Allowance. The allowance has also been extended to people with disabilities who have left Community Employment schemes and who, when beginning the scheme, were not receiving a qualifying social welfare payment. They must begin the course within 4 weeks of finishing the scheme.

Study options

There are two study options available under the scheme:

• Second-level option
• Third-level option.

Second-level option

You can attend a second-level course of education at any secondary, community, comprehensive or vocational school. The course must be full-time and to a certificate recognised by the Department of Education and Skills or approved by the Further Education and Training Awards Council, e.g., Junior Certificate, Leaving Certificate, Post Leaving Certificate or a City and Guilds Certificate.

Third-level option

You can attend a third-level course of education at any university, third-level college or institution, provided that the course is a full-time day course of study and is approved by the Department of Education and Skills for Higher Education Grant purposes, VEC Scholarship Scheme or the Third Level Maintenance Grant Scheme for Trainees or has Higher Education and Training Awards Council recognition.

If you already have an undergraduate third-level qualification, (i.e., you already have a degree) your application for a Back to Education Allowance while pursuing post-graduate education will only be considered if you are doing certain courses. You will not get BTEA if you already have a postgraduate qualification.

Monitoring arrangements

You must provide a certificate from the school/college in question confirming your registration, commencement and attendance at the course. You will be requested to supply this information before payment can begin. During the course of the academic year, you may be asked to provide confirmation that you are still taking part in the course.

IIf you change from a jobseeker's payment to BTEA, you will not need to sign on at your Social Welfare Local Office while you are getting BTEA.

Rates

Back to Education Allowance is paid at a standard rate. This means, if you are getting a reduced rate of payment it will be increased to the maximum standard rate of payment while you are getting BTEA. If you are already getting the maximum rate, you will continue to do so.

For example, if you are getting a jobseeker's payment, you will be paid a Back to Education Allowance at the maximum standard rate of Jobseeker's Benefit or Jobseeker's Allowance. It will include any increases you are getting for a qualified adult and qualified children.

Back to Education Allowance is payable in the same way as your current social welfare payment.

Back to Education Allowance is not payable during the summer months. You may however be eligible for Jobseeker's Allowance or Jobseeker's Benefit.

How to apply

Contact your local second- or third-level school or college to obtain details of the courses available. Schools or colleges will also advise you on how to obtain a place on the course of your choice.

When you have been accepted on a course, you should notify the Department of Social Protection by downloading and completing the Back to Education Allowance application form (pdf), which is available from your local Social Welfare Office.

You must apply for BTEA before starting an approved course. A late application will be accepted if there is a good reason for it being late and it is received by the relevant section in the Department within 30 days of the course starting.

If you are getting an unemployment payment, you should return your application form to your local Social Welfare Office.

If you are getting One-Parent Family Payment, Deserted Wife's Benefit/Allowance, Widow's/Widower's Pension, Prisoners Wife's Allowance or Blind Pension, return your completed form to the relevant section in the Department of Social Protection, College Road, Sligo - see 'Where to apply' below.

If you are getting Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Incapacity Supplement or Carer's Allowance you should return your completed form to the relevant section in the Social Welfare Services Office, Ballinalee Road, Longford.

If you are getting Illness Benefit (for 2 or more years), your completed form should be returned to the Back to Education Section - see 'Where to apply' below.

Where to apply

If you are getting Illness Benefit contact:

If you are getting One-Parent Family Payment, a deserted wife's payment, Widow's/Widower's (Non-Contributory) Pension, Widow's/Widower's (Contributory) Pension or Blind Pension contact:

If you are getting Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Incapacity Supplement or Carer's Allowance contact: