Back to Education Allowance

Information

If you are unemployed, parenting alone or have a disability and are getting certain payments from the Department of Social Protection, you may attend asecond-or third-level education course and get the Back to Education Allowance(BTEA). This weekly allowance is paid at a standard rate and is not means-tested. In addition to your weekly BTEA payment, you also get an annual Cost of Education Allowance of €500, paid at the start of each academic year.

In Budget 2012 changes were announced to the Cost of Education Allowance. The Cost of Education Allowance will reduce from €500 to €200 (2012).

If you want to do other types of courses not covered under the BTEA, for example, personal development courses or general training courses you can return to education under the Education, Training and Development option, Part-time Education option or the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS).

Student grants

From the 2011/12 academic year the Student Grant Scheme is divided into 2 components – maintenance grants and fee grants. You cannot get the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) and the maintenance component of a student grant together unlessyou were getting BTEA in the 2009/10 academic year and are continuing your studies or progressing to a new course.

Although you are not entitled to the maintenance component of the student grant, you must still submit a student grant application form to be assessed for a fee grant to pay your Student Contribution (formerly called the student services charge), field trip costs and tuition fees (if payable).

If you are getting a One Parent Family Payment or a disability payment (Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit) you can choose to stay on your current social welfare payment and apply for a student grant or you can choose to transfer to the BTEA.

Read more in our document on social welfare payments and student grants.

Rules

Study options

Two study options are 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 lead to a certificate recognised by the Department of Education and Skills or approved by the Further Education and Training Awards Council, for example, 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 daycourse of study and is approved by the Department of Education and Skills forstudent grant purposes and/or is recognised by the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC).

Undergraduate courses

In general you must be starting your third-level course at year one.However, you can apply for BTEA if you:

• Did not complete your course and are returning to the second or subsequent year of your course.
• Are exempt from part of your course because of a qualification you received in a previous course. For example, you have a higher certificate in a course that you now wish to pursue to degree level.
• Completed some of your course as a part-time student, but are now getting a jobseeker's payment and will continue your course on a full-time basis.

Postgraduate courses

You can get the Back to Education Allowance for a postgraduate course of study that leads to a Higher Diploma (H.Dip.) qualification in any discipline or a Graduate Diploma in Education (primary and secondary teaching). Other types of postgraduate qualifications are not recognised for BTEA.

You will not get BTEA if you already have a postgraduate qualification.

Qualifying for BTEA

You can qualify for the BTEA in different ways depending on your age and circumstances. You must always have been accepted onto a qualifying course. In general you must be over 21 or over 24 for post graduate courses (see also 'Age limits' below) and have been getting a qualifying social welfare payment.

Qualifying social welfare payments

• Jobseeker's Allowance or Jobseeker's Benefit
• Farm Assist
• One-Parent Family Payment
• Deserted Wife's Benefit/Allowance
• Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory Pension
• Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Non-Contributory Pension
• Prisoners Wife's Allowance
• Carer's Allowance

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

Qualifying period

For second level courses you must have been getting a qualifying social welfare payment (see above) for at least 3 months (78 days of unemployment*) immediatelybefore you start the course.

For third level courses you must have been getting a qualifying social welfare payment (see above) for 9 months (234 days of unemployment*) immediatelybefore 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.

Time spent on BTEA, VTOS, FÁS training courses, Fáilte Ireland Training course, Community Employment schemes, FIT, Youthreach, 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. In all cases you must start your approved course of study within 4 weeks of leaving the scheme.Otherwise you must be getting a qualifying social welfare payment immediately before starting an approved course of study.

If you have been awarded statutory redundancy and are entitled to a qualifying social welfare payment immediately before you start the course ( note that it is not necessary to actually be receiving the payment) you can get immediate access to the BTEA without any waiting period. You must take part in the BTEA scheme within one year of getting statutory redundancy.

Age limits

To qualify for the Back to Education Allowance, you must be at least 21 years of age. You must be 24 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 (3 or 9 months), are aged between 18and 20 and have been out of the formal education system for at least 2 years you may qualify.

If you are aged 18 or over (over 24 for the post graduate option) and getting Blind Pension, Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension or Incapacity Supplement for the required period (3 or 9 months) you may qualify.The Allowance has also been extended to people with disabilities who have left Community Employment schemes and who, when beginning the scheme, were not getting a qualifying social welfare payment. In this case, you must begin the course within 4 weeks of finishing the scheme.

Unemployment or illness credits

If you are signing on for unemployment credits or submitting medical certificates for illness credits, for the required period of time (either 3 or 9 months depending on your course), you may qualify to participate in the BTEA scheme on a non-payment basis. This means that you do 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 continue to be awarded credited contributions while you are taking part in the BTEA scheme.

If you are participating in the BTEA scheme on a non-payment basis, you can also apply for a studentgrant to be assessed for the fee component of the grant. You will not be eligible for the maintenance component.

Other people who can qualify for BTEA

If you are the qualified adult of a person who can claim BTEA, you can qualify for BTEA in your own right. Your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant must have an entitlement to BTEA and must also be getting an Increase for a Qualified Adult in his/her social welfare payment for you for the required period - see 'Qualifying for BTEA' above.

If you qualify for BTEA because you are an adult dependant, your allowance is equivalent to the maximum standard personal rate of the social welfare payment your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is getting. You also qualify for the annual Cost of Education Allowance. Your spouse or partner keeps his/her entitlement to his/her personal rate of payment.

Monitoring arrangements

You must provide a certificate from the school/college confirming your registration, commencement and attendance at the course. You must 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.

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

Rates

The 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 are 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 - see 'Qualified adult' below.

Back to Education Allowance is paid in the same way as your current social welfare payment. It is paid for the duration of the course. If you were previously getting a jobseeker's payment, you do not get the Back to Education Allowance during the summer period between academic years. However, you can apply for Jobseeker's Benefit or Jobseeker's Allowance if you meet the qualifying conditions. You may get BTEA during the summer if you are on work placement or work experience that is an essential part of your course.

Qualified adult

Even though your BTEA is not means-tested, any increase for a qualified adult may be means-tested if your spouse/partner has earnings or income in their own right.

If you are coming to the BTEA from Jobseeker's Allowance or Disability Allowance and if your qualified adult is earning you qualify for the full Increase for a Qualified Adult if your qualified adult has earnings of under €100, a half rate if they earn between €100 and €310 and no increase ifthey earn more than €310. This is similar to the way an Increase for a Qualified Adult for Jobseeker’s Benefit is calculated. The disregards that normally apply to earnings in the means test for Jobseeker’s Allowance do not apply. However a 'saver' clause operates to prevent a participant being made worse off by this arrangement.

The Cost of Education Allowance

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

Some people participating in the Back to Education Allowance scheme on a non-payment basis can also get a Cost of Education Allowance - see'Unemployment or illness credits' above.

Keeping your secondary benefits

If you qualify for the Back to Education Allowance, you can keep your entitlement to any secondary benefits you already have, for example, Fuel Allowance, Rent Supplement and Mortgage Interest Supplement. 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.

How to apply

Contact your local second- or third-level school or college to obtain details of the courses available. They 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 also available from your Social Welfare Local Office.

You must get written confirmation that you are registered as a full-time day student from the college registrar or admission officer. You will not get payment of BTEA or the Cost of Education Allowance until you give this confirmation letter to the Department of Social Protection.

If you are not fully registered because your college is awaiting payment of the student contribution (formerly known as the student services charge) from your local authority or VEC, you must get a letter from the college explaining this, so that you can get paid BTEA.

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.

Send your application to the section in the Department of Social Protection that deals with your payments – see ‘Where to apply’ below.

Where to apply

If you are getting Jobseeker's Allowance or Jobseeker's Benefit, you should return your application form to your local Social Welfare Office.

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: