# Employer payments of wages to employees who have Covid or who have been told to isolate



## Purple (18 Mar 2020)

Can anyone provide information on what mechanisms are available to employers to claim back wages paid to employees who have the virus or are self isolating due to symptoms of the virus?

Clarification: This thread deals with companies who continue to remain open but specific individuals are sick and unable to work.


----------



## Purple (18 Mar 2020)

If an employee is self-isolating and claiming the €306 a week enhanced illness benefit can the employer up their wages?
The forms for applying for support state that they must declare that they are not being paid by their employer.

The business may continue to trade but what if a large proportion of the employees have to self-isolate?

Can this be like maternity/paternity benefit where the employer can top up wages?

The title of this link *[broken link removed] *suggests that employers can top up pay but the application forms and other links suggest otherwise.


----------



## Purple (18 Mar 2020)

Brendan Burgess said:


> Hi Purple
> 
> My earlier posts were rubbish, so I have deleted them.
> 
> Brendan


It looks like employers should pay nothing or else they have to pay everything. Seems ridiculous.


----------



## Brendan Burgess (18 Mar 2020)

Hi Purple

This is so frustrating.

I have searched online and cannot find the form IB1.  There are many references to it, and all of these references should also be a link.  But none is.

Do you have a link to the form?

Update: 
• Illness Benefit applications can be made
 by post.  Forms are available at Intreo
 Centres and at GP surgeries or can be
 ordered by telephone from the
 Department at 1890 800 024.  An online
 application is being developed and should
 be available by the end of the month. 


That is crazy. Even if people can't apply online, why can they not download the form and print it off? 


Brendan


----------



## Brendan Burgess (18 Mar 2020)

OK, this is my current reading of it. 

[broken link removed]

_The government has now urged all employers to support national public health objectives by continuing, as a minimum, to pay employees who cannot attend work due to COVID-19 illness or self-isolation the difference between the enhanced Illness Benefit rate and their normal wages._

This is a very clear statement of government policy.

The normal rules do not apply.

So if you have an employee who is being paid €506 a week normally and they have been told to self-isolate by their doctor, then you should pay them €200 a week. 

They can get €306 a week through the Enhanced Illness Benefit Scheme.

I would not worry about what the form IB 1 says.  It clearly has not been updated for the current problems.

Brendan


----------



## Purple (18 Mar 2020)

Brendan Burgess said:


> Hi Purple
> 
> This is so frustrating.
> 
> ...


It looks like only GP's have IB1 forms.


----------



## Purple (18 Mar 2020)

Brendan Burgess said:


> OK, this is my current reading of it.
> 
> [broken link removed]
> 
> ...


And yet the application form for the enhanced illness benefit form has a tick box where the applicant declares that they are not being paid by their employer. From page 2 of ;
DECLARATION BY CLAIMANT 
• I declare that I am not being paid by my employer at the moment. 
• I state that I will inform the Department if there are any changes in my circumstances which may affect my entitlement to payment. 
• I know that it is an offence to provide false information or to withhold information to qualify for this payment.


----------



## Purple (18 Mar 2020)

Brendan Burgess said:


> _The government has now urged all employers to support national public health objectives by continuing, as a minimum, to pay employees who cannot attend work due to COVID-19 illness or self-isolation the difference between the enhanced Illness Benefit rate and their normal wages._
> 
> This is a very clear statement of government policy.
> 
> ...


From this link:



> _*What Illness Benefit for COVID-19 absences is*
> 
> When a worker is told to self-isolate by a doctor or has been diagnosed with COVID-19 (Coronavirus) by a doctor, they can apply for an enhanced Illness Benefit payment of €305 per week.
> 
> ...


From this link:



> *pay employees who cannot attend work due to COVID-19 illness or self-isolation the difference between the enhanced Illness Benefit rate and their normal wages.*



_(Quote function not working properly)_


----------

