# Can you claim unpaid unemployment benefit?



## westcork (21 Oct 2010)

I am trying to sort out some tax stuff for my sister - she was unemployed for over a year in 2006/2007. She is now thankfully in part-time employment.

However, I noticed that she received confirmation in 2006 from Dept Social Welfare that she was entitled to unemployment benefit - the weekly rate was confirmed (€165) and also confirmed that it would be paid into her bank account "_Your first payment will be in your bank account on 27th July 2006 and every Thursday after that_"

There is also confirmation that she was entitled to this for 390 days. The payments were made automatically for the first several weeks but then it stopped. 

For some reason  she did not notice it had stopped - she had a relatively large sum of money in the account following her last job and it has only come to my attention now.

Question is - Is she entitled to "back pay" for the weeks she was not paid her unemployment benefit up to the time she returned to work? Times are much tougher now for her so a result on this would be great - any help on this is appreciated


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## woodbine (21 Oct 2010)

did your sister continue to sign and return her dockets to the social welfare office during all the time she was claiming?


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## westcork (23 Oct 2010)

No - she says no one made that clear to her - her understanding was that it was paid into her bank account until she got a job - she had np experience of being on the dole before


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## papervalue (23 Oct 2010)

I dont think she would get any payout. It would be different if she signed in social welfare office once a month and money not credited.
They would normally stop paying the money before when a person missed a signing day and reintroduce it once they came in and signed again.


The main clause would be sign on once a month to say you are looking for work. Was she referred to fas at time for help with finding a job?

I would think her case would now would be very weak to get a backclaim like this.


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## westcork (26 Oct 2010)

Thanks for the feedback papervalue - will push on in hope


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## Magpie (26 Oct 2010)

Its made very very clear that you need to sign on, they tell you, you get a letter later, its on the websites etc etc. She didn't sign on, she didn't notice that she was unpaid for a year...? Nope, not a hope of getting any money at all.


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## westcork (29 Oct 2010)

As it turns out she received a letter informing her that she did not need to sign on until further notice as apparently there was refurbishment work ongoing at her local office - I now have a copy of this letter


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