# Illness benefit and back to work



## 3kids (3 Jan 2008)

HI, My husband is receiving illness benefit and will be for the foreseeable future. He receives payment for the two of us and our 3 kids and also gets a small allowance to help with the mortgage. I would like to go back to work and I'm wondering how his benefit will be affected if I return to work on a part time basis or a full time basis. Is there a limit I can earn which wont affect his benefit??

Any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks


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## ClubMan (3 Jan 2008)

Can you confirm that it is definitely one of the benefit payments listed here:

*Ill or Disabled*

and not one of the allowance payments? _SW _*benefit *payment are _PRSI _linked and not means tested so are not impacted by additional income/means. *Allowance *payments are means tested so could be.


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## gipimann (4 Jan 2008)

Assuming the payment is illness benefit (i.e. your husband sends in weekly/monthly certificates to Social Welfare), here's the info you're looking for.

If you earn less than €88.88 pw gross, it will not affect your husband's illness benefit. Between €88.88 and €210 pw gross, the qualified adult rate (the amount your husband is paid for you) will be reduced. Over €210 pw gross, he won't qualify for a payment for you. 

Payment of Mortgage Interest Supplement is means-tested (as it is Supplementary Welfare Allowance) so would be affected by any change in circumstances. You should discuss this with your Community Welfare Officer.


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## ClubMan (4 Jan 2008)

Sorry - my post was slightly misleading so in suggesting that _PRSI _linked benefits were *never *impacted by additional income/means.


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## busymam (4 Jan 2008)

gipimann said:


> Assuming the payment is illness benefit (i.e. your husband sends in weekly/monthly certificates to Social Welfare), here's the info you're looking for.
> 
> If you earn less than €88.88 pw gross, it will not affect your husband's illness benefit. Between €88.88 and €210 pw gross, the qualified adult rate (the amount your husband is paid for you) will be reduced. Over €210 pw gross, he won't qualify for a payment for you.
> 
> Payment of Mortgage Interest Supplement is means-tested (as it is Supplementary Welfare Allowance) so would be affected by any change in circumstances. You should discuss this with your Community Welfare Officer.


 
Actually the figures for the tapered Increase for a Qualified Adult are €100 and €300. http://www.welfare.ie/publications/sw19/sw19_app1.html#app1 (6th table down)

Also have a look here http://www.welfare.ie/publications/sw19/sw19_sect5.html#5.1

If your husband still qualifies for a payment for you he will get full rate for the 3 children but if he loses this payment for you he will get half-rate for the children.

You should also consider applying for Family Income Supplement if you get a job. http://www.welfare.ie/publications/sw22.html The latest income limits are here http://www.welfare.ie/publications/sw19/sw19_sect7.html#7.1 

If you can post more specific information regarding the number of hours you expect to work and your earnings I'll be able to give you more precise information.

Hope this helps


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## gipimann (4 Jan 2008)

Thanks busymam, I was looking at the FOI guideline for illness benefit which obviously hasn't been updated with the adjusted figures.


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## 3kids (4 Jan 2008)

Thank you all for your replies. I'm still slightly confused . He is on an Illness benefit (after an injury where he is for now unable to continue work) which I believe was means tested?? but I will confirm this with him. He gets a monthly (sick) cert. He is due an operation in the coming months and will hopefully be fit for work again after the recovery period.

I would like to work 20 hours a week and would probably earn somewhere in the region of €200 / €220 a week but I'm worried that we would have less money in me doing this as it is a struggle at the moment. He receives €375 a week for the 5 of us and €60 a week towards the mortgage.

Sorry but I was never too clued in on how these payments etc work.

Thanks again for the replies


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## ClubMan (4 Jan 2008)

3kids said:


> Thank you all for your replies. I'm still slightly confused . He is on an Illness benefit (after an injury where he is for now unable to continue work) which I believe was means tested??


It's not means tested:

*2. How do I qualify?*
*3. How many PRSI contributions do I need for Illness Benefit?*

But receiving income may impact the rate which is paid.


> I would like to work 20 hours a week and would probably earn somewhere in the region of €200 / €220 a week but I'm worried that we would have less money in me doing this as it is a struggle at the moment. He receives €375 a week for the 5 of us and €60 a week towards the mortgage.


I'm not sure how your income might impact the payment but it should be explained in the _SW _links provided.  Bear in mind that _Illness Benefit _is assessable for income tax so if additional household income pushes you into the tax net then you need to factor that in.

Would you qualify for _FIS_?

*Family Income Supplement*


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## busymam (6 Jan 2008)

3kids - Illness Benefit is not means tested but Disability Allowance is. It still seems likely that he is getting Illness Benefit as you don't have to send in medical certificates for Disability Allowance.

Assuming that he is getting Illness Benefit the following would apply if you got a job for 20 hours a week with weekly earnings of €220.

Option 1 - remain on your husband's claim as a qualified adult (no FIS paid). His Illness Benefit would be made up as follows:
Personal Rate............................................. €197.80
Reduced Increase for a Qualified Adult............. € 57.50
Qualified Child (x3)....................................... € 72.00
Total....................................................... €*327.30*​ 
*Total weekly income would be €327.30 + €220 = €547.30*

Option 2 - apply for FIS and your husband would lose the payment for you and get half-rate for the children. His Illness Benefit would be made up as follows:
Personal Rate............................................€197.80
Half-rate for 3 qualified children.....................€ 36.00
Total.......................................................€*233.80*​ 
*Total weekly income before FIS would be €233.80 + €220 = €453.80*

Family Income Supplement calculation
Income limit for 3 children is €655. €655 - €453.80 = €201.20. FIS payable would be 60% of this which equals €120.72 (rounded up to €121)

*Total weekly income after FIS would be €453.80 + €121 = €574.80*

You should contact your Community Welfare Officer to see how your Mortgage Interest Supplement will be affected. FIS is not taken into account for this.

Illness Benefit is taxable after the first 6 weeks of each tax year but the Child Payments are not taxable.

I've assumed no tax or PRSI when doing the calculations.

Hope this helps as it gives you an idea of how to do the calculations.


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## RainyDay (6 Jan 2008)

Might be worth a chat with your local [broken link removed]


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## 3kids (7 Jan 2008)

Thanks again for the replies and busymam (and others) you have been so helpful, thanks. We have an appointment to see a SW Officer during the week. I was just afraid that if I got €200 or so pw and hubby lost out on most of that due to me working then it would put more strain on us.

Thanks again
3kids


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