# Job Seeker's Benefit Question



## Ace (21 Jul 2008)

How often do you have to sign on - is it every 4 weeks or every month ?

Thanks
Ace


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## ClubMan (21 Jul 2008)

*PART 12: PROCEDURES FOLLOWING       AWARD 
*


> *(c) Signing Arrangements*            It is for the local office to decide how           often the person must sign this declaration, where and at what times. A           person may be disallowed for failure to sign on.
> Persons who receive payment by way of           Postdraft/EFT are reminded of their signing day the           week before they are due to sign.
> Where a person fails to sign on his/her           signing day and has still failed to sign by the next           payment run date, payment is suspended on the computer           system and the next payment does not issue.
> If the person contacts the Local Social Welfare Office             and payment for the week in question has been             generated, s/he is questioned as to why s/he didn't             attend on the appointed day.
> ...


Wasn't there something in the news today about them clamping down on this and requiring everybody to sign on every month or something?


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## sandrat (21 Jul 2008)

nope its worse than that. They are going to stop lodging money to bank accounts by EFT and everyone will have to queue in the post office instead. Dunno if they will have a seperate queue for post officy things like sending letters and parcels and buying stamps.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0721/welfare.html


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## Black Sheep (22 Jul 2008)

Nope!!!!!!  No separate queues, wouldn't that be seen as discrimination. 
Mary Hanifan says join in with all the other punters in the PO who are buying their stamps posting their parcels etc. Looks like we are back to queuing out the door and down the street in the rain whether waiting for a JB payment or buying a stamp.

To the OP:- A list of the signing dates and times will be given to you by SW after your initial claim is processed


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## Welfarite (22 Jul 2008)

ClubMan said:


> Wasn't there something in the news today about them clamping down on this and requiring everybody to sign on every month or something?


 

The headline grabber was that "those on the dole will have to sign on weekly in future". This is not really correct. 
What should have been reported was that people will have to collect their payments weekly at the PO. The normal signing arrangements of once every 4 weeks (to answer the OP's question) is still in place, although SW can ask you to sign on more frequently.


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## paddyd (22 Jul 2008)

There was an interesting discussion on Job seekers benefit on Matt Cooper this evening, which I only caught the end of. They seemed to be saying that a lot of PAYE and Self-employed people won't be eligable for any payments, as they are means tested, and if they have savings, investments etc, they don't get a dime. 
Like many texters, I was surprised by this, in my ignorance I assumed you just lost your job and then 'signed on the dole', got paid, looked for another job, and the world moves on.

They were obviously discussing the difference between Unemployment benefit and Job seekers benefit earlier but I missed it.
HOw do they decide which one you get?


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## ClubMan (22 Jul 2008)

paddyd said:


> There was an interesting discussion on Job seekers benefit on Matt Cooper this evening, which I only caught the end of. They seemed to be saying that a lot of PAYE and Self-employed people won't be eligable for any payments, as they are means tested


This sounds wrong. I would imagine that most_ PAYE _workers are on _Class A PRSI _which provides for certain non means tested benefits including _JB _once a specific history of contributions exists. Self employed _Class S PRSI _however only covers long term (e.g. pension) benefits. In many cases _PAYE _workers will qualify for non means tested _PRSI _linked _Jobseeker Benefit_.


> They were obviously discussing the difference between Unemployment benefit and Job seekers benefit earlier but I missed it.


There is no longer anything called _UB_. It is called _JB _and is _PRSI _linked. _Jobseeker's *Allowance *_however is means tested.


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## Welfarite (23 Jul 2008)

The discussion WAS around self-employed (non PAYE) not qualifying for Jobseeker's Benefit (PRSI linked) adn having to apply for Jobseeker's Allowance which is means tested. The point was being made that this is the consequences of the construction industry employed a lot of sub-contractors (i,e self-employed, looked after their own tax/PRSI, etc), rather than direct employees in recent years.


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## paddyd (23 Jul 2008)

Welfarite said:


> The discussion WAS around self-employed (non PAYE) not qualifying for Jobseeker's Benefit (PRSI linked) adn having to apply for Jobseeker's Allowance which is means tested. The point was being made that this is the consequences of the construction industry employed a lot of sub-contractors (i,e self-employed, looked after their own tax/PRSI, etc), rather than direct employees in recent years.



Thats sounds like it alright, they were referring specifically to self-employed guys in the construction industry.

I know some PAYE people currently being means tested too (spoke to thewm about it just yesterday), they were told they'd have to have savings/investments of less than 30k to qualify for any sort of payment. One is due 10 weeks UB (or JB, not sure which) now.


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## Welfarite (23 Jul 2008)

paddyd said:


> Thats sounds like it alright, they were referring specifically to self-employed guys in the construction industry.
> 
> I know some PAYE people currently being means tested too (spoke to thewm about it just yesterday), they were told they'd have to have savings/investments of less than 30k to qualify for any sort of payment. One is due 10 weeks UB (or JB, not sure which) now.


 

Savings of over 20k are counted for means purposes (single person). You lose 1 euro for next ten K, 2 euro for next 10, 4 euro of balance. It's Jobseeker's Allowance not UB or JB, I'd say. They could go to communtiy Welfare Office for interim payment (SWA) while waiting  for JA to come through if they wish (means tested too).


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## ClubMan (23 Jul 2008)

paddyd said:


> I know some PAYE people currently being means tested too


Presumably because they don't have sufficient _PRSI _contributions to qualify for non means tested _JB _and had to apply for _JA_?


> One is due 10 weeks UB (or JB, not sure which) now.


There is no such thing as _UB _any more. It's now called _JB _and being a benefit is _PRSI _linked and not means tested. Presumably you actually mean _Jobseeker's *Allowance *_which *is *means tested?


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