# Jobseekers Benefit, Short working week & limit to claim period



## Buddha (6 Oct 2010)

My working week has been reduced to three days and I am entitled to claim partial Jobseekers Benefit (JB) for this.

My query is: if I claim this partial benefit will it eat into the 12 months that I am entitled to claim JB or can I claim this indefinitely?

I will continue to pay PRSI on the three days that I will be working.

My worry is that if I claim this now and then am made fully redundant in the next few months that I will have less time at the full rate of JB.

Thanks.


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## Berni (6 Oct 2010)

Yes, it will eat into your entitlement - which is 312 days, so at 3 days a week it would last you 2 years.

When you exhaust your benefit, you need to pay 13 contributions to requalify. Cons paid after you have been claiming for 156 days (approx 1 year if on a 3 day week) count for this.

http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Schemes/JobseekerSupports/JobseekersBenefit/Pages/jb.aspx


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## Buddha (7 Oct 2010)

Berni, thanks for the reply. The advice I have been given in work is that because I am continuing to pay my PRSI for the three days I am working that I can continue to claim the JB indefinitely - in effect that I am constantly renewing the PRSI contributions.

This did not seem realistic to me so thanks for the advice.


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## baseljacko (7 Oct 2010)

Sorry for jumping in on this. 
But I am on a 3 day week and getting social for the other days. I am just wondering about the 13 contributions, can they be broken up during the year or do they have to be 13 weeks together. 
As I am on 3 days since May 09 and I have probable worked 13 full weeks over the period between then and now, ie I worked 3 full weeks in Jan 10, 2 full weeks in Feb 10, 2 full wks Sept 09


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## Berni (7 Oct 2010)

baseljacko said:


> Sorry for jumping in on this.
> But I am on a 3 day week and getting social for the other days. I am just wondering about the 13 contributions, can they be broken up during the year or do they have to be 13 weeks together.
> As I am on 3 days since May 09 and I have probable worked 13 full weeks over the period between then and now, ie I worked 3 full weeks in Jan 10, 2 full weeks in Feb 10, 2 full wks Sept 09



You should be fine, you don't have to be working a full week to pay your contribution. Once you earn over €38 you should have a Class A con, check your payslip to be sure.


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## InfoSeeker (8 Oct 2010)

Had a quick look at that link that Berni posted and it seems that if you are reduced to 3 day week then you are entitled to JB for 2 years as mentioned above. Also, contributions can begin after 1 year on JB.

However, the following section on this website seems to indicate that once the 2 years are up, then you are not entitled to claim JB unless you suffer a substantial loss of employment, ie reduced from 3 day working week to 2 days.

"if you are getting JB and working 3 days each week as a systematic short-time worker or a part-time worker and your employment pattern has not changed during the course of your JB claim, you will not have suffered a substantial loss of employment and will not re-qualify for Jobseeker’s Benefit. However, if your JB claim ends and your 3 day week working week is then reduced to a 2 day week, you will have suffered a substantial loss of employment and may re-qualify for Jobseeker’s Benefit."

Is this accurate?


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## Buddha (9 Oct 2010)

This might be read to mean that if I claim for the 3 day week and then actually lose the job entirely that it is a different claim or am I being over optimistic?


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## Berni (9 Oct 2010)

Buddha said:


> This might be read to mean that if I claim for the 3 day week and then actually lose the job entirely that it is a different claim or am I being over optimistic?


Unfortunately I don't think so. 
Even if you were to sign off and close the part time claim, your new claim for fully unemployed would "link" to the previous one, and be considered a continuation. I can't remember exactly how long the linking period is, but it could be as much a 1 year.


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## Buddha (11 Oct 2010)

Thanks again Bernie.


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