Another "Signing on for credits" enquiry.

[justsally]

From welfare site:-
you must have 52 weeks PRSI paid since starting work and
you must have 39 weeks PRSI paid or credited in the Relevant Tax Year


Neighbour signing on since 2205 for credits, with a break for 4 weeks giving her 4 full paid contributions and 48 reckonable credits for that year and 52 credited contributions for the following year. In 2005 she did not have paid or credited contributions for 2003 - (relevant tax year for 2005). She was still signing on in 2007. Does then mean, that in this case the Relevant Tax year becomes 2005 and for which year she has enough "paid or credited" contributions.She also meets the "52 weeks P.R.S.I. paid since starting work". In other words did she have meet the requirements to obtain Job Seekers benefit in 2007 . She was 66 in October 2007 and is not now signing on and was not required to sign on after that date.

 

[Welfarite]

From what you say, your neighbour's record is something like this?


2003: Less than 39 paid or credited.
2004: ??
2005: Claimed but not paid due to less than 39 rule; 52 paid or credited
2006 52 paid or credited.

By my estimation, her claim should have come into payment in January 2007, based on her 2005 record. Dependiang on what she was doing in 2004, it may be due to come into payment in January 2006. The only thing may be that she exhausted her entitlement to JB sometime prior to 2005, in whcih case she would have to work for 13 weeks (she only worked 4, you say) in order to requalify. Nevertheless, check it out with the local office she signed at. They may have overlooked testing her claim in Jan 07.

 

[justsally]

Thanks for your helpful and informative reply.

She had been working but paying the reduced rate contribution in 2004. She was working for part of and then signing on for the remainder of 2005 except for the 4 weeks work. It was the 4 weeks A contributions in 20005 that changed her status for credited contributions for that year and the previous year. I'll advise her to check it out with social welfare, but I don't want to build her hopes up. If she is granted Job Seeker's is the benefit assessed on the amount she has earned while paying the A contribution, i.e. 4 weeks. or is her earnings income for the full year (even with reduced contributions) taken into consideration.

Thanks again