Do I lose out if I start JSB and then decide to travel?

Hi all,

Today is my first day of unemployment, and I am gathering up my documents to head to the welfare office to apply for Job Seekers Benefit. I have worked for the last 7 years and have now been made redundant. I am looking for another job but also considering traveling for a couple of months and then returning to look for work.

With this in mind, should I apply for JSB today and then stop it if say in November I go travel, or should I hold off on applying for JSB until I return from travel? Is there any loss of benefit if I do this? I.e. if I am entitled to 12 months JSB from the day I apply and I stop getting it for 2 months while I travel, will I only receive the 10 months out of the 12 months while I am seeking work, or will the 2 months I didn't seek it get added back on in a year's time?

Just not sure if I should apply today until I know what I am doing.

Many thanks for your advice

Once you meet the PRSI qualifying conditions, you are eligible for 312 days (52 weeks x 6 days) of Jobseeker's Benefit. If you stop your claim for 2 months, as you propose, you will still be eligible for 312 days. Applying today will also give you credited contributions, which may count towards future entitlements - obviously if you don't sign on, you won't get the credits.

If you re-apply for JSB in 2011, the PRSI year used to determine eligibility will have changed (in 2010 it's 2008, so in 2011 it will be 2009). If you had only worked for part of 2009 there might be an issue, but it sounds as if you worked full-time up to last week so you should not be affected.

Thanks so much Gipimann, I actually registered last week and am now in the system. It looks more likely that I will travel for a couple of months so I appreciate your input.

I was wondering about the same subject.
My situation looks a bit similar.
Company that I work for, is closing down for a winter, so pretty much from middle November to middle March I'll be unemployed. In my region it's very difficult to find any other job, as it's very rural area.
Anyway, I will sign for JSB, which according to my PRSI contributions paid I'm entitled to. During that period I want to go travel outside the country for about 5 weeks.
I know that legally while on JSB I'm allowed to travel only for 2 weeks.
So if I'll be gone for that long (5 weeks) my JSB will probably have to be canceled. Am I right here? Will I still be able to get paid for these 2 weeks, while I'm gone, and miss only 3 weeks?
Next thing is, when I come back, I will probably have to reapply for JSB again?
From OP's post and the answer I assume that it's possible, but info from citizensinformation gives me little doubt.

To qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit you must:

• Be unemployed (you must be fully unemployed or unemployed for at least 3 days in 6)
• Be under 66 years of age
• Have enough social insurance (PRSI) contributions
• Be capable of work
• Be available for and genuinely seeking work
• Have a substantial loss of employment and as a result be unemployed for at least 3 days in 6.

Click to expand...

So for example if I come back after 5 weeks in beginning of February, I will have to reapply for JSB.
Won't they tell me then, that I don't meet the requirement, as I didn't have substantial loss of employment?
They can tell me, that my loss of employment was in November 2010, and now I'm applying again after loosing my JSB because travel outside the country. So at that point there isn't any loose of employment.

I'll be grateful for any advice.
Thanks.

I was made redundant last year and started my JSB claim in Oct. In Jan, I went travelling for 3 months. I just told the welfare office what I was doing, they signed me off and when I came back in May I re-applied. The re-application was processed almost immediately and I got my money the next week. As my JSB entitlement is for 12 months, I am still getting the full 12 months allowance - it was just on-hold for the 3 months I was travelling.

Would you recommend the same thing for someone going to Australia for a year - tell the welfare office - will have only been claiming since July 2010 after being made redundant?

I think the maximum break you can take in the middle of a JSB claim is 6 months.....not sure what happens if you don't start your claim, go to Australia and then come back and start a JSB claim.