Eligibility for 65 yr. payment.

bstop said:
Okay, so you were not registered as a job seeker and considered unemployed. Maybe then you could not claim your "investment employment" as subsidiary employment.

I have sent an email to Welfare to enquire if I will qualify.
I phoned today and asked if investment income would be considered as "employment" and prevent me from qualifying and the welfare official didn't seem to think it would. She basically said that that the payment was not means tested.

I had presumed that I would qualify but your experience has made me unsure.
The qualifying criteria for the payment are confusing to say the least and as it is a relatively new payment, I would wonder if all the Deciding Officers in the different Intreo centers are applying the same rules.
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I probably should have appealed it, but didn't feel sufficiently aggrieved about it to bother as I was already 9 months into my 65th year!

(It was someone in my local Intreo office who wrote to me with the decision.)
 
Sue Ellen said:
@wallym

To be sure, to be sure it is best to contact them and confirm your eligibility before going any further. This is their advice:

'Should you have any queries in relation to your pension entitlements, please contact Pension Section on 0818 200 400 or visit the relevant page on the Department’s website at:

https://www.gov.ie/en/service/e6f908-state-pension-contributory/#how-to-qualify.

Alternatively, you may wish to contact your local Intreo Centre, Citizens Information Centre or you may write to the Pension Section at the following address: State Pension (Contributory) Section, DSP, College Road, Co. Sligo'
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What you are suggesting here (contact Social Welfare and ask them to clarify your entitlements) sounds like a perfectly reasonable course of action, that might seem obvious to any reasonable woman or man. Unfortunately it's Social Protection we are talking about and reasonable doesn't enter into the equation. I made a couple of attempts to clarify my entitlements over the phone which proved futile. I took to the written route, providing them with my details. the first three response to my very specific questions were met with a cut and paste form the website. I pursued them and finally received the following (this is a copy and paste form the response)

The Department cannot provide information on possible future state pension entitlements, or comment on individual pension planning enquiries. It is important to note that pension entitlement can only be assessed on the basis of the eligibility conditions applicable on the date an individual reaches pension age.
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I contacted Citizens Information and while the person on the phone was very helpful, the response was interspersed with "you should', "I think", "probably", etc, which didn't provide me with any real assurance regarding my entitlements.
 
Freelance said:
I contacted Citizens Information and while the person on the phone was very helpful, the response was interspersed with "you should', "I think", "probably", etc, which didn't provide me with any real assurance regarding my entitlements.
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Citizens Information staff and volunteers have been strongly advised by Head Office not to provide pensions forecasts due to the ongoing uncertainty regarding the promised changes in legislation which have yet to materialise. The concern is that what turns out to be incorrect advice might be provided in good faith, leading to a potential loss of credibility for the organisation and, given the willingness of some Irish lawyers to claim for anything under the sun, possible litigation.

As to your question regarding Investment Income. I am liable to pay Class S PRSI on both the annual imputed distribution from my ARF and on the small amount of deposit interest that I receive from various sources. But perhaps if I had been signing on for Class A credits, I might have been OK. I'll never know!
 
I had a niche PRSI query which was not answered online and receiving vague answers from DSP staff.

I got my TD to ask a written parliamentary question and it was answered very clearly within a week.
 
bstop said:
You can email your local Intreo center with your qualification queries and the Deciding Officer will reply to you.
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Thanks bstop.

Sent an email and awaiting reply. Do you have any idea how long it is taking at the moment for a reply in light of Covid? Tried since before Christmas to ring them but no reply from the Intreo office.
 
I got through to Intreo in Dun Laoghaire on the phone before Christmas. I was told to email the Intreo enquiries address to ask my specific question.I don't know how long they take to reply.
I have read the guidelines and they state that subsidiary income must be a maximum of 7500 euro to qualify. I have investment income above this level so I am assuming that I will be told that I will not qualify.
I am now exploring the possibility of qualifying for Job seekers benefit for 6 months, to run until beyond my 65th birthday and then continuing to receive the payment to age 66.The qualifying conditions for Job seekers benefit are different to that of the Payment to 65 year olds. They allow subsidiary income of more than 7500 euro if I have 117 employment Prsi contributions paid in respect of the subsidiary employment for either the last 3 years or the last 3 complete contribution years immediately prior to the date of the job seekers claim.
I will need to get employment for 6 months and get 26 paid A Prsi contributions.
 
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Why is the subsidiary income ceiling 7500 euro whereas the contributory pension is not means tested?
 
Clonback said:
Why is the subsidiary income ceiling 7500 euro whereas the contributory pension is not means tested?
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That's anybody's guess. My belief is its to limit the over 65s payment to as few people as possible.
 
Sorry to add any further confusion to this thread but did we establish with any certainty if someone retired on an ARF (Paying greater than 7.5K PA) and paying the Class S stamp in the relevant year would qualify for this payment?

many thanks

Joe
 
joebloggs9669 said:
Sorry to add any further confusion to this thread but did we establish with any certainty if someone retired on an ARF (Paying greater than 7.5K PA) and paying the Class S stamp in the relevant year would qualify for this payment?

many thanks

Joe
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We established that one such applicant didn't make the cut.
 
Do you need a public service card to apply for this payment. Partner self employed and not working this past few months, not signing on either.
Was 65 in early December. We have rental income . MIght this disqualify him. He has just applied on 24th December for the public service card but awaiting them to get back to him. Intro have acknowledged he has requested an appointment to get the card. Any ideas how long this process takes and can you apply for over 65 payment without it. Who do you apply to for the payment please.
 
bstop said:
You can email your local Intreo center with your qualification queries and the Deciding Officer will reply to you.
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@bstop Did you receive a reply yet to your query that you appear to have sent before Christmas. I sent an email two weeks ago and no reply. With things being the way they are with Covid I'm not holding out much hope or holding my breath :(
 
Up Rovers said:
@bstop Did you receive a reply yet to your query that you appear to have sent before Christmas. I sent an email two weeks ago and no reply. With things being the way they are with Covid I'm not holding out much hope or holding my breath :(
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No reply yet.
 
I have applied and received a reply seeking further information. I am self employed, 65 since December and have had very little income due to inability to work ( as unwell and refused illness benefit in 2018) and due to lockdowns etc during covid..
They are seeking information on my business as in did I sell it, how much I received and when did I receive it.
They have indicated that my income from 2019 and 2020 was 100% from unearned income. I have rental income and yes this is true for 2019 as I was unable to work but not for 2020 or 2021. My income for 2020 is offset against expenses ( a van I had purchased prior to becoming ill in 2018).

I contacted Pension office in Sligo today as they had recently sent me a detailed record of contributions which are "S" every year since 1988. They assure me these are eligible for COAP next year so fingers crossed.

I would willingly pay for advice from someone who understands the system if anyone could make a recommendation.
I am thinking now I will not be eligible as my rental income is approx 35000.

So if anyone has clear advice on whether rental income impacts this payment if on Class S contribution I would be glad to know. Also as all of my income in 2019 is from unearned income should I just reapply from January 2022 where my 2020 income may be considered.

Thanks in advance
 
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