FIS & Jobseekers Benefit-help with understanding payments received

Hello
I have recently been awarded FIS. My husband is on Jobseekers Benefit. I can't make the final figures stack up. I was awarded FIS starting on 25th July of €94 pw.
I got €437 paid into my bank account on 3rd September. I rang and asked how this figure was made up and was told that it was the €94 pw less the reduced Qual Adult allowance that my husband was getting on his Jobseekers Benefit.

94 x 6 (25th July to 5th September = 6 wks) = 564
QAdult allowance 10.5 x 6 = 63
That should equal €501
I can't figure out the figure of €437.
I have tried ringing them back but the phone just stays on hold for up to 50mins.

But that's not even the whole of it.

My husband has been on Job Bene from 6th July. He was receiving 228.30 (which was basic 188 + QAdult 10.5 + Qual Child 29.80) We have one other child in college for which we hope to receive an allowance once she returns to college. His Jobseekers benefit on 5th September (which was for the period 29th August to 4th Sept) was only €202.90. I was led to believe that his weekly payment would only be reduced by €10.50, but it also looks like the child payment has been reduced also.

If there is anyone who is familiar with these two schemes working together could they perhaps shed some light on this.

This is our second round of unemployment since 2011. We didn't even know about FIS the first time around and would have been eligible then also. I thought I had a good understanding of how everything was calculated, but I can't make sense of this. Why is the child claim affected also.

Thanks

If a person claims a SW payment and their spouse/partner has a SW payment in their own right (with some exceptions), then the person is not entitled to a Qualified Adult payment, and is only entitled to half of the Qualified child rate (14.90 instead of 29.80).

As you are now in receipt of FIS, your husband can no longer be paid for you on his Jobseeker's Benefit claim and he is only entitled to half-rate Qualified child payment.

That may explain the reduced amount of arrears too, as some of the child rate would have been subtracted from the arrears due.

Hi
Thank you for your reply. Makes sense now. Only thing is - at no stage in two telephone calls with fis office did anyone mention reducing the qual child allowance. Only mentioned qual adult. However, we are very thankful for the extra money every week. I only happened on FIS when listening to Ireland Am one morning. At no stage did our local SWOffice tell us of this extra payment and what is even more galling is that my husband was unemployed also for 17 mths from the beginning of 2011 and we weren't told about it then either.

I have another question that you might be able to answer. We have two children one finished leaving cert and starting college and the other going into third year college. We had been receiving qc for one (i am presuming the younger) but not for the other why would that be. Both could be classed as being between term time so why receive payment for one and not for the other. Or is the 29.80 a reduced qc for both. Last time husband was on JB and JA we received full 29.80 for both. Have rates changed since last year?
Thanks again.

If your husband is currently receiving 29.80, then it's half-rate for both children (14.90 x 2). There has been no change in the payment rates.

Because you are now on FIS, you might have an entitlement to the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance.

The scheme closes on 30 Sep and more information can be found here:

http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Back-to-School-Clothing-and-Footwear-Allowance.aspx

Thanks for your replies Gipimann
I have already applied for the BTSA - but have only just got letters from the colleges this week - so will send those on and see what happens. This again is another allowance that the Welfare Office don't tell you about. But I knew from our last lot of unemployment that it was available (again not told by SW office about this - but found out about our eligibility through googline and the Citizens Advice Bureau).

Just one further question for you - why would we only be getting a half allowance for our children. Last time on unemployment were entitled to 29.80 x 2. But this time only got 29.80 each week from about the 3rd week of unemployment, and then this was reduced down to 14.90 after FIS kicked in.

Thanks

It must have something to do with the age of the other child, before we were declined for FIS, we were told we would get €14.90 per dependant child from BTEA. (kids are under 3)

c1aro said:

Just one further question for you - why would we only be getting a half allowance for our children. Last time on unemployment were entitled to 29.80 x 2. But this time only got 29.80 each week from about the 3rd week of unemployment, and then this was reduced down to 14.90 after FIS kicked in.

Thanks

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The JSB rules state that if the spouse/partner is in receipt of FIS, the person claiming JSB can only be paid half-rate child dependant rate. Before that, the JSB recipient would have been entitled to full-rate child dependant rate.

It appears your husband is only being paid for one child (full-rate and now half-rate). He should ask at the local office where he signs whether he's being paid for your college-goer - they may not have included him/her on the claim because of age, and missed the fact that he/she's still a student.

If a child is over 18 years of age and still in full time education cda for this child is not paid until claim is at day 156.

Thanks for the replies gipimann and eastbono.
I have received letters for both children from their colleges - so have handed these into the local SW office. They are reviewing at the moment. I will come back when we have been updated.
I don't understand eastbono's post of cda (what is this) not being paid until day 156 - last year one of my children was over 18 and we got full allowance for her.
Anyway will come back with SW explanation when we get it.

I've never heard of it either but found this

http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Payments-for-Dependants.aspx

If you are getting a short-term social welfare payment, i.e. Jobseeker's Benefit, Jobseekers Allowance (for less than 15 months), Illness Benefit or Supplementary Welfare Allowance you may receive an increase in respect of a dependent child who is under 18. However, where a child is between 18 and 22 and is in full time education you may receive an IQC provided you are in receiot of your short-term payment for more than 6 months (156 days)

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Thank you for that link.
SW have explained to us the reason we are getting full payment for my youngest (18yo) is because the claim was first submitted within 3mths of him completing his leaving cert. This was subsequently halved because I receive FIS. We will not be receiving anything for the 20yo until after the 156 days. It is so complicated. Only thing that couldn't be answered for me is whether after the 156 days we would receive any back-payment for the eldest child. Anyway, that's the explanation. Thanks for all the help.

You probably won't get back payment for the eldest child because your husband will only be eligible for payment for that child after 156 days.