illness benefit would I qualify

HI just wondering I am on maternity leave at the moment and I have been diagnosed with post natal depression and I really cant see how I could go back to work at the moment I am due back the middle of April. I was just wondering would I be entitled to anything I was working part time for about 3 years full time before that and was claiming social welfare Jobseekers benefit for 2 days which finished last September just before I went on maternity leave. I did 15 weeks full time back in Oct 2011 finishing January 2012. Would this be of any benefit to me. Am really worried as I dont know how we would survive if I dont have an income coming into the house. Thanks so much.

Here are the qualifying rules for Illness Benefit for 2013 (I've entered the relevant tax years):

To get Illness Benefit you must have:

At least 104 weeks PRSI (at classes A,E,H or P) paid since you first started work
And

Have 39 weeks PRSI paid or credited in 2011 (a minimum of 13 weeks must be paid contributions *)
Or

Have 26 weeks PRSI paid in 2011 and 26 weeks PRSI paid in 2010

*If you do not have 13 paid contributions in 2011, the following years can be used to meet this condition:

The 2 tax years before the relevant tax year (2009 or 2010)
The last complete tax year (2012)
Or
The current tax year (2013).

You receive a credit for each week you are on maternity benefit, and for each week you claimed jobseeker's (if you weren't working and paying PRSI for that week as well).

hi gipman thank you so much for your reply. Sorry really dont understand contributions would you think that I would qualify given the fact that I have worked full time all my life for the past 20 years and only went part time 3 years ago and that I have 15 weeks full time back in Oct 2011/jan 2012. Would it go against me that maybe the full time work was in two different years even though they were consecutive. Thanks for taking the time to reply its so confusing and Im really stressed out.

A paid contribution is a PRSI payment - for each week you work (full-time or part-time if your income exceeds €38 pw), you pay a PRSI contribution, probably at Class A.

If you were fully unemployed at any time, you receive a credited contribution.

If you have your P60s from the years I mentioned (2011 being the important one to start with), that will tell you what class PRSI you paid, and how many contributions you paid for that year.

The PRSI year, and the relevant year for calculating illness benefit is the calendar year, so your work and contributions in 2012 would be counted separately from those in 2011.

Hiya gipman i just checked i have 10 weeks in 2011 and 5 weeks 2012 paid contributions but was working full time 2009 so would have more that year is that of any use to me thanks so much for your help

Sorry class Ao 2011

Were you signing on, or on another social welfare payment in 2011? If you were, then you'll have credits, which add to your 10 weeks paid, so you'll have 39 contributions for 2011.

Your 2009 PRSI can be counted to get the 13 paid contributions you need.

Hi gipimann i was working part time 3 days claimin jsb for 2 days untill working full time at the end of the year.thank u so much for replying its a weigh lifted off