Job Seeker's Benefit Question

[Ace]

How often do you have to sign on - is it every 4 weeks or every month ?

Thanks
Ace

 

[ClubMan]

PART 12: PROCEDURES FOLLOWING AWARD

(c) Signing Arrangements It is for the local office to decide how often the person must sign this declaration, where and at what times. A person may be disallowed for failure to sign on.
Persons who receive payment by way of Postdraft/EFT are reminded of their signing day the week before they are due to sign.
Where a person fails to sign on his/her signing day and has still failed to sign by the next payment run date, payment is suspended on the computer system and the next payment does not issue.
If the person contacts the Local Social Welfare Office and payment for the week in question has been generated, s/he is questioned as to why s/he didn't attend on the appointed day.
Where a Deciding Officer is satisfied that the person still satisfies the statutory conditions for Jobseeker's Benefit, the payment suspension is removed and payment will issue. If there is any change in the payment amount, the unemployment pattern is amended before the payment issues.
Regular failure to attend on the appointed signing day may result in loss of payment.

Wasn't there something in the news today about them clamping down on this and requiring everybody to sign on every month or something?

 

[sandrat]

nope its worse than that. They are going to stop lodging money to bank accounts by EFT and everyone will have to queue in the post office instead. Dunno if they will have a seperate queue for post officy things like sending letters and parcels and buying stamps.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0721/welfare.html

 

[Black Sheep]

Nope!!!!!! No separate queues, wouldn't that be seen as discrimination.
Mary Hanifan says join in with all the other punters in the PO who are buying their stamps posting their parcels etc. Looks like we are back to queuing out the door and down the street in the rain whether waiting for a JB payment or buying a stamp.

To the OP:- A list of the signing dates and times will be given to you by SW after your initial claim is processed

 

[Welfarite]

Wasn't there something in the news today about them clamping down on this and requiring everybody to sign on every month or something?

The headline grabber was that "those on the dole will have to sign on weekly in future". This is not really correct.
What should have been reported was that people will have to collect their payments weekly at the PO. The normal signing arrangements of once every 4 weeks (to answer the OP's question) is still in place, although SW can ask you to sign on more frequently.

 

[paddyd]

There was an interesting discussion on Job seekers benefit on Matt Cooper this evening, which I only caught the end of. They seemed to be saying that a lot of PAYE and Self-employed people won't be eligable for any payments, as they are means tested, and if they have savings, investments etc, they don't get a dime.
Like many texters, I was surprised by this, in my ignorance I assumed you just lost your job and then 'signed on the dole', got paid, looked for another job, and the world moves on.

They were obviously discussing the difference between Unemployment benefit and Job seekers benefit earlier but I missed it.
HOw do they decide which one you get?

 

[ClubMan]

There was an interesting discussion on Job seekers benefit on Matt Cooper this evening, which I only caught the end of. They seemed to be saying that a lot of PAYE and Self-employed people won't be eligable for any payments, as they are means tested

This sounds wrong. I would imagine that most PAYE workers are on Class A PRSI which provides for certain non means tested benefits including JB once a specific history of contributions exists. Self employed Class S PRSI however only covers long term (e.g. pension) benefits. In many cases PAYE workers will qualify for non means tested PRSI linked Jobseeker Benefit.

They were obviously discussing the difference between Unemployment benefit and Job seekers benefit earlier but I missed it.

There is no longer anything called UB. It is called JB and is PRSI linked. Jobseeker's Allowance however is means tested.

 

[Welfarite]

The discussion WAS around self-employed (non PAYE) not qualifying for Jobseeker's Benefit (PRSI linked) adn having to apply for Jobseeker's Allowance which is means tested. The point was being made that this is the consequences of the construction industry employed a lot of sub-contractors (i,e self-employed, looked after their own tax/PRSI, etc), rather than direct employees in recent years.

 

[paddyd]

The discussion WAS around self-employed (non PAYE) not qualifying for Jobseeker's Benefit (PRSI linked) adn having to apply for Jobseeker's Allowance which is means tested. The point was being made that this is the consequences of the construction industry employed a lot of sub-contractors (i,e self-employed, looked after their own tax/PRSI, etc), rather than direct employees in recent years.

Thats sounds like it alright, they were referring specifically to self-employed guys in the construction industry.

I know some PAYE people currently being means tested too (spoke to thewm about it just yesterday), they were told they'd have to have savings/investments of less than 30k to qualify for any sort of payment. One is due 10 weeks UB (or JB, not sure which) now.

 

[Welfarite]

Thats sounds like it alright, they were referring specifically to self-employed guys in the construction industry.

I know some PAYE people currently being means tested too (spoke to thewm about it just yesterday), they were told they'd have to have savings/investments of less than 30k to qualify for any sort of payment. One is due 10 weeks UB (or JB, not sure which) now.

Savings of over 20k are counted for means purposes (single person). You lose 1 euro for next ten K, 2 euro for next 10, 4 euro of balance. It's Jobseeker's Allowance not UB or JB, I'd say. They could go to communtiy Welfare Office for interim payment (SWA) while waiting for JA to come through if they wish (means tested too).

 

[ClubMan]

I know some PAYE people currently being means tested too

Presumably because they don't have sufficient PRSI contributions to qualify for non means tested JB and had to apply for JA?

One is due 10 weeks UB (or JB, not sure which) now.

There is no such thing as UB any more. It's now called JB and being a benefit is PRSI linked and not means tested. Presumably you actually mean Jobseeker's Allowance which is means tested?