To get Jobseeker’s Benefit you must be unemployed. However, there are circumstances in which you can work and get Jobseeker’s Benefit. You must meet all the other conditions for Jobseeker’s Benefit. For example, you must have enough social insurance (PRSI) contributions.
You may get Jobseeker’s Benefit if:
This document also looks at how taking up temporary work affects your Jobseeker’s Benefit.
You may get Jobseeker’s Benefit if you are laid off work but you do not get Jobseeker’s Benefit if you are on strike. However, your family may get Supplementary Welfare Allowance.
Jobseeker’s Benefit is taxable in addition to any income from work. However, it is not taxable if you are getting it because your hours at work are temporarily reduced (systematic short-time working). Find out more about taxation of Jobseeker’s Benefit.
Changes are proposed to the 6-day working week for people working part-time and claiming Jobseeker's Benefit. Where a Jobseeker's Benefit recipient is working for part of a week, the payment entitlement will be based on a 5-day week rather than a 6-day week. This means that for each day that a person is unemployed, one-fifth of the normal rate of Jobseeker's Benefit is payable and if they get part-time work for 2 days, they will get three-fifths of the normal Jobseeker's Benefit for that week. (July 2012)
If your income from work is reduced or you are working part-time and you are supporting at least one child you may get FIS. You must be working 19 or more hours per week (or 38 hours per fortnight) and your income must be below a certain amount. You cannot get FIS and Jobseeker’s Benefit at the same time. However your partner can get FIS while you are getting Jobseeker's Benefit. Find out at your Social Welfare Local Office or Citizens Information Centre which payment would be of greater benefit to you.
If you normally work full-time
If you normally work full-time but short-time working is introduced by your employer you may get Jobseeker’s Benefit. Reduced working hours on a temporary basis is called systematic-short time working. You will get Jobseeker's Benefit for the days you don't work provided you meet the other conditions that apply to Jobseeker's Benefit, for example, you must not work more than 3 days per week.
For systematic-short time workers the social welfare week is based on 5 working days. For example, if your days of work are reduced to 3 days per week, you will get Jobseeker's Benefit for the other 2 days. This means you will get two-fifths of the normal amount of Jobseeker's Benefit. A case study showing you how to calculate the length of time a systematic short time worker can get Jobseeker's Benefit is available.
You will continue to pay PRSI in the normal way. However, Jobseeker’s Benefit is not taxable if you are systematic short-time working.
If you normally work part-time
If you are a part-time worker and your days of work are reduced temporarily the social welfare week is based on 6 working days. For example, if your working pattern is reduced from 3 days (Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday) to 2 days (Monday and Tuesday) per week, you will get Jobseeker's Benefit for the other 4 days once you satisfy all the conditions.
If you normally work full-time but your employer reduces the number of days you work on a permanent basis, you may get Jobseeker’s Benefit for the days you don’t work. You will be assessed for Jobseeker’s Benefit as a part-time worker.
An employer may initially introduce a reduction of work days on a temporary basis, but if there is no expectation of returning to full-time work with that employer you will be reassessed as a part-time worker. In this case, you must continue to look for full-time employment and your Jobseeker’s Benefit is taxable.
For each day you are unemployed, one-sixth of the normal rate of Jobseeker's Benefit is payable, provided that you are unemployed for at least 3 days out of a period of 6 consecutive days.
For example, if you get part-time work for 2 days, you can get four-sixths of the normal Jobseeker's Benefit for that week.
You must claim Jobseeker's Benefit for at least 3 days in any week. If you get 4 days work, Jobseeker's Benefit is not paid for the other 2 days.
If you have been working full-time and then enter a job-sharing arrangement, you are not eligible for Jobseeker's Benefit because you have voluntarily opted to work fewer hours or days.
If you are working week on or off, your entitlement to Jobseeker's Benefit will depend on whether you are available for work on the week off.
In these types of situations, you need to be careful to ensure that you have a full PRSI record. Depending on your precise working arrangements, you could end up with only 26 paid contributions. Find out more about PRSI and job-sharing. However, if you are getting Jobseeker's Benefit, you will get a PRSI credit for the week you are not working.
You may get Jobseeker’s Benefit if you can only get part-time or casual work. You must be unemployed for at least 3 days out of a period of 6 consecutive days and continue to look for full-time employment.
For each day you are unemployed, one-sixth of the normal rate of Jobseeker's Benefit is payable, provided that you are unemployed for at least 3 days out of a period of 6 consecutive days. For example, if you get casual work for 2 days, you can get four-sixths of the normal Jobseeker's Benefit for that week.
You must claim Jobseeker's Benefit for at least 3 days in any week. If you get 4 days work, Jobseeker's Benefit is not paid for the other 2 days.
Generally speaking, you cannot get Jobseeker's Benefit for a day on which you do casual or part-time work, unless, it comes within the subsidiary work rules (see below).
As a general rule, you will not get Jobseeker's Benefit for any day you are employed or self-employed. However, it is possible to do some subsidiary work and still get Jobseeker's Benefit for the day in question.
Subsidiary work is work that could have been done while you were in full-time employment and outside your normal working hours. For example, you may work a full-time job during the day and have a part-time job in the evening. The part-time job is known as subsidiary or secondary employment if you were able to do the part-time work without it affecting your full-time job for a period of at least 6 months.
If you have subsidiary employment, you should always check with the Department of Social Protection (DSP) to see whether or not your Jobseeker's Benefit will be affected.
If you have less than 117 paid PRSI contributions in the three years before becoming unemployed, you may not earn more than €12.70 a day from subsidiary employment. There is no earnings limit if you have more than 117 paid PRSI contributions.
If you are a farmer with other full-time employment, your farming will be your subsidiary employment.
Your employer must pay you for the public holidays which you don’t work as long as you have worked at least 40 hours in the 5 weeks immediately before the week of the public holiday. You can find more information in our document on public holidays.
If you work and get Jobseeker's Benefit, you get a daily rate of Jobseeker's Benefit for the days that you don't work. You will not get Jobseeker’s Benefit for the day you receive payment from your employer for a public holiday but you can continue to get Jobseeker’s Benefit for the other days you do not work.
If you are getting Jobseeker's Benefit and are offered temporary work for at least 4 days each week your Jobseeker's Benefit will stop. If you are unemployed for a second time within 26 weeks your application for Jobseeker's Benefit is not treated as a new claim.
| Example |
Susan is unemployed and has been getting Jobseeker's Benefit for 8 months. She has 260 paid PRSI contributions, which means she can get Jobseeker's Benefit for a maximum of 12 months. She was offered 2 months temporary work in a factory. When her 2-months work ends she is entitled to claim Jobseeker's Benefit for another 4 months. |
However, if you have used up your entitlement to Jobseeker's Benefit, you may re-qualify by working and paying the appropriate PRSI contributions for at least 13 weeks.
The Department of Social Protection also operates a fast-tracking system for customers who sign off to take up work for a short period (up to 4 weeks) or to go on a short training course (up to 8 weeks). This ensures that payment is re-instated without delay. It is important that you inform the local office in advance that you are taking up work or training.
If you are on strike, you are not considered unemployed and not entitled to Jobseeker's Benefit. However, your family may get Supplementary Welfare Allowance.
If you are out of work as a result of a strike (for example, you have been laid off), you are in a different position. You may qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit if you are not participating in or directly interested in the trade dispute which caused the stoppage at work.
This is a case study showing you how to calculate the length of time a systematic short time worker can get Jobseeker's Benefit.Your spouse’s/civil partner’s or cohabitant's income can affect whether you get an increase in your Jobseeker's Benefit payment for him or her as a qualified adult. The increase in your payment for an adult dependant is called an Increase for a Qualified Adult (IQA). If your adult dependant is earning €100 or less you will get the maximum IQA. If he or she is earning between €100 and €310 you will get a reduced rate of IQA. If your adult dependant is earning more than €310 you will not get an increase in your Jobseeker’s Benefit for your adult dependant.
Your spouse’s/civil partner’s or cohabitant's income from all sources is added together to find out if you qualify for an increase in your Jobseeker’s Benefit.
Employment
Your spouse’s, civil partner’s or cohabitant's average weekly income from
employment is assessed (the gross weekly income is assessed and no deductions
are allowed for tax, PRSI contributions or personal expenses). If your
spouse's, civil partner's or cohabitant's income is paid monthly, the weekly
average over the previous two months is calculated. If he or she is paid weekly
or fortnightly, the weekly average over the previous six weeks is used.
Self-employment
To calculate earnings from self-employment the income received in the
last completed tax year is divided by 52 to get the average weekly income.
Earnings are assessed as gross income less allowable expenses over 12 months.
Annual earnings from self-employment are divided by 52 to find your weekly
means from self-employment. Any ‘drawings’ you take from the business is
not an allowable expense.
Income from capital, for example, property, savings and investments, is included in the mean test. Where capital is held jointly, half of the value is assessed as belonging to your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant.
The formula for assessing the means from capital is as follows:
| Capital | Weekly means assessed |
| First €20,000 | Nil |
| Next €10,000 | €1 per €1,000 |
| Next €10,000 | €2 per €1,000 |
| Balance | €4 per €1,000 |
Income from other sources includes rental income from the letting of property, income from an occupational pension, foreign social welfare payments, income from a trust fund, income under a deed of covenant, other cash income, etc. It is calculated on a weekly basis.
The following social welfare payments are not taken into account as income: