Jobseeker’s Benefit and self-employed people

Jobseeker's Benefit is a weekly payment from the Department of Social Protection (DSP) to people who are out of work and are covered by social insurance (PRSI). Some self-employed people may qualify for Jobseeker’s Benefit. This document gives a general overview of the payment from the point of view of a self-employed person.

How do I qualify for Jobseeker’s Benefit?

Most self-employed people cannot qualify for Jobseeker’s Benefit (JB) since it is only given to people who have paid PSRI at Class A.

If you worked and paid Class A PRSI as an employee before becoming self-employed you may be entitled to JB. If you have worked at any time in the last 4 years you should check your PRSI contribution record to see whether you qualify. If you are not sure whether you were an employee or not read our document ‘Am I an employee?’ for more information on employment status.

To qualify for Jobseeker’s Benefit you need:

• At least 104 Class A PRSI contributions paid since you first started work
• And have 39 Class A PRSI contributions paid or credited in the relevant tax year (a minimum of 13 weeks must be paid contributions*) or
• Have 26 Class A PRSI contributions paid in the relevant tax year and 26 weeks Class A PRSI paid in the tax year immediately before the relevant tax year.

The relevant tax year is the second last complete tax year before the year in which your claim is made. So, for claims made in 2012, the relevant tax year is 2010. You can check your PRSI record with the Department of Social Protection.

You must also have lost at least one day of employment and as a result of this loss be unemployed for at least 3 days out of 6 days. Your earnings must also have been reduced because of the loss of employment.

You can get more detailed information on Jobseeker’s Benefit on the citizensinformation.ie website.

If you do not qualify for Jobseeker’s Benefit you may qualify for a means-tested Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA). If you apply for JB you are automatically assessed for JA if you do not qualify for JB.

How long can I get Jobseeker’s Benefit for?

Jobseeker's Benefit can be paid for a maximum of 12 months (312 days) to people who have at least 260 paid contributions. Jobseeker's Benefit can be paid for a maximum of 9 months (234 days) to people who have less than 260 paid contributions.

Can I work and get Jobseeker’s Benefit on the same day?

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 spare time work (sometimes also called subsidiary work) and still get Jobseeker's Benefit for the day in question.

Spare-time rule

The general rule is that it is possible to do spare-time work if that work 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 spare-time work 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 3 years before becoming unemployed, you cannot earn more than €12.70 a day from spare-time 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 spare-time employment.

Part-time work and Jobseeker's Benefit

If you normally work full-time but the number of days you work are reduced permanently, you may get JB for the days you don’t work. You will be assessed for JB as a part-time worker. Read more about Jobseeker's Benefit and work.

Can I become self-employed while I am getting Jobseeker’s Benefit?

You cannot claim Jobseeker's Benefit (JB) for a day you are self-employed. However if you qualify for JB you can qualify for a Short-Term Enterprise Allowance which allows you to set up a business and continue to get your payment. The Short-Term Enterprise Allowance is paid instead of your Jobseeker’s Benefit for a maximum of 1 year. It ends when your entitlement to Jobseeker's Benefit ends (that is, at either 9 months or 12 months).

Find out more about the Short-Term Enterprise Allowance.

Can I claim for dependants with Jobseeker’s Benefit?

If your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is dependent on you or is on a low income you may be able to claim an increase in your payment for him or her. This increase 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.

You can look at our documents on Claiming for dependants and Jobseeker's Benefit and work to find out more. If you have dependent children you may also be able to claim an increase in your payment for them.

How much can I get?

Weekly Jobseeker's Benefit payment in 2012:

When should I apply for Jobseeker's Benefit?

You should apply for JB the first day you become unemployed.

It is important to apply on the first day you become unemployed because you will not get paid for the first 3 days of your claim.

Jobseeker's Benefit application forms are available online. You can also get an application form at your Social Welfare Local Office.

You will also need to bring certain documents to prove your claim. You may find this list of documents you need when you apply for Jobseeker's Benefit useful. If you do not have these documents to hand, you should apply anyway and supply them later. You should remember that delay in applying for Jobseeker's Benefit may mean that you lose out on your full entitlements.

You can get help to fill in your application form at your Social Welfare Local Office or nearest Citizens Information Centre.

If you think you have been wrongly refused JB you can appeal this decision.