Overview: social welfare payments and self-employment

Self-employed people can become unemployed if their business has to close down. Alternatively you may continue to be self-employed but find that you are not getting enough work to provide a sufficient income. This document gives an overview of social welfare payments for self-employed people.

What social welfare payments can I get?

It depends on your personal situation and what social insurance contributions you have paid.

In most cases self-employed people will have paid Class S PRSI contributions. Class S contributions only cover you for a limited number of payments. In general they do not cover you for any short-term payments – including Jobseeker’s Benefit, illness and disability payments which are based on Class A contributions.

Some self-employed people may qualify for Jobseeker’s Benefit if they were working and paying PRSI contributions before becoming self-employed. Find out more about Jobseeker’s Benefit and self-employment.

If your contributions were at Class S you are not entitled to Jobseeker’s Benefit. You will only get a jobseeker's payment if your income is low enough for you to pass the Department of Social Protection’s means test for Jobseeker’s Allowance or Supplementary Welfare Allowance. Find out more about qualifying for Jobseeker’s Allowance and Supplementary Welfare Allowance as a self-employed person and about signing on.

If you are a self-employed farmer on a low income you should apply for Farm Assist. If you become ill and unable to work you can apply for Disability Allowance or Supplementary Welfare Allowance. If you have an emergency or a very urgent need you may be able to get a once-off payment.

If you do not qualify for a social welfare payment you may be eligible to sign on for unemployment credits or pay voluntary contributions. Unemployment credits and voluntary contributions can help you to qualify for a social insurance payment in the future.

Can I work and get a jobseeker's payment?

You can work and get a jobseeker’s payment or a part of a jobseeker’s payment. In general the rule is that you cannot get a jobseeker’s payment for any day that you are engaged in employment or self-employment.

However self-employed people can continue to work in their business and get a Jobseeker’s Allowance if their income from their business is below a certain level. You do not need to de-register as self-employed to get a social welfare payment.

Your reduced income will be assessed as means. You can continue to operate your business while you are getting Jobseeker’s Allowance provided you do not exceed the income limits. This means that you can continue to work for your business provided you can show that you are also available for and genuinely seeking other work. Read more in Jobseeker’s Allowance and self-employment.

You may also be able to get a Back to Work Enterprise Allowance or a Short-Term Enterprise Allowance which allow you to set up a business and continue to get a social welfare payment for a period.

What extra payments can I get?

If you are married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting you can claim an extra amount for any adult or child dependents you have. However any income your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant may have will be taken into account when calculating how much you can get. Find out more about the means test for Jobseeker's Allowance.

You may also be entitled to help with rent or mortgage interest payments and other suppports. Our document on additional benefits covers all the extra benefits you may be entitled to. You should note that the criteria and qualifying conditions differ from payment to payment and qualifying for one does not mean that you qualify for others. Some benefits require you to be getting another social welfare payment and others have specific rules about working. For example you will not qualify for a Rent Supplement if you or your spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is working more than 30 hours a week.

In most cases the means test can be more complicated and time consuming for self-employed or formerly self-employed people.