Pandemic Unemployment Payment
The COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment is available to employees and the self-employed who have lost their job on (or after) March 13 due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. The COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment will be extended beyond 30th June 2021 until February 2022 for existing claimants.
PUP will close to new entrants from 1st July 2021 onwards
You can apply for the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment if you:
are aged between 18 and 66 years old and
currently living in the Republic of Ireland and
have lost your job due to the COVID-19 pandemic or
have been temporarily laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic and
worked in the Republic of Ireland or were a cross border frontier worker and
are not in receipt of any employment income
The payment also applies if you are:
self-employed and your trading income has ceased due to COVID-19
a non EU/EEA worker who has lost employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic
a student (or a non-EU/EEA student) who has lost employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Payments to Students will cease once they return to full time education – the last payment will be made on 7th September)
part-time worker
The current rates of payment above the rate of €203 will remain in place until 7th September at which point they will begin to be gradually reduced on a phased basis in increments of €50.
The first reduction is planned to take effect in payments on 14th September, with subsequent reductions taking effect in mid-November and early February.
People currently receiving the €203 rate and those who reach the €203 rate in each phase, will then transition to standard jobseeker terms. This will be done over a period of time and with advance notice.
From 16 October 2020 until 30 June 2021 the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment will be paid at 4 rates.
The rate you receive will depend on the amount you used to get paid:
if you earned less than EUR 200 per week - the rate of the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment will be EUR 203 per week
if you earned between EUR 200 and EUR 299.99 per week - the rate of the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment will be EUR 250 per week
if you earned between EUR 300 and EUR 399.99 per week - the rate of the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment will be EUR 300 per week
if you earned EUR 400 or more - you will receive EUR 350
If you were working and were also in receipt of any social welfare payment such as a Carer's Payment, Working Family Payment (WFP) or One-Parent Family Payment, you can, provided you have lost your job due to COVID-19, also claim the COVID-19 emergency payment, in addition to retaining your existing welfare payment. The COVID-19 Payment Unemployment Payment will replace your employment income and will be regarded by the department as equivalent to employment income.
This payment is subject to income tax but is not liable to either the universal social charge or PRSI (pay-related social insurance).
In contrast to the year 2020, PUP is taxable in real-time during 2021. (This means you are taxed when you are paid.) PUP payments earned in 2021 are treated like other Department of Social Protection (DSP) taxable payments.
The DSP informs Revenue on a weekly basis of the amount of taxable PUP paid to each recipient. Then: any tax due is collected by reducing the person’s tax credits and rate band. To do this, Revenue ‘annualises’ the weekly amount of PUP. This is calculated by multiplying the weekly amount by 52. The annual tax credits and rate band are reduced by this amount.
Enhanced Illness Benefit
This payment is for workers and the self-employed who cannot work in the short term because they have been medically certified to self-isolate or are ill due to COVID-19. COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit will continue after the end of June 2021.
The personal rate of Illness Benefit will increase from EUR 203 per week to EUR 350 per week for a maximum of 2 weeks where you are medically-required to self-isolate or a maximum of 10 weeks following a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19.
COVID-19 and Rent Supplement
Legislation was introduced to prevent both the termination of residential tenancies and any rent increases for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While tenants are expected to pay rent during the COVID-19 pandemic, Rent Supplement is available to you if you are struggling to pay.
There are new Rent Supplement rules for applicants who apply on or after 13 March 2020. These rules will be in place until 30 June 2021:
You can qualify for Rent Supplement if you or your partner are working more than 30 hours per week and you have had a reduction in your income from work due to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
You must have been in your current tenancy for more than 4 weeks and could have continued to paid your rent from your own resources, but for the COVID-19 public health emergency.
If you are diagnosed with COVID-19 or are suspected of having COVID-19 and are medically required to self-isolate, your Rent Supplement can be processed and paid immediately.
You will be assessed for Rent Supplement using a higher Supplementary Welfare Allowance rate.
The basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance rate is normally EUR 201 – you will get a higher rate if you have dependents. However, if you are a new Rent Supplement applicant and applied on or after 13 March 2020, you will be assessed for Rent Supplement using the following Supplementary Welfare Allowance rates: