342,500 receive the Pandemic Unemployment Payment this week
€99 million is paid out in PUP payments
Overall total paid in PUP reaches €4 billion
Quickest and easiest way to apply for PUP is online at www.MyWelfare.ie
Earnings Reference Period for employees extended to September 2020
This week, the Department of Social Protection has issued payments valued at €99 million, up from €95.5 million last week, to 342,505 people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP). The total paid in PUP to date, including this week’s payments, is €4 billion.
The number of people receiving a PUP payment this week represents an increase of just over 12,500 on the 330,000 people paid last week.
The sector with the highest number of people receiving a PUP payment this week is Accommodation and Food Service Activities (100,994), followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (55,516) and Other Sectors, e.g., hairdressers and beauty salons (30,141).
This week’s figures are in addition to the 203,172 people who were reported on the Live Register as of the end of October. All Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payments issued will be in recipients’ bank accounts or at their local post office tomorrow, Tuesday, 10th November.
Commenting on this week’s figures, Minister Humphreys said:
This week’s figures show a further rise in the number of people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment.
The increase was anticipated and reflects the impact of moving to Level 5 of restrictions.
Some €4billion has now been paid out in PUP in total – demonstrating the Government’s commitment to supporting workers throughout this Pandemic.
The Minister continued:
I know so many people have made huge sacrifices as they continue to heed the advice of the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).
But the fall in the number of Covid-19 cases in recent days is encouraging and gives cause for optimism ahead of the upcoming Christmas period.
Let’s all keep going together. We brought this virus under control before. It is within our gift to do so again.
PUP Payment Rates
PUP is paid at four rates. With effect from 16th October,
-those with prior gross weekly earnings below €200 will continue to receive a rate of €203 per week.
-those with prior gross weekly earnings of €200 to €299.99 will continue to receive €250 per week.
-those with prior gross weekly earnings of €300 to €399.99 will continue to receive €300 per week.
-those with prior gross weekly earnings of €400 or more will receive a rate of €350 per week.
PUP is paid weekly in arrears with applications received up to close of business on Thursday in any week being processed for payment on the following Tuesday. Applications received after Thursday each week, are processed as part of the following week’s claims and paid in the next week after that.
Currently prior weekly earnings have been assessed in the case of employees, based on Revenue earnings data for 2019 and for January and February 2020. The average weekly pay for 2019 is calculated and the same is done for January and February 2020. The Department then uses the calculation which gives the person the highest weekly rate of income from these reference periods as the basis for calculating their PUP entitlement.
In the case of self-employed people, earnings have been assessed based on the 2019 and 2018 earnings returns to Revenue with the higher figure being used to determine the payment rate.
Any person, including any self-employed person, who believes that their new payment rate does not accurately reflect their prior earnings can contact the Department to request a review of earnings and forward all supporting documents, which will be matched with Revenue records. They can contact the Department by:
- Emailing PUPRerate@welfare.ie; or
- Writing to Pandemic Unemployment Rerate Requests, DSP, Intreo Centre, Cork Road, Waterford or
- Calling the Helpline at 1890 800 024 which is open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.
Extended Reference Period
Regulations are currently being finalised that will extend the 2020 earnings reference period for employees to September 2020.
This will mean that people who only commenced employment after February 2020 but have now been laid-off due to increased restrictions can have their payment rate fixed by reference to their earnings in the period March to September 2020.
The regulations will also provide that people who may have been in employment before February 2020 but whose earnings have reduced in the period since February can still have their PUP payment rate set by reference to their earlier, higher, earnings.
As self-employment earnings are filed with Revenue on an annual basis the assessment of self-employed earnings will continue as before to be based on the best of a person’s 2018 or 2019 earnings. Any earnings a person may have received as an employee during 2019 will also be considered and added to their self-employment earnings for the purpose of setting the appropriate PUP payment rate.
Self-employed people can also continue to earn up to €480 (net) per month while in receipt of PUP, take up the Part-Time Job Incentive Scheme or avail of standard jobseeker payments.
People returning to work
In the past seven days, some 3,700 people closed their PUP, 2,319 of whom stated that they were doing so because they are returning to work.
The Department continues to remind workers who are returning to work that they must close their claim for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) on the actual date that they start back at work, in order to ensure that their claim is processed correctly.
The easiest way to close a claim for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is online via www.MyWelfare.ie. Any worker returning to work with an enquiry about closing their claim, can contact the Department’s dedicated income support helpline at 1890 800 024 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.
The largest cohort of people who closed their claims to return to work is in the 25-34 age group (620), followed by those aged 35-44 (534). Full details are available at Appendix 8.
Employment supports available for when people return to work
There are a range of supports for the self-employed who are receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment and who are looking to restart their business. In order to reduce the risk of moving from the certainty of the PUP payment to the uncertainty of trading income, self-employed people on PUP, including those who work in the arts/entertainment industry, taxi drivers and others, can now earn up to €480 per month, while retaining their full PUP entitlement.
In addition, the Part-Time Job Incentive scheme is available to self-employed people who come off PUP or a jobseeker’s payment. This scheme, which allows a person to receive a partial jobseeker’s payment, while retaining employment income, may be particularly suited in circumstances where a self-employed person’s income exceeds the €480 per month income threshold on PUP.
Employees who satisfy the relevant criteria, may claim casual (i.e. part-time) jobseeker’s payments or Short-Time Work Support payments for days of unemployment, even where their employer is claiming the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme for days of employment. The normal scheme rules and application processes for casual jobseeker payments and Short-Time Work Support apply, including completion of the relevant forms by the employer to certify days of employment and unemployment.
Applying for PUP
To apply for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, the easiest and quickest way is to do so online at www.MyWelfare.ie. When applying, people should provide the name of their employer and details of their last day of employment.
In the interests of the public health advice and observing social distancing people are asked, if possible, not to attend their local Intreo Centre. Instead, they should avail of the online services available through www.MyWelfare.ie.
Covid-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit Payment
Since March, a cumulative total of 84,803 people under the age of 66 have been medically certified for receipt of the Covid-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit.
Today, some 3,032 people are currently in receipt of an Enhanced Illness Benefit payment.
The number of people medically certified to receive the Enhanced Illness Benefit has increased in every county again this week, the greatest number being in Dublin (23,495), followed by Cork (9,220), Galway (5,197), Kildare (4,173) and Meath (3,386).
There has also been an increase in every sector affected by the Covid-19 virus again this week. The sectors with the greatest number of people medically certified for receipt of a Covid-19 Illness Benefit payment are Wholesale and Retail Trade (18,178) and Human Health and Social Work (15,772), followed by Manufacturing (11,707). Full details are at Appendices 9, 10 and 11.