- 403,000 receive the Pandemic Unemployment Payment this week, a decrease of over 17,600 on last week
- €119.9 million in PUP weekly payments to be paid into bank accounts today
- Over €7.3 billion paid in PUP to date
- 14,500 close their PUP account to return to work
- 1,653 people currently in receipt of Enhanced Illness Benefit
- People returning to work should close their claim on their first day back in work by logging on to www.MyWelfare.ie
- Public warned about Scam Phone Calls and Scam Texts from callers claiming to be from the Department of Social Protection
Tuesday, 27th April, 2021
This week, the Department of Social Protection has issued weekly payments valued at €119.9 million to 403,095 people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP).
The figures published today are in addition to the 183,096 people who were on the Live Register at the end of March.
All Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payments issued will be in recipients’ bank accounts or at their Post Office today, Tuesday, 27th April.
Dublin is the county with the highest number of people who are receiving PUP this week at 131,233. It is followed by Cork (39,750) and Galway (21,783).
The sector with the highest number of people receiving PUP this week is Accommodation and Food Service activities (101,637), followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (65,984) and Construction (42,333).
The Construction sector has seen the largest decrease in the number of people receiving PUP this week with 6,600 fewer people receiving the payment compared to last week.
Some 47% of those in receipt of PUP are receiving the maximum rate of €350 this week.
People 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 and to avoid incurring an overpayment that the Department will take steps to recover.
The past seven days saw 18,755 people close their PUP claims, with 14,511 of these stating that they were doing so because they are returning to work. Dublin had the greatest number of people closing their claims to return to work (3,909), followed by Cork (1,583) and Meath (735).
The sectors with the largest number of employees closing their Pandemic Unemployment Payment claims to return to work are Construction (4,965), Wholesale and Retail Trade (1,754), and Accommodation and Food Service activities sector (1,499). Some 1,216 people closed their claims to return to work in the Manufacturing sector.
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.
Speaking today on the latest PUP figures, Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys said:
“This week, we have seen a fall in the number of people in receipt of the PUP. This is encouraging and is an indication that people are returning to work as certain sectors open and restrictions are slowly eased.
“We have reasons to be hopeful and optimistic. The number of vaccinations continues to ramp up on a daily basis and later this week, the Government will set out a roadmap for a further easing of restrictions in May and June.
“Easing restrictions too quickly could cause a spike in Covid-19 cases and set us backwards. Government wants to avoid this and the reopening of our economy will therefore be on a gradual, cautious and phased basis.
“Since March of last year, my Department has paid out over €7.3 billion through the Pandemic Unemployment Payment. Over 22 million payments have been issued and over 850,000 people have received support from the PUP at some stage.
“The level of support that Government has provided through the PUP over the last year is unprecedented in scale. As we move out of the pandemic, Government anticipates a steady improvement in employment numbers.
“Government also recognises that some sectors will be slower to return than others and so there will be no cliff edge end to the economic and income supports at the end of June.”
Self-employed people and PUP
Self-employed people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) who are looking to maintain their business can earn up to €960 over an eight week period, while retaining their full PUP entitlement.
There is no formal application process and a self-employed person simply needs to inform the Department if they earn over €960 in any eight week period.
MyWelfare.ie – PPSN application service
The easiest and quickest way to apply for many social welfare payments, including the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, Enhanced Illness Benefit and Jobseekers’ payments is online at www.MyWelfare.ie. This is a platform which is safe, secure and accessible anytime, anywhere and on all devices. People have the option of applying for Maternity Benefit, Paternity Benefit, Child Benefit, PRSI refunds and Jobseekers’ payments as well as requesting a statement or a record of social insurance contributions from the Department.
The application service to apply for a PPS Number is available at www.MyWelfare.ie for people living in Ireland who are at least 18 years of age and need a PPS Number to avail of social welfare benefits, public services and information in Ireland. To apply for a PPS Number online, a person will need to have a basic MyGovID account.
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.
Scam Phone Calls and Scam Texts
Customers and members of the public are reminded about scam phone calls and scam text messages they may receive from individuals claiming to be an official of the Department. These calls and texts display a range of numbers.
Any person who receives such a call or text is asked not to disclose any information and to report it to the Gardaí immediately.
Control Measures
The Department conducts a series of pre and post payment checks on all PUP claims which include continuing eligibility checks. Subject to these checks being cleared the Department then processes payments based on the clients’ self-declaration.
The Department runs post payment checks that includes verifying data against Revenue records, examining cases where the same Bank account is used multiple times, examining cases where an employer or members of the public report concerns, and the use of data analytics to identify and check claims. It also undertakes employer inspections.
This work is undertaken by the Department’s Special Investigation Unit, which includes over 20 Gardaí on secondment to the Department.
Covid-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit Payment
Today, some 1,653 people are in receipt of an Enhanced Illness Benefit payment, compared with 1,689 last week.
Employees or self-employed people who contract the virus or who are medically certified by their doctor to self-isolate are advised to apply for Enhanced Illness Benefit. Unlike the standard Illness Benefit, the Enhanced Illness Benefit is paid from the first day of illness. The quickest and easiest way to apply for Enhanced Illness Benefit is through www.MyWelfare.ie.
Full details on Enhanced Illness Benefit including sector and county breakdown as well as age profile are at Appendices 9, 10 and 11.
Ends.
Press Office Contact Details
E: press.office@welfare.ie
T: 01 704 3082
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Appendices attached separately – County Breakdown and other details
Appendix 1 - Analysis of Pandemic Unemployment Payments by County
Appendix 2 - Pandemic Unemployment Payments by Sector
Appendix 3 - Pandemic Unemployment Payments by Age Profile
Appendix 4 - Pandemic Unemployment Payment Rates by gender
Appendix 5 - Pandemic Unemployment Payment Rates by age
Appendix 6 - Analysis of People who Closed their PUP Claim to Return to Work
Appendix 7 - Analysis of Closed Pandemic Unemployment Payments by Sector
Appendix 8 - Analysis of Closed Pandemic Unemployment Payments Age Profile
Appendix 9 - Enhanced Illness Benefit Payments by County
Appendix 10 - Enhanced Illness Benefit Payments by Sector
Appendix 11 - Enhanced Illness Benefit Payments Age Profile