Number receiving the PUP this week falls to just under 78,000
This week, the Department of Social Protection issued payments valued at €20.7 million to 77,806 people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP). This represents a fall of 15,593 compared with the 19th October when the equivalent figure was 93,399.
The PUP figures published this week are in addition to the 162,898 people who were on the Live Register at the end of September.
All Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payments have been paid into recipients’ bank accounts or at their Post Office on Tuesday, 2nd November.
Commenting today, Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys said:
“As we head into the winter months, the Pandemic continues to pose significant challenges right across our society.
“If we have learned one thing about this virus, it’s that it is unpredictable and we cannot at any stage let our guard down.
“And so in the weeks ahead, let’s all remember the importance of staying at home and self-isolating if we are showing any symptoms.
“Let’s also explore the idea where possible to work from home, perhaps adopting that ‘blended’ style of working that so many of us have become used to over the past number of months.
“But above all, let’s remember that by adhering to the public health guidelines, we are protecting our friends, our families and our work colleagues.”
The payment week for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment runs from Friday to Thursday and payments are paid on the following Tuesday. Individuals who have closed their PUP by Monday 1st November, as they have returned to work, will receive their final PUP payment on Tuesday 9th November.
The Department continues to remind workers who are returning to work that they must close their claim for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment 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.
As PUP is paid weekly in arrears people who have closed their claim last week are receiving a final payment this week and are still counted in the numbers in payment for this week. 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 0818 800 024 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.
In line with the Government’s Economic Recovery Plan, the PUP is gradually changing over a 6-month period from September 2021 until February 2022 to align it with the standard jobseeker’s payments.
The process of transitioning people who were already on the €203 rate of PUP to standard Jobseeker terms was due to begin in early September but was deferred until after all sectors had started to re-open in line with the Roadmap announced on 31st August this year. Therefore, customers on the €203 rate of PUP continued to receive a PUP payment up to and including 26th October when the transition to Jobseeker terms commenced.
As part of this process the Department wrote to all people on the €203 rate of payment during October outlining the details of the transition from PUP and inviting them to apply for a jobseeker payment if they remained out of work. People who satisfy the requirements to receive a jobseeker payment are being transitioned onto jobseeker payments. Where an application has been received but not yet processed the person will remain on PUP until the application is processed. Where an application was not received the payment of PUP ceased.
The Department’s income support helpline 0818 800 024 which is open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday is available to assist any person during this transition process.
Two further phases of rate changes are scheduled to take place for payments to be made on 16th November 2021 and 8th February 2022 when the €300 rate will move to €250 per week and the €250 rate will move to €203 per week. As PUP recipients move on to the €203 rate in each phase, they will be transitioned to standard jobseeker terms.
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.
As business re-opens the Department’s inspectors continue to conduct control reviews and matching records against employer payroll data from the Revenue Commissioners to help ensure people close their claim as they return to work. To avoid incurring an overpayment people returning to work should close their claim and can do so easily at www.MyWelfare.ie.
Self-employed people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment 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.
The €1,000 Enterprise Support Grant will remain in place for the rest of the year for self-employed people who close their PUP payment. Those who claimed the grant in 2020 but who found themselves back on PUP in 2021, will be able to access the grant for a second time.
The easiest and quickest way to apply for many social welfare payments, including the 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 social welfare payments such as; Working Family Payment; Maternity Benefit; Paternity Benefit; Child Benefit; 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.
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.
This week some 2,443 people are in receipt of an Enhanced Illness Benefit payment, compared with 2,031 on the 19th October.
Full details on Enhanced Illness Benefit including sector and county breakdown as well as age profile are at Appendices 7, 8 and 9.
Customers and members of the public are reminded about scam phone calls and text messages they may receive from individuals claiming to be an official of the Department.
These calls and texts display a range of numbers, including some which may appear to be from the Department’s phone numbers. The Department would like to remind all its customers that it will never seek personal information from customers via text message and will never ask a customer for their bank details over the phone.
Any person who receives such a call or text is asked not to disclose any information and to report it to the Gardaí immediately.
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