Many parents will be heading back to work over the coming weeks as thousands of businesses nationwide reopen amid the easing of restrictions.
While many will be relieved to come off the Covid unemployment payments as soon as possible, some families may still need assistance on the other side of this pandemic.
If you’re returning to a job or have started a new career and are having difficulties meeting the expense of living in Ireland, there are a number of supports you could be entitled to.
Working Family Payment
First up is the ‘Working Family Payment,’ which is a weekly tax-free payment for employees with children.
It supports people who are working for low pay and used to be called Family Income Supplement.
To be eligible to receive this payment, you must have at least one child who lives with you or who you support financially, and they have to be under 18 - or between 18 and 22 if they are in full-time education.
To get WFP, your average weekly family income must be under a certain amount for your family size.
If you meet this requirement, you get 60% of the difference between your average weekly family income and the WFP income limit for your family size.
The other conditions you must meet are:
- Work 38 or more hours per fortnight (in any combination of hours).
- Your job is likely to last at least 3 months
- You have at least one child who normally lives with you
- You earn less than the WFP income limit set for your family size
Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance
If you are getting WFP, you could also be entitled to the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance.
This payment is to help families afford the necessities for all kids headed to school.
From June 2022, the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance will be €160 for a child aged 4-11, and €285 for children aged 12 and over.
The weekly income limit for one-parent households will be increased to the same as two-parent households.
The BTSCFA is closed right now, but the scheme will reopen for applications from June 2022 to September 30, 2022.
The Back to Work Family Dividend
If you’re about to return to the workforce, the Back to Work Family Dividend scheme can help you to move from social welfare into employment.
It gives financial support to people with qualified children who are in or take up employment or self-employment and as a result, stop claiming a jobseeker's payment or a one-parent family payment.
If you qualify for the scheme you will get a weekly payment for up to 2 years, and you will be paid the equivalent of any Increase for Qualified Children that were being paid on your jobseeker or one-parent family payment, up to a maximum of 4 children, for the first year in employment.
Heading into the second year of employment then, you will receive half that amount.
The Back to Work Family Dividend can be paid with the Working Family Payment and some other non-primary social welfare payments.
You may be eligible for the Back to Work Family Dividend if you have at least one qualified child and are getting one of the following payments:
- Jobseeker’s Allowance or Jobseeker’s Benefit for at least 12 months (312 days of unemployment) of which at least 6 months (156 days of unemployment) must have been in the last year
- One-Parent Family Payment (OFP)
- Jobseeker’s Transitional payment (paid to people who are not cohabiting with children aged between 7 and 13 years)
To qualify, you and all members of your family must sign off all primary social welfare payments.
