The wind-down of Ireland’s Pandemic Unemployment Payment continues this week as another group will be given the option to either cease their application or switch to the standard Job Seekers scheme.
Tuesday, November 16 will mark the second last decrease in payment for those who would have been on the highest bands of support in the height of the pandemic.
On Tuesday, those who were getting a PUP rate of €250 will see a decrease to €203 - Job Seekers - while anyone on the rate of €300 will begin to receive a weekly sum of €250.
The next PUP rate cut will be seen then on February 8, 2022 - when the aid will officially be phased out completely as part of the government’s recovery plan.
As each band of payment reaches a rate of €203, contact will be made by Revenue to inform you of the change in the scheme - you must then apply for Job Seekers because the changeover will not be automatic.
Last week, the number of people getting the PUP fell by over half a million since the peak of the pandemic.
Figures published by the Central Statistics Office showed that 77,806 workers were collecting the payment at the end of October - down from 605,671 in May of last year.
“These large decreases reflect a continued reopening of society and an end to adding new entrants to the PUP scheme,” the CSO said.
The public is reminded that every employee heading back to work must close their claim on the day they start back.
If you applied and your employer has re-employed you under the Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme or the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme, you must close your claim for the payment.
If you are self-employed and have closed your Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment, you may be able to get an Enterprise Support Grant of up to €1000.
