Social welfare recipients will receive a double payment on some schemes from next week due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The two week payment applies for customers who collect their payments at post offices and who are paid into a bank account.
The measures were announced to promote social distancing and will apply for payments due the weeks of 23 and 30 March.
Customers not on An Post or bank account schemes will be paid the two weeks entitlement in a single payment the following week.
Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty explained: “We have to look at every possible measure we can take to promote social distancing. Rather than have recipients attend post offices weekly, we will be paying two weeks’ worth of benefit to cover the weeks of the 23rd March and 30th March to some clients and the weeks of the 30th March and 6th April to others to reduce the frequency of people showing up to collect their entitlements. We will continue to review how we provide our services throughout the current Covid 19 situation.”
The Minister has again urged people who have been laid-off during the crisis to apply for the new Pandemic Unemployment Payment.
An application form for the new Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment can be downloaded from the website www.gov.ie/jobseekers and returned to the Department via Freepost at PO BOX 12896 Dublin 1.
Members of the public can apply for another income support through the online portal www.MyWelfare.ie , (they will need a Public Services Card); or phone the Department on 1890 800 024 or 01 2481398 for the relevant application form for the new payment.
Details of weekly Social Welfare Payment Arrangements for weeks beginning 23rd March and 30th March
People receiving the following payments will be paid for 2 weeks during the week beginning 23rd March 2020
- Adoptive Benefit
- Back to Education Allowance*
- Back To School Clothing and Footwear Allowance
- Back to Work Allowance
- Back To Work Enterprise Allowance
- Blind Pension
- Carers Allowance
- Carer’s Benefit
- Death Benefit
- Deserted Wife’s Allowance
- Deserted Wife’s Benefit
- Disability Allowance
- Disablement Benefit
- Employment Support Scheme
- Guardians Payment (Contributory)
- Guardians Payment (Non-Contributory)
- Health and Safety Benefit
- Illness Benefit
- Incapacity Supplement
- Increase for Living on an Island
- Invalidity Pension
- Magdalen Commission Scheme
- Maternity Benefit
- Medical Care
- Occupational Injury Benefit
- Parent’s Benefit
- Partial Capacity Benefit
- Paternity Benefit
- State Pension Contributory
- State Pension Non-Contributory
- Wage Subsidy Scheme
- Widow(er)s Pension Contributory
- Widowed Parent Grant
- Widowed Parent Grant Con
- Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Pension (Non Contributory)
- Youth Employment Support Scheme
People receiving the following payments will be paid for 2 weeks during the week beginning 30th March 2020
- Back to Education Allowance*
- Back to Work Allowance
- Back to Work Family Dividend
- Supplementary Welfare Allowance
- Creche Supplement
- Diet Supplement
- Daily Expenses Allowance
- Farm Assist
- Heat Supplement
- Humanitarian Aid
- Jobseekers Allowance
- Jobseekers Benefit
- Jobseekers Benefit for the Self Employed
- One Parent Family Payment
- Part-time Job Incentive
- Rent Supplement
- Short Term Enterprise Allowance
- Supplementary Welfare Allowance
- Travel Supplement
- Working Family Payment
*Some recipients of the Back to Education Allowance will receive 2 weeks payment next week and others will receive their 2 weeks payment the following week.
