Update on payments awarded for COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment and Enhanced Illness Benefit

217,142 people receive Pandemic Unemployment Payment this week

€61.9 million to be paid in PUP payments tomorrow

Minister reminds people that PUP remains open to new entrants

Today the Department of Social Protection issued payments valued at €61.9 million to 217,142 people for the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP).

This represents an increase of 10,801 on the 206,341 people paid last week.

In the past seven days, 8,690 people have closed their claim for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment. Of these, 6,309 have reported that they were returning to work. Some 4,953 people will be receiving their final payment tomorrow, 29 September.

Over 19,000 people have applied for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment in the past seven days, partly reflecting, though not entirely, the effect of some areas having to be moved to Level 3 of restrictions.

The greatest increase is in Dublin, with the number of PUP payments rising to 85,892, up 10,000 from last week. Further increases are expected where a region has moved to Level 3 or higher.

The increase in this week’s figures does not reflect the impact of Donegal moving to Level 3 last Friday. It is expected that any such impact will be reflected in next week’s PUP figures.

The sector with the highest number of people receiving a PUP payment this week is Accommodation and Food Service activities, up by almost 7,000 from last week. Education and Public Administration and Defence are the only sectors with a slight fall in PUP payments this week.

These figures are in addition to the people who were reported on the Live Register as of the end of August. All COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payments issued will be in recipients’ bank accounts or at their local post office tomorrow, Tuesday 29 September.

The easiest way for people to apply for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is online at MyWelfare.ie. When applying, people should provide the name of their employer and details of their last day of employment.

Commenting on the latest statistics published today, Social Protection Minister, Heather Humphreys, TD said:

Minister Humphreys continued:

People returning to work

In the past week, some 8,690 people closed their claim for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment of which 6,309 reported that they were returning to work. As the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is a weekly payment paid in arrears, there is a one week lag in how closures, due to people returning to work or people making new applications for PUP, are reflected in the payment data.

This week the sector with the largest number of employees returning to work is Accommodation and Food Service Activities, followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor vehicles and Motorcycles and the Education sector. A full breakdown of the sectors in this area is set out at Appendix 7 below.

Looking at the age profile, the largest number of people returning to work is in the 35-44 group, followed by those aged 45-54. Full details are available at Appendix 8.

The department continues to remind workers who are returning to work that they must close their claim for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP).

In order to ensure that their claim is processed correctly, workers who are returning to work must close their claim for the PUP payment on the actual date that they start back at work.

The easiest way to close a claim for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is online via 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 (Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm).

Employment supports available to people returning to work

Subject to satisfying the relevant eligibility criteria, employees may claim casual (that is, part-time) jobseeker payments or Short-Time Work Support payments for days of unemployment, even where their employer is claiming the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme for days of employment. The normal scheme rules and application processes for casual jobseeker payments and Short-Time Work Support apply, including completion of the relevant forms by the employer to certify days of employment and unemployment.

Industries that remain closed

Where, due to ongoing restrictions, a person’s employer has not restarted operations or where a sector is still temporarily closed, or has had to close their business again temporarily, the department will continue to support the workers concerned through payment of the PUP. New applications for PUP can be made until the end of this year.

Occasional employment

The department considers occasional employment to be once-off irregular, infrequent, or isolated events and where there is a clear divergence from previous employment patterns. Where a person has any doubt, they should contact the department directly to discuss their claim.

Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance

Parents and guardians of students are being reminded that the department’s Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is still available to provide financial support with back to school costs. Minister Humphreys has extended the payment, which is means-tested, to include parents and guardians who are receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment. Families who wish to make an application can do so via MyWelfare.ie. This is the quickest and easiest way to apply. People should apply by 30 September.

Under the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, €150 is paid for each eligible child aged 4 - 11 years on or before 30 September 2020, while an allowance of €275 is paid for each eligible child aged 12 - 22 years on or before 30 September 2020. Students aged between 18 and 22 years must be returning to full-time second-level education in a recognised school or college in autumn 2020.

COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit Payment

Since the beginning of September, approx. 6,164 people have been medically certified to receive the Enhanced Illness Benefit and approx. 435 of these have been diagnosed with the virus.

To date 64,084 people under the age of 66 have been medically certified for receipt of the COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit.

The number of people medically certified to receive the Enhanced Illness Benefit has increased in every county since last week with Dublin showing the greatest increase of 711.

Similarly, there has been an increase in every sector. The two sectors with the highest number of employees medically certified to receive COVID-19 Illness Benefit are Wholesale and Retail Trade (13,969) and Human Health and Social Work activities (13,385). Full details are at Appendices 9, 10, 11 and 12.

MyWelfare.ie

The department wishes to thank its customers for submitting the majority of applications through our online portal MyWelfare.ie. This is the quickest and easiest way to submit an application or close a COVID-19-Pandemic Unemployment Payment.

In the interests of the public health advice and observing social distancing people are asked, if at all possible not to attend their local Intreo Centre. Instead, they should avail of the online services available through MyWelfare.ie.

• 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
• Appendix 12 - Statistics on COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit since 1 September 2020

Appendix 1 - Analysis of Pandemic Unemployment Payments

There are 217,142 people in receipt a Pandemic Unemployment Payment of which 98,771 are female and 118,371 are male.

County Breakdown

Appendix 2 – Pandemic Unemployment Payments - Sector Breakdown

The sector with the highest number of people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is Accommodation and Food Service Activities (51,840) followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (30,950) and Administrative and Support Service activities (23,111).

Sector Breakdown

Appendix 3 – Pandemic Unemployment Payment - Age Profile

Appendix 4 – Pandemic Unemployment Payment Rates breakdown by gender

Appendix 5 – Pandemic Unemployment Payment Rates breakdown by age

Appendix 6 – Analysis of Closed PUP payments to return to Work

Around 6,309 people who have closed their account for return to work since 20 September will receive a Pandemic Unemployment Payment tomorrow, 29 September. Of these, 3,160 are male and 3,149 are female.

County Breakdown

Appendix 7 – Closed Pandemic Unemployment Payments - Sector Breakdown

The top three sectors from which employees closed their Pandemic Unemployment Payment in the week ending 29 September are Accommodation and Food Service Activities (1,864), Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and motorcycles (764) and Education (486).

Appendix 8 – Closed Pandemic Unemployment Payments – Age Profile

Appendix 9 - Analysis of COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit

There are 66,084 people medically certified for receipt of a COVID-19 related Illness Benefit payment, of whom 36,616 are female and 29,468 are male.

Some 1,934 people are currently in receipt of an Enhanced Illness Benefit payment.

County Breakdown (based on the county recorded on the Illness Benefit certificate)

Appendix 10 – COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit - Sector Breakdown

The two sectors with the highest number of people medically certified for receipt of a COVID-19 Illness Benefit payment are Wholesale and Retail Trade (13,969) and Human Health and Social Work (13,385), followed by Manufacturing (9,342).

Sector Breakdown

Appendix 11 – Enhanced Illness Benefit - Age Profile

Appendix 12 – Statistics on COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit since 1 September 2020

Since September 2020, approximately 6,164 people have been medically certified for meeting the conditions for receipt of a COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit payment and some 435 of these being diagnosed with COVID-19.

The following table show the number of people medically certified for meeting the conditions for receipt of a COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit payment, by start date entered on the medical certificate - the number of people medically certified with having COVID-19 is given in brackets and is included in the weekly overall figure shown. The second table shows the number of people who were medically certified to receive the Enhanced Illness Benefit since 1 September.

County Breakdown

Sector Breakdown