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

295,860 people receive Pandemic Unemployment Payment this week

An increase of 51,700 receiving PUP compared to last week

€85.6 million is paid in PUP payments today

New rate of €350 is payable this week

People should apply online for PUP at MyWelfare.ie

This week, the Department of Social Protection issued payments valued at €85.6 million, an increase of over €20 million from last week, to 295,860 people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP).

The number of people receiving a PUP payment this week represents an increase of 51,707 on the 244,153 people paid last week. The sector with the highest number of people receiving a PUP payment this week is Accommodation and Food Service Activities (90,051). It is followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (43,432) and Administrative and Support Service activities (25,656).

This week’s figures are in addition to the 211,492 people who were reported on the Live Register as of the end of September. All COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payments issued will be in recipients’ bank accounts or at their local post office today, Tuesday 27 October.

Commenting on the figures, Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys TD, said:

PUP Payment Rates

PUP is now paid at four rates. With effect from 16 October,

• those with prior gross weekly earnings below €200 will continue to receive a rate of €203 per week
• those with prior gross weekly earnings of €200 to €299.99 will continue to receive €250 per week
• those with prior gross weekly earnings of €300 to €399.99 will continue to receive €300 per week
• those with prior gross weekly earnings of €400 or more will receive a rate of €350 per week

Existing recipients of PUP who previously earned more than €400 gross have had their PUP rate automatically increased and have received the higher rate of €350 in their payment this week. The other three rates of PUP (€203, €250 and €300) remain unchanged.

PUP is paid weekly in arrears with applications received up to close of business on Thursday in any week being processed for payment on the following Tuesday. Applications received after Thursday each week, are processed as part of the following week’s claims and paid in the next week after that.

The Minister stated:

Prior weekly earnings have been assessed in the case of employees, based on Revenue earnings data for 2019 and for January and February 2020. The average weekly pay for 2019 is calculated and the same is done for 2020 with the person being assessed at the highest of these two averages. In the case of self-employed people earnings have been assessed based on the 2019 and 2018 earnings returns to Revenue with the higher figure being used to determine the payment rate.

Any person, including any self-employed person, who believes that their new payment rate does not accurately reflect their prior earnings (for example, if earnings have increased since March 2020) can contact the department to request a review of earnings and forward all supporting documents, which will be matched with Revenue records. They can contact the department by:

• emailing PUPRerate@welfare.ie
• writing to Pandemic Unemployment Rerate Requests, DEASP, Intreo Centre, Cork Road, Waterford
• calling the Helpline at 1890 800 024 which is open from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday

People returning to work

Even with the commencement of Level 5 restrictions, approximately 3,000 people closed their PUP claims this week.

The department continues to remind workers who are returning to work that they must close their claim for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) on the actual date that they start back at work, in order to ensure that their claim is processed correctly.

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 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

Employment supports available for when people return to work

There are a range of supports for the self-employed who are receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment and who are looking to restart their business. In order to reduce the risk of moving from the certainty of the PUP payment to the uncertainty of trading income, self-employed people on PUP, including those who work in the arts/entertainment industry, taxi drivers and others, can earn up to €480 per month, while retaining their full PUP entitlement.

In addition, the Part-Time Job Incentive scheme is available to self-employed people who come off PUP or a jobseeker’s payment. This scheme which allows a person to receive a partial jobseeker’s payment, while retaining employment income, may be particularly suited in circumstances where a self-employed person’s income exceeds the €480 per month income threshold on PUP.

Employees who satisfy the relevant criteria, may claim casual (that is, part-time) jobseeker’s 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.

Applying for PUP

To apply for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, the easiest and quickest way is to do so online at MyWelfare.ie. When applying, people should provide the name of their employer and details of their last day of employment. Over 96% of people who applied for PUP last week did so online.

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 MyWelfare.ie.

COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit Payment

Since March, a cumulative total of 79,256 people under the age of 66 have been medically certified for receipt of the COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit.

Today, some 3,900 people are currently in receipt of an Enhanced Illness Benefit payment.

The number of people medically certified to receive the Enhanced Illness Benefit has increased in every county, the greatest number being in Dublin, followed by Cork and Galway.

There has also been an increase in every sector affected by the COVID-19 virus again this week. The sectors with the greatest number of people medically certified for receipt of a COVID-19 Illness Benefit payment are Wholesale and Retail Trade and Human Health and Social Work, followed by Manufacturing. Full details are at Appendices 9, 10 and 11.

ENDS

Appendices

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 1 - Analysis of Pandemic Unemployment Payments

There are 295,860 people in receipt a Pandemic Unemployment Payment of which 147,761 are female and 148,099 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 (90,051) followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (43,432) and Administrative and Support Service activities (25,656).

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 1,787 people who have closed their account to return to work since 18 October will receive a Pandemic Unemployment Payment today, 27 October. Of these 948 are male and 839 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 27 October to return to work are Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and motorcycles (295); Accommodation and Food Service Activities (260), and Administrative and Support Service activities (205).

Appendix 8 – Closed Pandemic Unemployment Payments – Age Profile

Appendix 9 - Analysis of COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit

To date, 79,256 people have been medically certified for receipt of a COVID-19 related Illness Benefit payment, of whom 43,818 are female and 35,438 are male.

Approximately 3,900 people are currently in receipt of an Enhanced Illness Benefit payment.

For 7,819 people the date of their first certificate was issued in October 2020, of which 1,100 have been certified for COVID-19.

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 who have been medically certified for receipt of a COVID-19 Illness Benefit payment to date are Wholesale and Retail Trade (16,934) and Human Health and Social Work (15,034), followed by Manufacturing (10,941).

Sector Breakdown

Appendix 11 – Enhanced Illness Benefit - Age Profile