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Basic Income for the Arts Pilot Scheme: Your questions answered
From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Published on
Last updated on
Please read the following and the scheme guidelines carefully before starting your application.
Applicants should be aware that the Basic Income for the Arts is a pilot research programme, therefore participants will be required to engage in ongoing data collection as part of the pilot.
The BIA Scheme is now closed for applications
The BIA scheme closed for applications through the online portal at 1pm on Thursday 12 May 2022.
The scheme had been open for applications since 1pm on Tuesday 12 April 2022.
The following list provides examples of the types of artists and creative arts workers who are eligible. This list is for illustrative purposes only and is not exhaustive.
| Art form | Profession/practice |
| Visual Arts | Visual Artist – all media including fine-art photography, Visual Arts Curator, Illustrator, Art Writer |
| Theatre | Actor, Artistic Director, Comedian, Costume Designer, Director, Hair Designer, Librettist, Lighting Designer/Engineer, Make-Up Designer, Mime artist, Set Designer, Stage Designer, Sound Designer/Engineer, Playwright, Projection Designer, Prop Designer, Puppeteer |
| Literature | Writer – Children’s/Young Adult, Novelist, Short-Story, Poet, Novelist, Illustrator, , Art Writer, Non-Fiction writer* |
| Music | Composer, Conductor, Singer/Musician – all genres, Lighting Designer/Engineer, Lyricist, Sound Designer/Engineer, Musical Director, Writer |
| Dance | Artistic Director, Choreographer, Dancer, Repetiteur |
| Opera | Actor, Artistic Director, Costume Designer, Librettist, Lighting Designer/Engineer, Lyricist, Director, Singer, Sound Designer/Engineer, Stage Designer, Repetiteur |
| Film | Actor, Animator, Artistic Director, Cinematographer, Costume Designer Director, Editor, Screenwriter, Film Designer, Filmmaker, Film Editor, Lighting Designer/Engineer, Hair Designer, Make-up Designer, Prop Designer, Production Designer, Sound Designer/Engineer, Script Writer, Scenographer, Set Designer, Special Effects Designer, Scenic Artist, Visual Designer, Voice Over Artist, Writer |
| Circus | Circus Artist - traditional and contemporary, Acrobat, Street Arts and Spectacle Artist |
| Architecture | Architect |
All applicants must be:
A list providing examples of those who are ineligible for the BIA is provided in the Guidelines. The list is for illustrative purposes only and is not exhaustive.
Please note that while the list of ineligible professions cannot be used to evidence eligibility for the scheme, a person working in one of the ineligible areas who also has a separate creative practice in an eligible practice listed above can apply using evidence of their eligible creative practice.
How we define a Creative Arts Worker for the purposes of the Basic Income for the Arts Pilot Scheme
A creative arts worker is someone who has a creative practice and whose creative work makes a key contribution to the production, interpretation or exhibition of the arts. “Arts” means any creative or interpretative expression (whether traditional or contemporary) in whatever form, and includes, in particular, visual arts, theatre, literature, music, dance, opera, film, circus and architecture, and includes any medium when used for those purposes.
Why this is not a Universal Basic Income
It is important to note that that the Basic Income for the Arts Pilot is not a Universal Basic Income. This is a sectoral intervention to support practicing artists and creative arts workers to focus on their creative practice. This policy is separate to the Universal Basic income as outlined in the Programme for Government.
If you work in the arts in Administration, Management, Advertising, Promotion
The Basic Income for the Arts pilot is for practicing artists and arts workers whose work is intrinsically creative and applicants must be able to demonstrate that they work in an art form and have a creative practice in that art form. Eligibility will be based on the definition of the arts as contained in the Arts Act 2003;
““arts” means any creative or interpretative expression (whether traditional or contemporary) in whatever form, and includes, in particular, visual arts, theatre, literature, music, dance, opera, film, circus and architecture, and includes any medium when used for those purposes”.
Applying for the Pilot Basic Income for the Arts if you are a PAYE worker
Yes
If you are a Creative Arts Worker who has completed an apprenticeship but is lacking work experience
Yes, if you have trained, apprenticed or graduated in your field in the last five years and you have not yet engaged in work in your field as a creative arts worker you may apply as a Recently Trained Applicant.
A creative arts worker is someone who has a creative practice and whose creative work makes a key contribution to the production or exhibition of the arts. “Arts” means any creative or interpretative expression (whether traditional or contemporary) in whatever form, and includes, in particular, visual arts, theatre, literature, music, dance, opera, film, circus and architecture, and includes any medium when used for those purposes.
Recently Trained Applicants must supply supporting evidence of having trained in their chosen artform(s), for example by providing evidence of a qualification or training. The Department is conscious that there may be artists and creative arts workers who have completed arts training, including an apprenticeship, but who may not yet have sufficient evidence to apply as a Creative Arts Worker.
As this is a research pilot, it is important to apply to the stream which best represents your practice currently.
If you are a a teacher
Please note that while the list of ineligible professions cannot be used to evidence eligibility for the scheme, a person working in one of the ineligible areas who also has a separate creative practice in an eligible practice listed above can apply using evidence of their eligible creative practice.
In applying applicants will need to provide evidence of their arts practice as defined under an artform in the Arts Act. The Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme will be open to eligible artists and creative arts sector workers. Eligibility will be based on the definition of the arts as contained in the Arts Act 2003; ““arts” means any creative or interpretative expression (whether traditional or contemporary) in whatever form, and includes, in particular, visual arts, theatre, literature, music, dance, opera, film, circus and architecture, and includes any medium when used for those purposes”.
For instance, teaching is listed under the categories that are not eligible to apply for the scheme under the Guidelines.
A teacher who has a separate creative practice would be able to apply for that creative practice, as defined under the Arts Act.
Evidence of that, eligible practice, not the teaching practice, will need to be provided.
Why there is a stream for Recently Trained Applicants but not for your particular designation
The department is conscious that there may be artists and creative arts workers who have completed arts training, including an apprenticeship, but who may not yet have sufficient evidence to apply as an Artist or Creative Arts Worker.
The department is interested in researching the effect the payment of a Basic Income would have on those receiving it from the outset of their career. It is also an objective of the scheme to capitalise on investment in sectoral skills and expertise developed through education within the sector.
Whether a group (for example: production company, quartet, band, artists’ collective) may apply
No. The Basic Income for the Arts Pilot is for individual applicants only.
Whether that means that some members of a group may be funded and the others not
Yes. This is a pilot scheme and not all eligible applicants will be funded.
If you work in arts organisations and with artists
Only artists and creative arts workers are eligible to apply for Basic Income for the Arts Pilot Scheme. The Basic Income for the Arts pilot is for practicing artists and arts workers whose work is intrinsically creative and applicants must be able to demonstrate that they work in an art form and have a creative practice in that art form
This differentiates creative arts workers from other supporting workers, whose input is better categorised as administrative, organisational, security, hospitality and so on.
Automatically getting a payment if you are eligible and apply for the Basic Income for the Arts Pilot Scheme
No. The department expects a high volume of applications and it will not be possible to provide funding to all eligible applicants.
Selection will be a non-competitive process. Once an applicant satisfies the eligibility criteria they will be included in a randomised selection process which will determine the participants in the BIA Pilot.
Funding for the scheme will allow for approximately 2,000 eligible applicants to participate in the pilot scheme.
If you're over 66
If you are an artist or creative arts worker with an active creative practice and can meet the eligibility requirement you can apply. There is no age limit for applicants. However, the impact of the basic income for the arts on social protection payments, for example: pensions will depend on your individual circumstances. These payments will be reckonable income for the purposes of social protection payments and will be treated as earnings from self-employment. Therefore for some schemes, such as Disability Allowance, the income will be taken into account in the income disregard for that scheme. Applicants are strongly advised to investigate what their own particular tax situation may be should they receive payment.
Those in receipt of a social welfare payment who receive payments from the pilot scheme should advise the Department of Social Protection of this change in their circumstances.
Applying for the Basic Income for the Arts Pilot Scheme instead of Artists’ Jobseekers Allowance
The Department expects a high volume of applications and it will not be possible to provide funding to all eligible applicants under the BIA Pilot.
It is important to note that the Basic Income for the Arts scheme is not a social welfare payment, it is a grant payment and is a pilot scheme to research the impact of a basic income for the arts. Those in receipt of a social welfare payment who receive payments from the pilot scheme should advise the Department of Social protection of this change in their circumstances.
Applying for the Pilot Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) if you are currently in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance / Artists’ Jobseekers Allowance
We can confirm that payment under the Basic Income for the Arts Pilot scheme will be treated as means. Each individual applicant’s tax and entitlements situation will be different. These payments will be reckonable income for the purposes of social protection payments and will be treated as earnings from self-employment. Therefore for some schemes, such as Disability Allowance, the income will be taken into account in the income disregard for that scheme.
Applicants are strongly advised to investigate what their own particular tax and social welfare situation may be should they receive payment.
Those in receipt of a social welfare payment who receive payments from the pilot scheme should advise the Department of Social protection of this change in their circumstances.
Whether you should apply if the likelihood of you being chosen in the randomised selection is very low
Yes. As this is a research project all eligible applicants are encouraged to take part in the pilot by participating as part of a control group for the scheme if they are not funded. Please note a number of eligible applicants who are not selected to receive the payment (that is, recipients) will be asked to participate in a control group to facilitate the evaluation of the pilot (“control group”). Control Group participants will respond to the same survey and data requests as those in receipt of the payment. Control group members will be paid two weeks basic income for each of the three years of the pilot scheme (that is, equivalent to six weeks of the BIA payment to compensate them for the time required to engage in the data collection process.
If you are an artist / creative arts worker and you would like to contribute to the data collection part of the scheme over the 3 years, but you don’t wish to make an application to be a recipient
Thank you for your interest in the BIA pilot and for your acknowledgement of how important the pilot will be to your sector. Please apply and indicate where asked on the application form that you wish to participate in the control group only. If you get selected as a recipient for the payment you will have an opportunity to say that you do not wish to receive the payment.
How to apply
Applications may be made through the online application portal. The portal and application form are available in English and in Irish.
The portal will open for applications at 1pm on Tuesday 12 April and close at 1pm on Thursday 12 May. Late applications will not be considered. Draft applications will not be considered.
All applicants will need to have a valid, active email address in order to apply.
Only applications submitted through the Online Portal will be accepted.
A User Guide for the application portal is available at the portal link.
How recipients of BIA will be chosen
The steps involved in such a process will be as follows:
1. Once applications to the scheme have been assessed, all eligible applicants will be included for possible selection in the randomised selection process.
2. Eligible applications will be anonymised.
3. A randomiser software will be used to select participants at random.
4. The sample will be checked to ensure adequate representation.
Whether there will be value / merit assessments made of applications
No. Once an applicant satisfies the eligibility criteria they will be included in the randomised selection process which will determine the participants in the BIA Pilot.
Whether applications will be means tested
No, BIA applicants will not be tested for means. All eligible applications will be included in the randomised selection process. There will be no ceiling to the amount of money a person can earn while on the BIA.
Who will receive BIA payments
Selection will be a non-competitive process. Once an applicant satisfies the eligibility criteria they will be included in a randomised selection process which will determine the participants in the BIA Pilot.
Funding for the scheme will allow for approximately 2,000 eligible applicants to participate in the pilot scheme.
Applicants should note that the reporting required of participants is to inform the pilot research aspect of the scheme. Payment will not be dependent on completion of work or tasks but on provision of this reporting.
Who will form the Control Group for research
A number of unsuccessful but eligible applicants will be asked to participate in a control group to facilitate the evaluation of the pilot. Control Group participants will respond to the same survey and data requests as those in receipt of the payment. As part of the application process applicants will be asked if they are willing to participate in the control group. Control group members will be paid two weeks basic income for each of the three years of the pilot scheme (that is, equivalent to six weeks BIA payment) to compensate them for the time required to engage in the data collection process.
Which stream you should apply under
The scheme has been designed so that most eligible applicants will have sufficient evidence of practice to apply as an Artist / Creative Arts Worker. The Recently Trained Applicant stream has been included to allow for those artists and creative arts workers who have completed arts training, including an apprenticeship, but who may not yet have sufficient evidence to apply as an Artist or Creative Arts Worker.
Those who apply as Recently Trained Applicants will be asked to declare that they do not have sufficient evidence to apply as Artists / Creative Arts Workers.
As this is a research pilot, it is important to apply under the stream which best represents your practice currently.
How to prove your eligibility for the Basic Income for the Arts Pilot Scheme
If you are eligible for Pilot Basic income for the Arts you will to demonstrate your eligibility by providing two of the following pieces of evidence.
Applicants are advised to keep this list with them (also available in the Guidelines) when completing their application as the Application Form contains abridged versions of these items.
Artists and Creative Arts Workers: Applicants will be asked to evidence their eligibility as an artist or creative arts worker by uploading two pieces of evidence. There are three categories under which applicants can demonstrate their eligibility and applicants must be able to provide two pieces of evidence:
- Evidence of membership of a relevant resource or representative body. Please note this is not mandatory, and/or;
- Proof of income from your work as an artist or a creative arts worker, and/or;
- Proof of active engagement within your creative field/art form.
Evidence of membership of one of the following resource or representative body
You may only select ONE of these as evidence.
(Please note this is not mandatory, you do not have to be a member of one of these organisations, see other ways to demonstrate your eligibility below.
Proof of income from your work as an artist or a creative arts worker from the last 5 years
Evidence of / that you have had:
Proof of active engagement within your creative field from the last 5 years
Proof that you have:
Recently Trained Applicants: Those applying as Recently Trained Applicants must supply supporting evidence of having been trained in their chosen artform(s), for example by providing evidence of a qualification or training.
Whether you have to have Artists’ Tax Exemption to apply for BIA
No.
Existing Artists’ Tax Exemption (at 5th April 2022) from Revenue is ONE OF the ways in which an applicant may evidence their eligibility for the scheme. Applicants only need to show any two of any of the items listed (across all three lists, NOT two from each list). Should we need further clarification or confirmation from any applicant we will make contact with them directly.
What the Arts Council proof looks like
Applicants may submit a letter or email from the Arts Council or a screen-shot of their ARN page showing granted funding.
The same may be provided to show two instances of unsuccessful Arts Council applications.
Whether you have to provide proof of income from your creative practice to apply
No. Proof of income is ONE OF the ways in which an applicant may prove their eligibility. It is not the only way. It is not a requirement to provide proof of income.
For instance, an applicant may provide proof of membership of an organisation (first list) plus a proof from the active engagement list (third list). Or, they may provide two pieces of evidence from the proof of active engagement list (third list).
Using a Form 11 as one of your proofs of eligibility
If a Form 11 is being submitted it must show turnover (no lower or upper threshold) from artistic or creative work under case I or II of Schedule D. The document you upload must be one that has been returned to and acknowledged by Revenue. Other information on the Form 11 may be redacted by you.
How we selected the Membership Organisations for inclusion in the eligibility list
Organisations with sufficiently high entry requirements, that is, proof of an active creative practice were selected. However, you do not need to be a member of one of these organisations there are other ways to demonstrate your eligibility.
If you have emailed samples of your work and eligibility documentation to check if they will suffice
Documentation in support of eligibility will only be checked when submitted as part of an application through the online portal. Should we need further documentation, clarification or confirmation from any applicant we will make contact with them directly.
We will not be responding to proofs of eligibility attached to emails where an application has not yet been submitted.
What you can upload to prove your eligibility under Stream 2 – Recently Trained Applicant
You may provide your certification / degree / documentation of graduation or completion of training or apprenticeship or a letter from your college stating that you will complete your studies before October 2022.
Whether you can provide links to a DropBox / WeTransfer / Googledrive for your work
No. Links should be for websites only. Files must be uploaded.
We are unable to open DropBox, WeTransfer, GoogleDrive files
What the research will comprise of
The pilot programme will collect and analyse data from recipients and the control group throughout the pilot to evaluate the impact of a basic income on artists and creative arts workers.
Selected applicants (“recipients”) will be required to take part in a three-year pilot research programme. Applicants should note the following:
s this is a research pilot there is no guarantee that funding will continue after the pilot.
n evaluation of the scheme will be conducted on an ongoing basis to determine the impact of the grant payment. This will require participants to collect and share data on a number of topics including, but not limited to:
- Applicants should note that data collected will be anonymised in the evaluation of the scheme and will be evaluated at an aggregate and not individual level.
- Participants will be asked to journal weekly to keep track of the data. A survey will be conducted at least twice per year and participants may also be invited to seminars, focus groups, to gather more qualitative data on the impact of the grant. Failure to comply with the data collection requirements may lead to the grant payment being withdrawn.
- Applicants should note that the reporting required of participants is to inform the pilot research aspect of the scheme. Payment will not be dependent on completion of work or tasks but on provision of this reporting.
When you can expect to start receiving payment
For recipients of the Basic Income for the Arts, it may take some time for payments to begin. As the Basic Income for the Arts is a pilot research project, a number of steps need to be completed before payments can begin. Each of these steps will be impacted by the volume of applications. These include:
- All applications must be checked for eligibility, this may require the Department to seek further information from some applicants;
- Once assessed for eligibility all applicants will be entered into a anonymised random sampling process to choose the scheme participants, both the Recipient and Control Groups;
- Eligible applicants who were not selected to receive the payment will be entered into an anonymised random sampling process to choose the “Control Group”;
- Participants in both the Recipient and Control Groups will need to sign a SLA (Service Level Agreement) with the Department in order to accept the terms and conditions applying to participation on the BIA Pilot;
- Bank details and evidence of tax clearance will then be sought from participants and these will all need to be set up as payees on the Department’s payment system. Recipients must have an Irish or SEPA-reachable bank account (not Ulster Bank as these accounts are due to close). SEPA-reachable bank account information is available.
- A data baselining survey of all participants in both the Recipient and Control Groups will be conducted prior to payments starting to provide the starting point/baseline for the research.
- All of these steps will need to have been completed by all recipients before payments can begin.
Whether people in receipt of payments from the Department of Social Protection can apply
Artists and creative arts workers in receipt of social welfare payments are of course welcome and eligible to apply.
One of the research objectives of the scheme is to examine if a basic income style payment could reduce the reliance of the arts sector on social welfare payments during periods of unemployment.
The Department of Social Protection (DSP) will treat income from the basic income pilot scheme for artists as income from self-employment for the purpose of its various means tests. This means that where a scheme includes a disregard of a certain amount of income from self-employment, that disregard will be applied to income from the basic income pilot.
The impact on a person’s social welfare entitlements will depend on an individual’s own circumstances for example: household income, other sources of income
Applicants who are selected to take part in the pilot are advised to engage with the Department of Social Protection to determine the impact on their social welfare payments if they were to receive the basic income for the arts before accepting an offer to participate.
People in receipt of a social welfare payment who receive payments from the pilot scheme should advise DSP of this change in their circumstances.
Whether people on Disability Allowance from the Department of Social Protection will lose their benefits
No, not necessarily, the Department of Social Protection will treat the basic income as earnings from self-employment. The impact that income from the basic income pilot scheme will have on a person’s Disability Allowance payment will depend on each individual’s circumstances and they will need to engage with the Department of Social Protection on the matter.
Disability Allowance is a means-tested payment for people with a specified disability whose income falls below certain limits and who are aged between 16 and are under 66.
A person in receipt of Disability Allowance can take up employment or self-employment. The first €140 of weekly income from that employment (after deduction of PRSI, pension contributions and union dues) is disregarded for the purpose of the means test.
50% of their weekly earnings between €140 and €350 is then disregarded for the purpose of the means test. Any further earnings, over €350 per week, are fully assessed for the purpose of the means test.
In addition to satisfying the means test, in order to qualify for Disability Allowance a person must:
Whether people will lose their invalidity pension if they get the basic income for the arts
Invalidity Pension is a weekly payment to people who cannot work because of a long-term illness or disability and are covered by social insurance (PRSI).
The payment is not means tested so income from the basic income pilot scheme would not have an impact on a person’s personal rate of payment.
However, to qualify for invalidity pension a person must:
and
Whether people on Carers Allowance can apply and whether they will lose their carers allowance payment from the Department of Social Protection
People in receipt of Carer’s Allowance can apply for the scheme. The Department of Social Protection will treat the basic income as earnings from self-employment. So for schemes such as Carers Allowance which have income disregards the income will be taken into account in the scheme income disregard.
The means test for the Carer's Allowance involves assessing the income coming into a household. For a single person €332.50 of their gross weekly income is not taken into account (or disregarded). If a person is married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting the first €665 of the combined gross weekly income is disregarded. (Please note PRSI, union dues, superannuation (pension contributions) are also deducted from your gross income).
In addition, to the means test, one of the qualifying conditions for receipt of Carer’s Allowance is that the person is not working, self-employed, or on a training or education course for more than 18.5 hours a week.
Whether people in receipt of the Blind Pension will lose their social welfare payment if they get the basic income for the arts
Blind Pension is a means-tested payment paid to blind and visually impaired people who are habitually resident in Ireland. The maximum personal rate is €208 per week.
A person in receipt of Blind Pension can take up employment or self-employment. The first €140 of weekly income from that employment (after deduction of PRSI, pension contributions and union dues) is disregarded for the purpose of the means test. 50% of their weekly earnings between €140 and €350 is then disregarded for the purpose of the means test.
Any further earnings, over €350 per week, are fully assessed for the purpose of the means test.
As income from the basic income pilot scheme for artists will be treated as income from self-employment the disregard will be applied.
Who you can contact for information in relation to your Social Protection situation and BIA
DSP published a webpage to assist potential applicants to BIA with their concerns which can be found here: Interaction of the Basic Income for the Arts pilot scheme with DSP payments.
Contact details are available for relevant sections under Heading 5. Potential applicants should contact the relevant section that they are getting their social welfare payment from.