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

Today, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection issued payments valued at €163.1 million to 465,900 people for the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP). Taking the 498,700 who were paid last week, this represents a decrease of 32,800 on the number of people paid last week.

Since last week’s payment, 30,000 people have closed their claim for a Pandemic Unemployment Payment. Some 17,900 will be receiving their final payment tomorrow.

As well as those availing of the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment, there are now over 61,800 employers who have registered with the Revenue Commissioners for the Temporary COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) with at least one subsidy being paid in respect of over 551,800 people under that scheme since it began. An estimated 410,000 employees are currently being supported by the scheme having received a subsidy in their most recent pay period.

The above payments are in addition to the 225,600 people who were reported on the Live Register as of the end of May.

Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty today said:

All COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payments issued will be in recipients’ bank accounts or at their local post office tomorrow, Tuesday 23 June.

People returning to work

Last week, some 30,000 people closed their claim for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment of which 23,900 reported that they were returning to work. Of those 23,900 returning to work, approx. 17,900 are receiving their last payment this week. As the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is a weekly payment paid in arrears, there can be a one week lag in how closures, due to people returning to work, are reflected in the payment data.

The top three sectors in which employees are returning to work this week are Wholesale and Retail Trade, Repair of Motor Vehicles and motorcycles with 6,300 back in work, while 3,900 have returned to the Construction sector and 2,600 have returned to their jobs in Accommodation and Food Service activities. A further 2,400 employees are returning to their jobs in the Manufacturing industry. A full breakdown of the sectors is set out at Appendix 5 below.

Since the peak on 5th May of the numbers receiving a Pandemic Unemployment Payment, the number of PUP recipients from the Construction sector has dropped by 50%, Manufacturing by 35% and Wholesale and Retail Trade by 30%. This week sees the numbers in the Wholesale sector dropping faster than Construction for the first time. The numbers in the Accommodation and Food Service activities returning to work have surpassed those returning to work in Manufacturing.

Looking at the age profile of employees returning to work this week, the largest cohort are those aged 35-44 with 6,000 returning. Another 5,100 employees aged 25-34 and 4,500 more under age 25 are returning to work. Full details are available at Appendix 6.

With the government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business now in Phase Two, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection 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 will be returning to work must close their claim for the PUP payment on the actual date that they start back at work. Since the commencement of Phase One of the government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business, over 125,000 employees have closed their claims and returned to work.

The easiest way to close a claim for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is online via www.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).

COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment Checks

As is the case, for all social welfare schemes, the department conducts a series of pre and post payment checks for the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment, including:

• integrity checks made against records already held by the department including Public Service Information data and cross checks with payments on other schemes. These help to verify if a person is who they claim to be and that they are entitled to claim payment
• a reconciliation process between the department’s payment file and Revenue’s payment file for the COVID-19 Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme
• a prior employment status check by comparing all claims for PUP against prior earnings and employment records from Revenue data
• as with other welfare schemes, the department contacts recipients to ensure that they continue to satisfy the eligibility criteria of the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment
• data analytics
• the department’s inspection staff participating with Garda and Customs staff, in security checks on major transport routes and transport hubs

Temporary COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme

There are now over 61,800 employers who have registered with the Revenue Commissioners for the Temporary COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS). Workers whose employers have registered them on the scheme are not eligible to receive a pandemic unemployment payment. In addition workers who were in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment but who have now been registered by their employers on the TWSS are no longer eligible to receive a pandemic unemployment payment.

COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit Payment

To date 51,600 people up to age 66 have been medically certified for receipt of the COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit. Just over 7% (3,706) have been diagnosed with COVID-19 while almost 93% (47,894) were required to medically self-isolate.

Since the beginning of June, 67 people have applied for the Enhanced Illness Benefit as they have been medically certified with having COVID-19 while 533 others have applied because they are medically self-isolating.

The sector with the largest number of employees medically certified to receive COVID-19 Illness Benefit is the Human Health and Social Work sector (11,900), followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (10,900) and Manufacturing (6,800). Full details are at Appendices 7, 8 and 9.

Please apply online at www.MyWelfare.ie

The department wishes to thank its customers for submitting the majority of applications through our online portal www.MyWelfare.ie. This is the quickest and easiest way to submit an application and enables the department to allocate resources to contacting those who submitted invalid applications.

Individuals can close their COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment online at www.MyWelfare.ie.

In the interests of the public health advice and the restrictions on movements please if at all possible do not attend your local Intreo Centre as opening hours have now been restricted. Instead please apply through www.MyWelfare.ie.

ENDS

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 – Analysis of People who Closed their PUP Claim to Return to Work

Appendix 5 – Analysis of Closed Pandemic Unemployment Payments by Sector

Appendix 6 – Analysis of Closed Pandemic Unemployment Payments Age Profile

Appendix 7 - Enhanced Illness Benefit Payments by County

Appendix 8 – Enhanced Illness Benefit Payments by Sector

Appendix 9 – Enhanced Illness Benefit Payments Age Profile

Appendix 1 - Analysis of Pandemic Unemployment Payments

This week a total of 465,900 people are in receipt of a Pandemic Unemployment Payment, of which 224,800 are female and 241,100 are male.

County Breakdown

Appendix 2 – Pandemic Unemployment Payments - Sector Breakdown

The highest sector with people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is Accommodation and Food service activities (114,600), followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (63,600) and Construction (39,700).

The largest weekly drop was in Wholesale and Retail Trade (9,600).

Sector Breakdown

Appendix 3 – Pandemic Unemployment Payment - Age Profile

Appendix 4 – Analysis of People who Closed their PUP Claim to return to Work

Around 23,900 people who have closed their account since 13 June will receive a Pandemic Unemployment Payment on 23 June. Of these, 14,300 are male and 9,600 are female.

County Breakdown

Appendix 5 – Closed Pandemic Unemployment Payments - Sector Breakdown

The top three sectors from which employees closed their Pandemic Unemployment Payment in the week ending 23 June are Wholesale and Retail Trade Repair of Motor Vehicles and motorcycles (6,300), Construction (3,900) and Accommodation and Food Service activities (2,600).

Sector Breakdown

Appendix 6 – Closed Pandemic Unemployment Payments – Age Profile

Appendix 7 - Analysis of COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit

There are 51,600 people medically certified for receipt of a COVID-19 related Illness Benefit payment of which 29,100 are female and 22,500 are male.

For 27,700 of these, the date of their first certificate was issued before week ending 29 March 2020. The following table shows 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.

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

Appendix 8 – COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit - Sector Breakdown

The highest sector with people medically certified for receipt of a COVID-19 Illness Benefit payment was Human Health and Social Work (11,900), followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (10,900) and Manufacturing (6,800).

Sector Breakdown

Appendix 9 – Enhanced Illness Benefit - Age Profile