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

209,941 people receive Pandemic Unemployment Payment this week

number of PUP recipients down over 64% since peak

€65.5 million to be paid in PUP payments tomorrow

new PUP rates to take effect from 17 September

Today the Department of Social Protection issued payments valued at €65.5 million to 209,941 people for the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP). This represents a decrease of 9,959 on the 219,900 people paid last week and it is a drop of over 64% on the 598,000 paid at its peak on 5 May.

In the past seven days, 9,974 people have closed their claim for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment. Some 7,457 people will be receiving their final payment tomorrow, 15 September.

This week the sector with the largest number of employees returning to work is Accommodation and Food Service Activities with 1,304 people going back to work, followed by the Education sector with 1,091 people returning to work.

The largest age cohort returning to work is in the 35-44 group (1,869). This is followed by 1,566 in the 25-34 age category and 1,537 aged 45-54.

The above 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 15 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 today’s numbers, Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys TD, said:

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 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 30th 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.

Changes to PUP Payment Rates

As was announced as part of the July Jobs Stimulus package, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is continuing until April 2021 but the payment rates will change on 17 September 2020, 1 February 2021 and 1 April 2021.

PUP Rate Changes from 17 September 2020

From 17 September 2020, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment will move from 2 rates of payment to 3 rates {PUP is currently paid at 2 rates (€203 per week for those with earnings below €200 per week and €350 per week for those with earnings of €200 or more per week)}

The rate a recipient will receive will depend on the amount they previously earned:

• if they earned over €300 (gross) per week - they will now receive €300 per week
• if they earned between €200 and €300 (gross) per week - the rate of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment will now be €250 per week
• if they earned less than €200 (gross) per week - the rate of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment will be €203 per week (there is no change to this rate)

Recipients of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment will see the impact of these changes in their bank accounts next week, on Tuesday 22 September.

Individuals do not need to contact the department about their earnings. The department has will be contacting PUP recipients in advance of these changes informing them of their new rate of payment.

People returning to work

In the past week, some 9,974 people closed their claim for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment of which 7,629 reported that they were returning to work. Of those 7,629 returning to work, some 7,457 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 reduction in the number of people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment will, therefore, be reflected in next week’s figures.

This week the sector with the largest number of employees returning to work is Accommodation and Food Service Activities (1,304), followed by the Education sector (1,091) and Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor vehicles and Motorcyles (892). 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 (1,869), followed by the 25-34 age category (1,566). 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.

Since the commencement of Phase One of the government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business, over 321,900 employees have closed their claims and returned to 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).

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, the department will continue to support the workers concerned through payment of the PUP.

COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment Checks

As is the case for all social welfare schemes and as part of the department’s normal work, 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 PUP payment file and Revenue’s records
• 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

COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit Payment

Since the beginning of September, approx. 80 people have been medically certified with having COVID-19 and approx. 1,720 others have been medically certified because they are medically self-isolating.

To date 60,977 people under age 66 have been medically certified for receipt of the COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit.

The two sectors with the highest number of employees medically certified to receive COVID-19 Illness Benefit are Wholesale and Retail Trade (12,890) and Human Health and Social Work sector (12,787), followed by Manufacturing (8,582). Full details are at Appendices 9, 10 and 11.

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.

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 209,941 people in receipt a Pandemic Unemployment Payment of which 97,522 are female and 112,419 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 (45,584) followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (30,869) and Administrative and Support Service activities (22,924).

Appendix 3 – Pandemic Unemployment Payment - Age Profile

Appendix 4 – Pandemic Unemployment Payment Rates breakdown by gender

There are 53,847 people receiving €203 this week, while the remainder (156,094) are receiving a payment of €350.

Appendix 5 – Pandemic Unemployment Payment Rates breakdown by age

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

Around 7,629 people who have closed their account for return to work since 6 September will receive a Pandemic Unemployment Payment tomorrow, 15 September. Of these, 3,281 are male and 4,348 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 15 September are Accommodation and Food Service Activities (1,304), Education (1,091) and Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and motorcycles (892).

Appendix 8 – Closed Pandemic Unemployment Payments – Age Profile

Appendix 9 - Analysis of COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit

There are 60,977 people medically certified for receipt of a COVID-19 related Illness Benefit payment, of whom 33,833 are female and 27,144 are male.

Since September 2020, approximately 1,800 people have been medically certified for meeting the conditions for receipt of a COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit payment and almost 80 of these being diagnosed with 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 medically certified for receipt of a COVID-19 Illness Benefit payment are Wholesale and Retail Trade (12,890) and Human Health and Social Work (12,787), followed by Manufacturing (8,582).

Appendix 11 – Enhanced Illness Benefit - Age Profile