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 €206.3 million to 589,000 people in respect of their application for the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP). Around 8,700 people are receiving a payment for the first time. This is a reduction of 9.000 on the number of people paid at the same point last week.

There are now over 53,000 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 456,200 people under that scheme. The number of employees supported at least once under the TWSS has increased from 427,400 as at 30 April.

The payments are in addition to the 214,700 people who were reported on the Live Register as of the end of April.

All COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment payments issued will be in recipients’ bank accounts or at their local post office tomorrow, Tuesday 12 May.

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

COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

In total (since launch on 16 March 2020), and excluding duplicate claims the department processed applications from 682,000 people for the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment or a jobseeker’s payment.

As is the case, for all social welfare schemes, the department conducts a series of pre and post payment checks.

For example:

• integrity checks are 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
• each week when the department processes the COVID-19 pandemic unemployment payments (PUP), are conciliation takes place between the department’s payment file and Revenue’s payment file for the COVID-19 Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme. This results in claims from those who are being paid by their employer being withheld and therefore not processed by the department’s payment process. These people are then contacted by the department to inform them of the position
• a prior employment status check is made by comparing all claims for PUP against prior earnings and employment records from Revenue data. Where this check indicates that a person may not have been employed, as claimed, the person is contacted and asked to submit corroborating information. Failure to submit corroborating information leads to the claim being closed
• 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 is also used to identify claims where a person may not satisfy other conditions – for example residence in Ireland - and department inspection staff check these cases
• the department’s inspection staff also participate with Garda and Customs staff, in security checks on major transport routes and transport hubs

Confidential reporting facilities are available to the public (1890 927999 and at https://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/secure/ReportFraud.aspx) and to employers (email to: C19EmployerReports@welfare.ie ) to report cases of suspected mis-claiming.

Following the application of these checks and controls the department has this week paid 589,000 people out of the 682,000 unique claims processed, the vast majority of these claims were paid within a week of receipt. This indicates the efficiency of using data analytics to both identify incorrect claims and ensure prompt processing of valid claims.

To date, over 95,000 people have contacted the department to close their COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment. Many of these requests are because employers are taking people back onto their payroll under the Temporary COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme.

The department is continuing to resolve any issues, such as invalid IBANs or PPSNs, with legitimate applications and is contacting the people concerned directly over the next few days. We wish to remind people to take care when submitting applications, to ensure that critical information such as dates of birth, PPSN and IBANs are entered correctly. An IBAN has 22 characters and people should take care that it is entered correctly. Any errors by individuals in submitting their incorrect IBAN or PPSN will cause their application to be rejected by the department.

Temporary COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme

There are now over 53,000 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 payment pandemic unemployment payment.

The department is aware that some workers may be incorrectly registered as part of the TWSS or may face difficulty in transitioning back from the pandemic unemployment payment to the employer payroll. Such a situation may arise, for example, because a worker has been registered in error by their employer, or because an employer having registered for the TWSS has since ceased operating their payroll, or, due to differences in the weekly payment pattern of the pandemic unemployment payment as compared with a monthly or fortnightly payroll from the employer. Any worker affected by these issues can contact the department and arrangements will be made to restore their payment or provide them with interim income support as appropriate.

COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit Payment

There are now 42,000 people medically certified for receipt of the COVID-19 enhanced Illness Benefit. This predominantly relates to applications in respect of people who have been advised by their GP to self-isolate together with a smaller number in respect of people who have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

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.

County and Sectoral breakdowns

Details on county breakdown and sectoral breakdown are listed in the below Appendix.

ENDS

COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

The COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment is an emergency payment for employees and the self-employed who have lost their income and are fully unemployed due to the pandemic. It is paid at a rate of €350 per week into a customer’s bank account. The quickest and easiest way for everyone to apply for this emergency payment is online at www.MyWelfare.ie.

Jobseeker’s Payments

Those individuals who have an adult dependant and at least one child, or if they are single and have four or more children, after applying for the emergency payment should also apply for a Jobseeker’s payment to receive their full social welfare entitlements. The quickest and easiest way for everyone to apply for a Jobseeker’s payment is online at www.MyWelfare.ie.

Enhanced Illness Benefit for COVID-19 Cases

The government introduced an enhanced Illness Benefit payment for all cases where individuals have been medically certified to self-isolate or have been diagnosed with COVID-19. It is paid at a rate of €350 per week. Please note that it is not possible to be paid a COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment and the enhanced Illness Benefit payment concurrently. If you have lost your employment or are diagnosed with COVID-19 and you apply for income support you will be paid €350 per week from the department.

The quickest and easiest way for everyone to apply for this emergency payment is online at www.MyWelfare.ie.

Appendix follows.

Appendix 1 - Analysis of Pandemic Unemployment Payments by County

Appendix 2 – Pandemic Unemployment Payments by Sector

Appendix 3 – Pandemic Unemployment Payments Age Profile

Appendix 4 – Enhanced Illness Benefit Payments by County

Appendix 5 – Enhanced Illness Benefit Payments by Sector

Appendix 6 – Enhanced Illness Benefit Payments Age Profile

Appendix 1 - Analysis of Pandemic Unemployment Payments

There are 589,000 people in receipt a Pandemic Unemployment Payment, of which 253,600 are female and 336,000 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 (125,700), followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (88,400) and Construction (78,100).

Appendix 3 – Pandemic Unemployment Payment Age Profile

Appendix 4 - Analysis of COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit

There are 42,000 people medically certified for receipt of a COVID-19 related Illness Benefit payment of which 23,800 are female and 18,200 are male.

County Breakdown – Enhanced Illness Benefit

Appendix 5 - 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 (9,100), followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (9,000) and Manufacturing (5,600)

Appendix 6 - Enhanced Illness Benefit Age Profile