Update on payments awarded for COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment and Enhanced Illness Benefit - 2 June 2021

Over 309,500 people receive the Pandemic Unemployment Payment this week, a decrease of almost 24,500 on last week

€91.2 million in PUP weekly payments paid into bank accounts this week

Over 16,000 close their PUP account to return to work

1,095 people currently in receipt of Enhanced Illness Benefit

As restrictions are eased, people returning to work should close their claim on their first day back in work by logging on to www.MyWelfare.ie

Public reminded about Scam Phone Calls and Scam Texts from callers claiming to be from the Department of Social Protection

This week, the Department of Social Protection has issued weekly payments valued at over €91.2 million to 309,515 people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP).

This represents a decrease of 24,478 people compared to last week.

The figures published today are in addition to the 177,969 people who were on the Live Register at the end of April.

All COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payments issued were in recipients’ bank accounts or at their Post Office on Tuesday 1 June.

Dublin is the county with the highest number of people who are receiving PUP this week at 104,909. It is followed by Cork (29,447) and Galway (16,984).

The sector with the highest number of people receiving PUP this week is Accommodation and Food Service activities (90,126), followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (46,434) and Administrative and Support Service Activities (29,250).

The sector which has seen the largest decrease in the number of people receiving PUP this week is Wholesale and Retail Trade with 7,957 fewer people receiving the payment compared to last week. This is followed by Other Sectors, for example, hairdressing and beauty salons with 4,000 fewer people receiving the payment compared to last week.

The payment week for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment runs from Friday to Thursday and payments are paid on the following Tuesday. Individuals who have closed their PUP on Monday 24 May, as they have returned to work, will receive their final PUP payment on Tuesday 1 June.

People returning to work

The department continues to remind workers who are returning to work that they must close their claim for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment on the actual date that they start back at work, in order to ensure that their claim is processed correctly and to avoid incurring an overpayment that the department will take steps to recover.

The past seven days saw 16,384 people close their PUP claim stating that they were doing so because they are returning to work. Dublin had the greatest number of people closing their claims to return to work (4,831), followed by Cork (1,865) and Galway (892).

As PUP is paid weekly in arrears over 10,000 of these people have received a final payment this week and are still counted in the statistics of numbers in payment for this week.

The sectors with the largest number of employees closing their Pandemic Unemployment Payment claims to return to work are Wholesale and Retail Trade (4,086), Accommodation and Food Service activities sector (3,483) and Other Sectors, which includes hairdressing and beauty salons (2,205). Some 1,809 people in the Construction sector closed their claims to return 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 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

Control Measures

The department conducts a series of pre and post payment checks on all PUP claims which include continuing eligibility checks. Subject to these checks being cleared the department then processes payments based on the clients’ self-declaration.

The department runs post payment checks that includes verifying data against Revenue records, examining cases where the same Bank account is used multiple times, examining cases where an employer or members of the public report concerns, and the use of data analytics to identify and check claims. It also undertakes employer inspections.

This work is undertaken by the department’s Special Investigation Unit, which includes over 20 Gardaí on secondment to the department.

As the industry reopens the department’s inspectors will be conducting control reviews and matching records against employer payroll data from the Revenue Commissioners to help ensure people close their claim as they return to work. To avoid incurring an overpayment people returning to work should close their claim and can do so easily at www.MyWelfare.ie.

Self-employed people and PUP

Self-employed people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) who are looking to maintain their business can earn up to €960 over an eight-week period, while retaining their full PUP entitlement.

There is no formal application process and a self-employed person simply needs to inform the department if they earn over €960 in any eight-week period.

MyWelfare.ie – PPSN application service

The easiest and quickest way to apply for many social welfare payments, including the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, Enhanced Illness Benefit and Jobseekers’ payments is online at www.MyWelfare.ie. This is a platform which is safe, secure and accessible anytime, anywhere and on all devices. People have the option of applying for Maternity Benefit, Paternity Benefit, Child Benefit, PRSI refunds and Jobseekers’ payments as well as requesting a statement or a record of social insurance contributions from the department.

The application service to apply for a PPS Number is available at www.MyWelfare.ie for people living in Ireland who are at least 18 years of age and need a PPS Number to avail of social welfare benefits, public services and information in Ireland. To apply for a PPS Number online, a person will need to have a basic MyGovID account.

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 www.MyWelfare.ie.

COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit Payment

Today, some 1,095 people are in receipt of an Enhanced Illness Benefit payment, compared with 1,389 last week.

Employees or self-employed people who contract the virus or who are medically certified by their doctor to self-isolate are advised to apply for Enhanced Illness Benefit. Unlike the standard Illness Benefit, the Enhanced Illness Benefit is paid from the first day of illness. The quickest and easiest way to apply for Enhanced Illness Benefit is through www.MyWelfare.ie.

Full details on Enhanced Illness Benefit including sector and county breakdown as well as age profile are at Appendices 9, 10 and 11.

Scam Phone Calls and Scam Texts

Customers and members of the public are reminded about scam phone calls and text messages they may receive from individuals claiming to be an official of the department. These calls and texts display a range of numbers, including some which may appear to be from the department’s phone numbers. The department would like to remind all its customers that it will never seek personal information from customers via text message and will never ask a customer for their bank details over the phone.

Any person who receives such a call or text is asked not to disclose any information and to report it to the Gardaí immediately.