Update on payments awarded for COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment and Enhanced Illness Benefit
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
This week, the Department of Social Protection has issued payments valued at €104 million, up from €103.8 million last week, to 352,078 people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP).
The number of people receiving a PUP payment this week represents an increase of just over 2,000 on the 350,072 people paid last week.
The sector with the highest number of people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is Accommodation and Food Service Activities (102,777) followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (57,292) and Other Sectors, for example hairdressers and beauty salons (31,273).
This week’s figures are in addition to the 203,172 people who were reported on the Live Register as of the end of October. All COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payments issued will be in recipients’ bank accounts or at their local post office tomorrow, Tuesday 24 November.
Commenting on this week’s figures, Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys said:
"There are now over 352,000 people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, representing an increase of over 145,000 since the start of October.
"These past few weeks have not been easy. I know people are tired and just want life to get back to some normality.
"Later this week Government hopes to be in a position to consider easing restrictions from early December which will hopefully allow some people to return to work.
"In the meantime as a society, we must do everything within our power to continue to suppress this virus and to significantly reduce the rate of transmission. By working together now and in the weeks ahead, we can all play our part in ensuring that families across the country will be able to come together and celebrate this Christmas in a meaningful way."
PUP is paid weekly in arrears with applications received up to close of business on Thursday in any week being processed for payment on the following Tuesday. Applications received after Thursday each week, are processed as part of the following week’s claims and paid in the next week after that.
Any person, including any self-employed person, who believes that their payment rate does not accurately reflect their prior earnings, can contact the department to request a review of earnings and forward all supporting documents, which will be matched with Revenue records. They can contact the department by:
In the past seven days, some 4,912 people closed their PUP, with over 66% (3,251) stating that they were doing so because they are 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 (PUP) on the actual date that they start back at work, in order to ensure that their claim is processed correctly.
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.
Again this week, the largest cohort of people who closed their claims to return to work is in the 25-34 age group (858), followed by those aged 35-44 (773). Full details are available at Appendix 8.
To apply for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment, the easiest and quickest way is to do so online at www.MyWelfare.ie. When applying, people should provide the name of their employer and details of their last day of employment.
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.
Since March, a cumulative total of 89,399 people under the age of 66 have been medically certified for receipt of the COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit.
Today, some 2,296 people are currently in receipt of an Enhanced Illness Benefit payment.
The number of people medically certified to receive the Enhanced Illness Benefit has increased in every county again this week, the greatest number being in Dublin (24,607), followed by Cork (9,7,24), Galway (5,464), Kildare (4,320) and Meath (3,609).
The trend of increases in every sector affected by the COVID-19 virus continues again this week. The sectors with the greatest number of people medically certified for receipt of a COVID-19 Illness Benefit payment are Wholesale and Retail Trade (19,163) and Human Health and Social Work (16,381), followed by Manufacturing (12,356). Full details are at Appendices 9, 10 and 11.
ENDS
There are 352,078 people in receipt a Pandemic Unemployment Payment of which 177,380 are female and 174,698 are male.
County | Number of people in receipt of a Pandemic Unemployment Payment on 24 November | Number of people in receipt of a Pandemic Unemployment Payment on 17 November | Number of people in receipt of a Pandemic Unemployment Payment on 5 May |
Carlow | 3,682 | 3,676 | 7,800 |
Cavan | 4,736 | 4,719 | 9,700 |
Clare | 7,513 | 7,494 | 14,600 |
Cork | 35,341 | 35,193 | 61,900 |
Donegal | 12,444 | 12,360 | 22,700 |
Dublin | 114,613 | 113,902 | 174,200 |
Galway | 19,590 | 19,498 | 32,300 |
Kerry | 13,970 | 13,864 | 22,200 |
Kildare | 15,458 | 15,381 | 26,100 |
Kilkenny | 5,550 | 5,546 | 10,600 |
Laois | 4,642 | 4,637 | 8,600 |
Leitrim | 2,035 | 2,027 | 4,100 |
Limerick | 13,873 | 13,782 | 22,300 |
Longford | 2,330 | 2,325 | 4,500 |
Louth | 10,845 | 10,745 | 17,300 |
Mayo | 9,507 | 9,356 | 16,400 |
Meath | 13,138 | 13,111 | 25,000 |
Monaghan | 4,207 | 4,164 | 8,200 |
Offaly | 4,364 | 4,357 | 8,900 |
Roscommon | 3,500 | 3,462 | 7,100 |
Sligo | 4,363 | 4,355 | 7,700 |
Tipperary | 9,423 | 9,379 | 18,800 |
Waterford | 8,329 | 8,214 | 14,100 |
Westmeath | 6,588 | 6,543 | 11,700 |
Wexford | 10,721 | 10,679 | 20,500 |
Wicklow | 10,691 | 10,663 | 18,700 |
County not included | 625 | 640 | 2,000 |
Total | 352,078 | 350,072 | 598,000 |
The sector with the highest number of people in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is Accommodation and Food Service Activities (102,777) followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (57,292) and Other Sectors, for example hairdressers and beauty salons (31,273).
Industrial Sector | Number of people in receipt of Pandemic Unemployment Payment on 24 November | Number of people in receipt of Pandemic Unemployment Payment on 17 November | Number of people in receipt of Pandemic Unemployment Payment on 5 May | |
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing; Mining and Quarrying | 4,412 | 4,321 | 8,600 | |
Manufacturing | 15,593 | 15,465 | 37,400 | |
Electricity, gas supply; Water supply, sewerage and waste management | 1,139 | 1,134 | 2,100 | |
Construction | 21,267 | 21,061 | 79,300 | |
Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and motorcycles | 57,292 | 57,015 | 90,300 | |
Transportation and storage | 9,207 | 9,127 | 17,900 | |
Accommodation and food service activities | 102,777 | 102,682 | 128,500 | |
Information and communication activities | 7,602 | 7,526 | 11,800 | |
Financial and insurance activities | 7,156 | 7,119 | 12,500 | |
Real Estate activities | 5,472 | 5,442 | 8,100 | |
Professional, Scientific and Technical activities | 13,323 | 13,294 | 24,800 | |
Administrative and support service activities | 29,953 | 29,674 | 45,800 | |
Public Administration And Defence; Compulsory Social Security | 5,372 | 5,354 | 14,400 | |
Education | 10,312 | 10,340 | 22,000 | |
Human Health And Social Work activities | 10,285 | 10,271 | 22,500 | |
Arts, entertainment and recreation | 12,027 | 11,973 | 14,200 | |
Other Sectors | 31,273 | 31,048 | 39,200 | |
Unclassified or unknown | 7,616 | 7,226 | 18,600 | |
Total | 352,078 | 350,072 | 598,000 |
Age category | Number of people in receipt of Pandemic Unemployment Payment on 24 November | Number of people in receipt of Pandemic Unemployment Payment on 17 November |
< 25 | 89,658 | 89,406 |
25-34 | 80,441 | 80,079 |
35-44 | 76,408 | 75,788 |
45-54 | 60,200 | 59,827 |
55+ | 45,371 | 44,972 |
Total | 352,078 | 350,072 |
Gender | Number of people in receipt of €350 on 24 November | Number of people in receipt of €300 on 24 November | Number of people in receipt of €250 on 24 November | Number of people in receipt of €203 on 24 November |
Male | 92,990 | 28,794 | 25,991 | 26,923 |
Female | 65,162 | 35,663 | 38,161 | 38,394 |
Total | 158,152 | 64,457 | 64,152 | 65,317 |
Age category | Number of people in receipt of €350 on 24 November | Number of people in receipt of €300 on 24 November | Number of people in receipt of €250 on 24 November | Number of people in receipt of €203 on 24 November |
< 25 | 21,725 | 21,211 | 25,319 | 21,403 |
25-34 | 43,763 | 15,471 | 11,354 | 9,853 |
35-44 | 41,548 | 11,848 | 10,789 | 12,223 |
45-54 | 30,731 | 9,071 | 9,118 | 11,280 |
55+ | 20,385 | 6,856 | 7,572 | 10,558 |
Total | 158,152 | 64,457 | 64,152 | 65,317 |
Around 3,251 people who have closed their account for return to work since 15 November will receive a Pandemic Unemployment Payment tomorrow, 24 November. Of these 1,866 are male and 1,385 are female.
County | Number of people who closed their PUP payment from 24 November to return to work | Number of people who closed their PUP payment from 17 November to return to work | Number of people who closed their PUP payment from 10 November to return to work |
Carlow | 40 | 40 | 25 |
Cavan | 79 | 67 | 57 |
Clare | 69 | 67 | 51 |
Cork | 383 | 316 | 288 |
Donegal | 110 | 98 | 75 |
Dublin | 897 | 837 | 675 |
Galway | 166 | 165 | 154 |
Kerry | 93 | 80 | 79 |
Kildare | 182 | 153 | 108 |
Kilkenny | 49 | 46 | 27 |
Laois | 48 | 30 | 26 |
Leitrim | 12 | 17 | 12 |
Limerick | 147 | 106 | 81 |
Longford | 27 | 17 | 15 |
Louth | 99 | 79 | 76 |
Mayo | 76 | 61 | 47 |
Meath | 154 | 119 | 80 |
Monaghan | 39 | 38 | 32 |
Offaly | 50 | 53 | 40 |
Roscommon | 35 | 26 | 16 |
Sligo | 46 | 34 | 22 |
Tipperary | 98 | 88 | 71 |
Waterford | 80 | 66 | 51 |
Westmeath | 67 | 69 | 44 |
Wexford | 110 | 98 | 68 |
Wicklow | 88 | 90 | 92 |
County not included | 7 | 8 | 7 |
Total | 3,251 | 2,868 | 2,319 |
The top three sectors from which employees closed their Pandemic Unemployment Payment in the week ending 24 November to return to work are Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and motorcycles (690); Accommodation and Food Service Activities (610) and Construction (339).
Industrial Sector | Number of people who closed their PUP payment from 24 November to return to work | Number of people who closed their PUP payment from 17 November to return to work |
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing; Mining and Quarrying | 45 | 36 |
Manufacturing | 292 | 296 |
Electricity, gas supply; Water supply, sewerage and waste management | 17 | 7 |
Construction | 339 | 322 |
Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and motorcycles | 690 | 532 |
Transportation and storage | 81 | 96 |
Accommodation and food service activities | 610 | 482 |
Information and communication activities | 69 | 62 |
Financial and insurance activities | 54 | 59 |
Real Estate activities | 33 | 25 |
Professional, Scientific and Technical activities | 147 | 140 |
Administrative and support service activities | 316 | 242 |
Public Administration And Defence; Compulsory Social Security | 70 | 69 |
Education | 127 | 121 |
Human Health And Social Work activities | 159 | 187 |
Arts, entertainment and recreation | 57 | 65 |
Other Sectors (e.g. hairdressers and beauty salons) | 117 | 102 |
Unclassified or unknown | 28 | 25 |
Total | 3,251 | 2,868 |
Age category | Number of people who closed their PUP payment from 24 November to return to work | Number of people who closed their PUP payment from 17 November to return to work |
< 25 | 712 | 629 |
25-34 | 858 | 792 |
35-44 | 773 | 663 |
45-54 | 606 | 488 |
55+ | 302 | 296 |
Total | 3,251 | 2,868 |
To date, 89,399 people have been medically certified for receipt of a COVID-19 related Illness Benefit payment, of whom 48,998 are female and 40,401 are male.
Some 2,296 people are currently in receipt of an Enhanced Illness Benefit payment.
County | Number of people who have been medically certified for receipt of Enhanced Illness Benefit to 24 November | Number of people who have been medically certified for receipt of Enhanced Illness Benefit to 17 November | Number of people who have been medically certified for receipt of Enhanced Illness Benefit to 10 November |
Carlow | 1,244 | 1,211 | 1,182 |
Cavan | 2,310 | 2,272 | 2,228 |
Clare | 1,633 | 1,588 | 1,544 |
Cork | 9,724 | 9,466 | 9,220 |
Donegal | 2,628 | 2,541 | 2,437 |
Dublin | 24,607 | 24,072 | 23,495 |
Galway | 5,464 | 5,345 | 5,197 |
Kerry | 2,115 | 2,070 | 2,002 |
Kildare | 4,320 | 4,249 | 4,173 |
Kilkenny | 1,826 | 1,772 | 1,713 |
Laois | 1,507 | 1,467 | 1,416 |
Leitrim | 397 | 389 | 379 |
Limerick | 3,077 | 2,960 | 2,883 |
Longford | 746 | 734 | 697 |
Louth | 2,581 | 2,523 | 2,465 |
Mayo | 2,082 | 2,017 | 1,928 |
Meath | 3,609 | 3,514 | 3,386 |
Monaghan | 1,644 | 1,609 | 1,573 |
Offaly | 1,407 | 1,377 | 1,349 |
Roscommon | 1,278 | 1,243 | 1,217 |
Sligo | 866 | 828 | 795 |
Tipperary | 3,230 | 3,139 | 3,072 |
Waterford | 3,212 | 3,079 | 2,982 |
Westmeath | 1,635 | 1,584 | 1,540 |
Wexford | 3,064 | 2,997 | 2,907 |
Wicklow | 2,617 | 2,572 | 2,527 |
Other (NI & Foreign Address) | 576 | 528 | 496 |
Total | 89,399 | 87,146 | 84,803 |
The sectors with the highest number of people who have been medically certified for receipt of a COVID-19 Illness Benefit payment to date are Wholesale and Retail Trade (19,163), Human Health and Social Work (16,381) and Manufacturing (12,356).
Industrial Sector | Number of people who have been medically certified for receipt of Enhanced Illness Benefit to 24 November | Number of people who have been medically certified for receipt of Enhanced Illness Benefit to 17 November | Number of people who have been medically certified for receipt of Enhanced Illness Benefit to 10 November |
Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing; Mining and Quarrying | 880 | 852 | 819 |
Manufacturing | 12,356 | 12,018 | 11,707 |
Electricity, gas, steam supply; Water supply; Sewerage, waste management | 451 | 433 | 424 |
Construction | 4,048 | 3,921 | 3,785 |
Wholesale and Retail Trade; Repair of Motor Vehicles and motorcycles | 19,163 | 18,689 | 18,178 |
Transportation and storage | 3,263 | 3,177 | 3,093 |
Accommodation and food service activities | 5,553 | 5,369 | 5,177 |
Information and communication activities | 1,469 | 1,427 | 1,384 |
Financial and insurance activities | 3,205 | 3,144 | 3,085 |
Real Estate activities | 747 | 717 | 679 |
Professional, Scientific and Technical activities | 2,798 | 2,720 | 2,651 |
Administrative and support service activities | 7,860 | 7,692 | 7,528 |
Public Administration And Defence; Compulsory Social Security | 3,594 | 3,514 | 3,412 |
Education | 2,410 | 2,313 | 2,221 |
Human Health And Social Work activities | 16,381 | 16,104 | 15,772 |
Arts, entertainment and recreation | 867 | 848 | 825 |
Other Sectors | 3,070 | 2,997 | 2,921 |
Unclassified or unknown | 1,284 | 1,211 | 1,142 |
Total | 89,399 | 87,146 | 84,803 |
Age category | Number of people who have been medically certified for receipt of Enhanced Illness Benefit to 24 November | Number of people who have been medically certified for receipt of Enhanced Illness Benefit to 17 November | Number of people who have been medically certified for receipt of Enhanced Illness Benefit to 10 November |
< 25 | 13,611 | 13,195 | 12,648 |
25-34 | 22,202 | 21,563 | 20,976 |
35-44 | 24,483 | 23,971 | 23,392 |
45-54 | 17,720 | 17,308 | 16,893 |
55+ | 11,383 | 11,109 | 10,894 |
Total | 89,399 | 87,146 | 84,803 |