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COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment
From Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Published at:
Last updated
The COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment is available to employees and the self-employed who have lost their job on (or after) March 13 due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.
The COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment will be in place until August 10.
If you have been temporarily placed on a shorter working week, you may qualify for Short Time Work Support.
You can apply for the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment if you:
- are aged between 18 and 66 years old and
- currently living in the Republic of Ireland and
- have lost your job due to the COVID-19 pandemic or
- have been temporarily laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic and
- worked in the Republic of Ireland or were a cross border frontier worker and
- are not in receipt of any employment income
- self-employed and your trading income has ceased due to COVID-19
- a non EU/EEA worker who has lost employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- a student (or a non-EU/EEA student) who has lost employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- part-time worker
If you voluntarily left your employment or self-employment or do not meet the above criteria, you cannot claim the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment.
The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection wishes to confirm that there are no plans in place to share any data we receive as part of an immigrant’s application for a COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment with GNIB or the Department of Justice and Equality.
The COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment will be paid at a flat rate of €350 per week until the beginning of Phase 3 of the Roadmap (June 29) .
From Phase 3 of the Roadmap (June 29) the Pandemic Unemployment Payment will be paid at two rates, aligned to prior earnings. :
- For those whose prior employment earnings were €200 per week or higher (about 75% of recipients), the rate will remain at €350 per week;
- For those whose prior employment earnings were up to €199.99 per week (about 25% of recipients), the rate will be €203 per week - the primary rate of payment of the Jobseeker’s Benefit scheme
This change to the rates of payment will take effect from June 29. For those who will receive the €203 rate this will be visible in your payment on Tuesday July 7.
No person on the lower rate of payment will receive less on PUP than they were previously paid by their employer.
Payment is made by electronic transfer (for example, into your bank or credit union account) and only into accounts held in Irish financial institutions. Those applying on or after 8th April can also choose to collect their payment in a post office. They can nominate their local post office when applying online and they will need to bring a form of ID with them when collecting their payment at the post office. Payments will be made into a bank/credit union account or to a nominated post office every Tuesday once an application is processed.
If you were working and were also in receipt of any social welfare payment such as a Carer's Payment, Working Family Payment (WFP) or One-Parent Family Payment, you can, provided you have lost your job due to COVID-19, also claim the COVID-19 emergency payment, in addition to retaining your existing welfare payment. The COVID-19 Payment Unemployment Payment will replace your employment income and will be regarded by the department as equivalent to employment income.
If you have one adult and one or more dependant children you should claim a Jobseeker's Payment instead of the COVID-19 Pandemic Payment.
This is because you can claim an additional allowance for your adult dependant and child dependants, which will bring your weekly payment to in excess of the €350 weekly payment due under the emergency COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment.
The quickest and easiest way to apply for the emergency COVID-19 payment is by applying online at mywelfare.ie.
All you need to apply for the service is a basic MyGovID account. There are no appointments or anything for this. All you need is an email address and it only takes 2 minutes to sign up.
Once you've got the basic MyGovID account (or if you already have an existing MyGovID account), just click the button below to apply for this payment.
It is very important to to fill in your bank details correctly - include your BIC and IBAN to avoid delays to your payments.
After you have applied, please keep checking your bank account as payment may issue before the department formally notifies you.
Please be aware applying by post will more than likely result in your application to taking longer to process. The quickest and easiest way to apply is online through mywelfare.ie.
To get a form and apply by post please click here.
If you have applied for the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment and have not received a payment please read this important information notice.
You must stop your payment on your first day back to work.
If you have received a payment for COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment and you were not entitled to it, you can find out how to refund the department here.
*To help us to process all payments as quickly as possible, we would kindly ask you not to phone the department seeking updates on your application as staff will be focusing on processing applications. Thank you for your cooperation.
DEASP Income Support Helpline for COVID-19
Phone number:
1890 800 024
