Start A Business and Keep Your Social Welfare Payments

There are now 2 different Social Welfare backed schemes which allow people start a business and continue to receive their Social Welfare payments. The amount you receive and length of time on scheme will depend on which type of payment you are on and how long you have been in receipt of a payment.

Back to Work Enterprise Allowance Scheme - Back To Work Enterprise Allowance Scheme.pdf

BTWEA Application Form.pdf

How Do I Qualify?

• If you have been in receipt of a Social Welfare payment for 12 months or longer and
• You must also meet the means test for Jobseekers Allowance (*see more information about Jobseekers payments below).

What Do I Get?

• You will continue to receive your Social Welfare payments for 2 years;
  • 100% in year 1
  • 75% in year 2
• You will hold onto a medical card, if you have one prior to being approved for the scheme.
• You may continue to be eligible for rent supplement or mortgage interest supplements.

Short-Term Enterprise Allowance - STEA Application Form.pdf

How Do I Qualify?

• If you are on Jobseekers Benefit, you qualify immediately to go on the scheme (**see more information about Jobseekers payments below).
• Jobseekers Benefit is paid for either 9 months or 12 months, depending on your PRSI contributions.

What Do I Get?

• You can go onto the Short-term Enterprise Allowance for whatever amount of time is left of your Jobseeker's Benefit entitlement. In other words, if you are entitled to 12 months and have been ‘signing’ for 4 months; you will have 8 months on the scheme.
• You will hold onto a medical card, if you have one prior to being approved for the scheme.
• You may continue to be eligible for rent supplements or mortgage interest supplement.

If you think you meet these conditions, you may qualify for either of these payments (Back To Work Enterprise Allowance or Short Term Enterprise Allowance).

If you live in a Partnership Area, contact your local Partnership's Enterprise Officer.

Should you live in Dublin 15, contact Niall Comber at details below.

If you live in a non-Partnership Area, you should your contact your local Social Welfare office for referral to the Department of Social and Family Affairs' Jobs Facilitator.

Click for more details of the Enterprise Service& Training.

For more details & to discuss your (potential) business, contact:

Niall Comber
Enterprise Development Officer
Blanchardstown Area Partnership
Phone 01 820 9550 / 824 7819
E-mail ncomber@bap.ie.

*Jobseeker’s Allowance

If you are aged 18 or over and unemployed, you may be paid either Jobseeker's Allowance (JA) or Jobseeker's Benefit (JB). Both payments are paid by the Department of Social and Family Affairs (DSFA). Jobseeker's Allowance was called Unemployment Assistance; the name of the payment changed in October 2006.

You may get Jobseeker's Allowance if you don't qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit or if you have used up your entitlement to Jobseeker's Benefit. In some cases, if you are only entitled to a reduced rate of Jobseeker's Benefit you may be better off on Jobseeker's Allowance. However, Jobseeker's Allowance is means-tested and your means must be below a certain level to qualify.
Click here to find out more about the means test for Jobseeker’s Allowance.

You must be unemployed to get Jobseeker’s Allowance. However, you may get a proportion of your Jobseeker’s Allowance if your days at work are reduced or if you can only get part-time or casual work. Income from work will affect the amount of Jobseeker’s Allowance you get.
Click here to find out more about how income from work is assessed for Jobseeker’s Allowance.

For more details, go to www.welfare.ieor contact your local Social Welfare office.

**Jobseeker’s Benefit

Jobseeker's Benefit is a weekly payment made to people who are out of work and covered by social insurance (PRSI). Jobseeker's Benefit was called Unemployment Benefit; the name of the payment changed in 2006. If you don't qualify for Jobseeker's Benefit you may qualify for Jobseeker's Allowance.

For more details, go to www.welfare.ieor contact your local Social Welfare office.