Latest news with #PRSI
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- Health
- The Irish Sun
Thousands MORE qualify for little-known €500 & €1,000 ‘free services' PRSI payments as increases revealed after changes
THOUSANDS more are set to qualify two little-known "free services" PRSI payments amid new increases. The Treatment Benefit covers a vast range of dental, optical and aural services. Advertisement 1 Several changes were made Credit: Getty Images This can include eye tests and oral examinations, contact lenses and hearing aids. People suffering from certain conditions such as alopecia or undergoing chemotherapy may also be able to avail of wigs or hairpieces covered by the And now new changes to the payment will mean even more people will qualify for €500 or €1000 sums. The Minister for Social Protection Advertisement READ MORE IN MONEY €500 PAYMENT The €500 contributes towards one medical device, such as one hearing aid per ear every four years Prior to 2021, the Department covered 50 per cent of the cost of hearing aids up to €500 per ear once every four years. New regulations introduced in 2021 removed the need for the patient to cover half the cost of their hearing aid. Now they must only cover the cost themselves if their hearing aid is over €500 per ear. Advertisement MOST READ IN THE IRISH SUN In May 2022 a €500 euro hair replacement benefit was also introduced. This is an annual payment for those suffering from hair loss under certain conditions. €1,000 PAYMENT The €1,000 payment can be claimed against the cost of This is split in two parts of €500 per eye and is paid out once every two years. Advertisement Prior to 2022 this payment was made every four years. QUALIFYING CHANGES Since April 2022 you must have paid 39 paid Class A, E, H, P or S social insurance contributions if you are aged between 25 to 28. This is significantly lower than the previously required 260 contributions over five years of employment. As it stands, to qualify those under 21 must have at least 39 contributions at anytime. Advertisement In the category of 25-year-old to 28-year-old the 39 contributions must be paid or credited in the governing contribution year or 26 paid contributions in each of the second and third last contribution years. Those aged over 29 must have at least 260 paid contributions and again at least 39 paid or credited contributions in the governing contribution year or 26 paid contributions in each of the second and third last contribution years. QUALIFYING FOR PEOPLE OVER 66 There are very specific requirements for over 66s to qualify. They must have 260 PRSI contributions paid at any time and 39 paid or credited contributions in the relevant tax year or the year immediately before it. Advertisement Otherwise they must have 260 PRSI contributions paid at any time and 26 paid contributions in both the relevant tax year and the year immediately before it. However, if you turned 66 between 1 October 1987 and 6 July 1992, you need 208 paid contributions. DENTAL CHANGES The The Department will pay the cost of a full oral examination once per year. Advertisement However, from January 2024, the fee paid to a dentist for providing an Oral examination, including x-ray, was increased from €33 to €40, available once per calendar year.
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
New €450 weekly social welfare cash WON'T be paid to key workers group after scheme axe as ‘patterns' decision confirmed
A NEW €450 weekly social welfare cash scheme WON'T be paid out to a key workers group, it's been confirmed. The government earlier this year axed the Jobseeker's Benefit scheme in favour of a 1 Minister Dara Calleary confirmed the cash won't be available to certain employees out of work Credit: JOHN MCELROY The contribution history who becomes unemployed. The "landmark" scheme Those - which is available in three different rates - qualify based on the number of personal they have made. READ MORE IN MONEY A total of 60 per cent of your prior income will be available for people who have made at least five years worth of PRSI contributions, which amounts to a maximum of €450. This will be paid for the first three months that a person is The third rate will be a maximum of €300 and is based on 50 per cent of the prior income, being paid over the final three months. The minimum payment rate available is €125 but those over 25 may qualify for more if they have children. MOST READ IN THE IRISH SUN And In a Dail parliamentary question, Sinn Fein TD Padraig Mac Lochlainn queried if "post-primary teachers will be entitled to pay-related jobseeker's benefit when they become unemployed at the end of this academic year in May 2025 and where they have been unable to secure an employment contract for September 2025 ". Social Protection Minister Dara Calleary said: "Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit is a new social insurance income support which has replaced the Jobseeker's Benefit scheme for people who are fully unemployed, who have become unemployed since 31 March 2025 and who meet the statutory conditions of the scheme. "The legislation provides that those whose employment involves a recurring pattern of employment and unemployment reflecting the academic year are not eligible for the scheme. "Factors taken into account include the pattern of the employment or previous employment of the person and the typical employment patterns in the sector in which the person is normally employed or was previously employed. "Teachers who are out of contract and are seeking to return to employment can claim the PRSI-based insurance Jobseeker's Benefit or the means-tested Jobseeker's Allowance. "There is no change to the income supports to which such persons are entitled." People may get Jobseeker's Benefit if they don't qualify for the new Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit if they are a part-time, casual or seasonal worker, a short-time worker, a retained fire fighter or temporarily laid-off work continuously at specific times during the year, for example, their employment is based around the school or academic year. AM I ELIGIBLE FOR NEW PAY-RELATED BENEFIT SCHEME? THERE are a number of different criteria that those seeking the new Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit scheme must meet. You must have paid at least 104 PRSI insurable employment contributions at Class A, H or P. You also need to have paid at least four PRSI insurable employment contributions at Class A or H in the 10 weeks before applying. Applicants must also have paid at least 26 PRSI insurable employment contributions at Class A or H in the 52 weeks before your first day of unemployment. You could be disqualified from getting Jobseeker's Allowance for up to nine weeks if you: Left work voluntarily and without just cause Lost your job through misconduct Refused an offer of suitable employment or training and you have been on a penalty rate of JA for at least 21 days You should apply for Jobseeker's Allowance the first day you become unemployed as it is not paid out for the first three days. For Jobseeker's Benefit, you must pay Class A, H or P PRSI contributions. Class A is the one paid by most employees. Class H is paid by soldiers, reservists and temporary army nurses. To qualify, you need at least 104 weeks of Class A, H or P PRSI paid contributions or at least 156 Class S PRSI contributions since you first started work. Meanwhile, Jobseeker's Allowance is a means-tested payment, so your income must be below a certain amount to get it. And to qualify, you must be looking for full-time work – and you must be able to show proof of this to the Department. The maximum personal weekly rate for Jobseeker's Allowance is €244. But core social welfare payments like the Jobseeker's Allowance CASH BOOST CALLS Social Justice Ireland's Susanne Rogers said payments needed to be increased to ensure those relying on social welfare are not "falling behind" others in society. She told the Irish Sun: "According to our calculations, if core social welfare rates were bench marked at 27.5 per cent of average earnings, the payment would currently be €266 a week, not €244 a week. "This level would mean that those relying on social welfare for all or part of their income would not be falling further behind the rest of society. "Every household in the country has seen their bills increase for the essentials - food and energy in particular. "Low income households however, have stark choices to make between those essentials when costs rise and income doesn' heat or eat response." She added that the She said: "Government must commit to bench marking payments so that those households are afforded an income level that provides for a basic but decent standard of living. "Government has anti-poverty commitments in both the Roadmap for Social Inclusion and the Sustainable Development Goals and cannot hope to meet them unless core welfare rates are addressed."
Irish Examiner
27-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
RTÉ paid back €2.4m in covid subsidies it was not entitled to
RTÉ repaid €2.4m in covid wage subsidies to which it was not entitled, TDs and senators will be told on Wednesday. A number of RTÉ representatives, including director general Kevin Bakhurst, will come before the Oireachtas media committee, with chairman Alan Kelly saying he wants to discuss matters relating to policy, governance, expenditure, and administration at the broadcaster. In an opening statement sent to committee members and seen by the Irish Examiner, RTÉ will say that it last year reviewed its eligibility for the temporary wage subsidy scheme (TWSS) which during the covid-19 pandemic paid part of employee wages for qualifying companies. The review found that the broadcaster had availed of the scheme between March and August 2020 and, as a result, RTÉ repaid the TWSS subsidy for the periods July and August 2020. "This repayment, together with the PRSI that would have been due had the subsidy not been claimed, amounted to €2.4m." Terence O'Rourke, the chairman of the RTÉ board, will attend the media committee along with Kevin Bakhurst and eight senior RTÉ managers. File picture: Sam Boal/Collins In total, €2.7m has been paid to the Revenue Commissioners — the repayment plus interest and penalties. This resulted in a "net credit to the income statement of €2.6 million during 2024 as RTÉ had previously provided for full repayment of all amounts received for its participation in the scheme", the statement says. In addition, RTÉ says it "continues to engage fully with the Revenue Commissioners in relation to a Revenue audit" which commenced in 2024 and has made payments of €1.1m to date. Controversial IT project Mr Bakhurst and the chairman of the RTÉ board, Terence O'Rourke, and eight senior managers will appear before the committee. Among the matters to be discussed will be the €3.6m write-down on a partly-abandoned IT project, which Mr Bakhurst will say is "an outlier within the overall portfolio of our capital expenditure projects". "It is extremely regrettable when dealing with public funds to have to write down significant sums of money, and I want to underline the fact that we have taken this very seriously and have spent considerable time looking into the details of the project and the process," the statement says. IT project was 'an outlier' "Thanks to the efforts of many, an effective finance system was salvaged, implemented and continues to operate today. "An expert and independent review was commissioned at the end of the project to identify the key lessons to be learned, and it is important to say that in our review of large capital projects for the minister and the department, it was very clear that this project was an outlier within a much larger portfolio of projects." 'Ridiculous' marketing campaign RTÉ management is also set to be asked about a marketing campaign which uses extras and props, which Mr Kelly on Tuesday called "absolutely ridiculous". "Workers who are working in your environment, whether in front of camera, behind the camera, they all know the environment they're working in," Mr Kelly told RTÉ's Morning Ireland. "They all know what they have to deal with, day in, day out, and presenting something that isn't actually the real deal or close to it; where actors have been brought in, where props have been brought in for something is presented as if this is RTÉ ... I mean it's just not a good way of doing it," he said.
Irish Independent
27-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
RTÉ makes €2.4m in Covid-19 wage subsidy repayments after review
The national broadcaster last year undertook a review of its eligibility for the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) from March to September 2020, as a result repaid the subsidy for the periods of July to August of that year. This repayment, together with the PRSI that would have been due had the subsidy not been claimed, amounted to €2.4m. This repayment as well as interest and penalties, resulted in RTÉ paying a total of €2.7m to Revenue. A further revenue audit last year resulted in repayments of €1m by the national broadcaster. The Director General, Kevin Bakhurst, revealed the information in a submission to the Oireachtas Communications Committee as 'a reflection of the higher standards of transparency' in the organisation. Mr Bakhurst, as well as the chair of the RTÉ board, Terence O'Rourke and eight senior managers are to appear before the Committee tomorrow. They will be asked about the €3.6m lost on a partly-failed IT system which was one of the capital projects funded from the sale of land at its Dublin 4 site in 2017. Mr Bakhurst will tell TDs and Senators it's 'extremely regrettable' to have to write down such significant amounts of money when dealing with public funds. He will also say that the issue is being taken 'very seriously' and the broadcaster has spent 'considerable time looking into the details of the project and the process.' The committee will hear that the majority of the money lost relates to efforts to deliver the HR part of the project amounting to €2.3m, with the remaining €1.3m related to 'the delay and effort in delivering the financial element of the project.' Mr Bakhurst will say the impairment 'is very much an exception' in the context of extensive projects delivered by RTÉ and that it was 'correctly notified to NewEra.'
Irish Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Social welfare fraud does not necessarily die with you
Could you please advise me what would happen to a will in the following hypothetical scenario relating under Irish law? The deceased person did not declare all cash assets when applying for the old age noncontributory pension. The full old-age pension was subsequently drawn for a number of years. Upon the death of this person, it was identified that at the time the State pension was granted, total cash assets were underdeclared. By the time of the person's death, all cash assets had been transferred to joint accounts. How can the State now recoup these costs? READ MORE Can the overpayment be recouped from a joint account, which is now in the sole name of another person (following the death of the individual who received the pension overpayments)? Additionally, can the State look to recoup the overpayment from the primary residence, which is the only asset left in the estate even though it was not taken into account for the purposes of considering eligibility for the pension in the first instance? Ms MJ The interesting thing about hypothetical cases is that they are rarely entirely hypothetical. And I suspect your scenario is closer to the real world than you might be letting on. But no matter. The noncontributory State pension is a social-welfare payment made to people who do not have a sufficient PRSI contributions at retirement to qualify for a contributory pension. The maximum weekly payment currently stands at €289, not far short of the €289.30 payable to those in receipt of a full State contributory pension. You've clearly done some research on the means test this person will have had to undergo in their application for a noncontributory State pension. As you say, the family home is not taken into account in the means test, although if it had delivered rental income, either through being rented out entirely or in part, any rental income over €14,000 – the level of tax-free income available under the Rent a Room scheme – will be taken into account in a means test for someone in receipt on the noncontributory pension unless the person would otherwise be living alone, in which case all rent is disregarded. That aside, pretty much all income is included in the pension means test, apart from social welfare payments. [ I bought shares in the company I worked for but how do I figure out any tax liability Opens in new window ] In terms of savings, the first €20,000 is disregarded. Thereafter, the next €10,000 is considered to yield €1 in income per week per €1,000 of savings. Savings of €30,000-€40,000 are assessed as yielding €2 of income per week per €1,000, while anything above €40,000 is seen as giving you €4 per €1,000 in weekly income. The situation you outline is one of fraud – the deliberate misstatement of assets in a means test as part of an application for the noncontributory pension. That certainly presents a problem. The executor(s) of the estate have a legal duty to gather all the assets in the estate and to assess all liabilities that must be paid ahead of any distribution of net assets by inheritance under the estate. Failure to perform that function properly can leave the executor(s) legally liable to claim. Aside from that, the Department of Social Protection habitually requires three months postmortem to assess whether there has been any overpayment to the deceased that requires repayment. Of course, if they were lied to, they could hardly be expected to pick it up at that point. That does not absolve the executor(s) in their duty. [ Will having all our savings in joint names make things more difficult when one of us dies? Opens in new window ] Once notified, the department will require repayment of any overpayment as a result of fraud. It can also prosecute, although that's hardly a realistic prospect when the person engaging in fraud has died. The fact that the cash assets have been transferred to a joint account does not necessarily ringfence them. Some joint accounts pass to the other named account holder under survivorship but others do not – especially those of elderly people where the second named person is not a spouse but some other family member who was given access to the account for convenience of meeting the deceased's bills and living expenses. In survivorship, the accounts will transfer automatically and are not part of the deceased's estate for the purposes of probate. Otherwise they cannot be transferred to the other named account holder outside the probate process. In any case, even if the cash savings are no longer accessible, the Department of Social Protection would have a claim against the assets of the estate – in this case, the family home – before it is passed on to anyone under the will. The fact that the property was not included in the original means test is irrelevant. Any outstanding debts must be repaid, and if that requires the sale of the property in the absence of the cash being found some other way, then so be it. The ultimate question, I suppose, is whether the department – having been hoodwinked thus far – discovers the fraud. Probably not. But are you – or more accurately, the executor(s) – prepared to take that chance? Guess wrong and it will be they who will be liable for any repayment down the line. There's really no reason why they should take that chance and it is, in any case, an abuse of their role once they are aware of the fraud. Please send your queries to Dominic Coyle, Q&A, The Irish Times, 24-28 Tara Street Dublin 2, or by email to with a contact phone number. This column is a reader service and is not intended to replace professional advice
