COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (Emergency Measures)

Unsurprisingly the Government has taken the unprecedented step of introducing emergency measures to deal specifically with the huge volume of new Jobseeker applications expected this week. The measures have the specific objective of quickly delivering a social welfare payment to the unemployed & to provide income security during this upcoming 6 week period.

This information is 'hot off the press' & the following is my summary of the facts as I understand them at this point..(updates will follow as the need arises).

𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬: - The Government is asking employers, if at all possible, to continue to pay workers during this time - 𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙅𝙤𝙗𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙤𝙛 €𝟮𝟬𝟯 𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙠.

- Where employers, who have to cease trading due to the impact of social distancing, continue to pay workers they will be able to 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙢 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙀𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝘼𝙛𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙨 & 𝙎𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 at the rate of €203 per worker per week. (No specific details yet on what this reclaim process will look like!)

- This means that workers retain their link with employers & 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙗𝙢𝙞𝙩 𝙖 𝙅𝙤𝙗𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙘𝙡𝙖𝙞𝙢.

- Refunds to employers will take 'some time' to process, but in the meantime '𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙩-𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙢 𝙡𝙤𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙨!'. (No specific details regarding terms of facilities/loans i.e. will interest be charged or waived etc.)

- Where employers are unable to pay employees a new scheme has been introduced called the '𝘾𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙-𝟭𝟵 𝙋𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙘 𝙐𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙮𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙋𝙖𝙮𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩'. (No specific details on 'proving' that an employer is unable to pay!)

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- 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙋𝘼𝙔𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏 𝙄𝙎 𝘼𝙑𝘼𝙄𝙇𝘼𝘽𝙇𝙀 𝙏𝙊 𝘼𝙇𝙇 𝙀𝙈𝙋𝙇𝙊𝙔𝙀𝙀𝙎 & 𝙎𝙀𝙇𝙁-𝙀𝙈𝙋𝙇𝙊𝙔𝙀𝘿 𝙋𝙀𝙊𝙋𝙇𝙀 𝙒𝙃𝙊 𝙃𝘼𝙑𝙀 𝙇𝙊𝙎𝙏 𝙀𝙈𝙋𝙇𝙊𝙔𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏 𝘿𝙐𝙀 𝙏𝙊 𝙀𝘾𝙊𝙉𝙊𝙈𝙄𝘾 𝘿𝙊𝙒𝙉𝙏𝙐𝙍𝙉 𝘾𝘼𝙐𝙎𝙀𝘿 𝘽𝙔 𝘾𝙊𝙑𝙄𝘿-19

𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐄 - Flat rate of €203 per week FOR A PERIOD OF 6 WEEKS

𝐇𝐎𝐖 𝐓𝐎 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐋𝐘 - A new simple 1 page form has been introduced. Here's a link that I've created:

https://www.traversaccounting.ie/covid-unemployment-payment…

Download, print, complete & return by post to:

FREEPOST, P.O. BOX 12896, DUBLIN 1.

- Those people with a registered MyGovID account can make their claim online.

- There is no need for you to attend your local Intreo Centre.

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MY ADVICE:

1) Employers - decide if you can/will continue to pay employees. Whatever the outcome it is crucial to communicate this to your staff ASAP.

2) Employees - if you are not going to receive payment from your employer please complete the form ASAP, or else your payment could be delayed. It's a very simple form.

3) Self-Employed - If your business has had to shut down as a result of COVID-19, and you are ceasing ALL self-employment for now please complete the form ASAP.

More to follow, no doubt, but hope this helps for now!

Paula.