Can a Social Welfare inspector search your home for cash you may have hidden?

cathalg

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Hi, I'm on Jobseekers Allowance in Ireland and I am now being assesses for a medical card and for jobseekers. I may have to declare my savings but can they search the apartment for cash?
 
No, a social welfare inspector cannot search your property.
You will have to show proof of savings (bank accounts, statements).
 
There are members of AGS who work in fraud detection in the Department of Social Protection.

They would need to convince a judge, but with a warrant they could search your house.

Any large withdrawal of cash just before a claim will automatically raise flags.
 
Hi, I'm on Jobseekers Allowance in Ireland and I am now being assesses for a medical card and for jobseekers. I may have to declare my savings but can they search the apartment for cash?
How much cash are we talking about?
 
Perfectly valid question. You are allowed to have some savings if you claiming benefits but there is a limit.
 
Jobseekers Allowance is a means tested payment hence the reason for checking if you have money (over the allowed amount) undeclared.
It would be unusual for an inspector to call to your home unless he/she had reason to suspect something was not quite right
 
They have the power to enter your property but only with your permission.
So they don't have the power to enter your property. You have to invite them in? Same as any other citizen?

To the original poster, it's really not good idea, from a security point of view, to keep other than day to day amounts of hard cash on your property, if that's what you're doing.
 
"Inspectors carry certificates of authorisation which they are required to show to the owners of premises, employers and others when they call to a premises for the purpose of an inspection or when they visit claimants at their homes. Inspectors do not have the power to enter private residences and only do so with the consent of the person they are visiting."

From: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/c...ines-swi-powers-of-social-welfare-inspectors/
 
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