Job Seekers benefit, backdated?

[Slaphead]

We moved back to Ireland from abroad, (within the EU) in August 2007 and my wife who had worked in our previous country for 6 months went 9 months without a job.

She has been working since June 2008 but her contract is up soon but she is going to apply for job seekers benefit afterwards which we believe she is entitled too.

We didnt know about this and are presuming she was entitled to it from Aug07-to May08 seeing as she was working and paying social tax within the EU. Is it possible to get it backdated?

 

[Welfarite]

Firstly, your wife would not have been entitled to claim Jobseeker's Benefit without having paid PRSI here prior to claiming, Now she is entitled to claim, tof be entitled to payment she muwst have at least 39 contributions paid, which can be a combination of those paid in Irleand and those paid in another EU country. The second condition is that she must have 39 PRSI weeks contributions or credits in 2006 for a claim made in 2008. again EU and Irish PRSI can be combined. The claim will be paid from the fourth day after it is made.

 

[elcato]

We didnt know about this and are presuming she was entitled to it from Aug07-to May08 seeing as she was working and paying social tax within the EU. Is it possible to get it backdated?

No. You can only get JB from the date on which you sign on from. As she didn't actually sign on for that period she would not get back paid (Even assuming she has the correct stamps).