Not entitled to welfare supplement

P

Polly

Guest
Hi there.

I hope someone can shed some light on this ..

I recently applied for jobseekers allowance and was told that it may take a number of weeks, so I should go to the welfare officer to apply for supplementary payment in the meantime.

I vistied the welfare officer with all the necessary documents, and she explained that because I own a property that I do not live in, I am assessed on that property as a source of income. They have calculated that I get a weekly income of 478 euro....

I do own a house, but is in a very rural area which makes it impossible to get a job nearby,live in it and commute everyday to Dublin to find work or indeed rent it out.

I would love to see their logic in assessment. I asked how they came to the conclusion that me owning a property that has devalued 40% in the past year, arrived at me having an income of approx 500 a week...

The welfare officer undestood but apologised as there is nothing she can do.

So now I have no job, no money, cant pay my mortgage, and the expected payment date of my jobseekers allowance is the end of October..

Any suggestions as to what I can do next..

Please note, I have worked and paid taxes in this country for approx 15 years , surely I am entitled to something now that I need the help of the government I have been handing over all that money to each year...

Thank you in advance for any advice.. sorry for the rant :)
 
Unfortunately this is the rule for Supplementary Welfare Allowance.... your kinda snookered in a way. You dont say if you also own a second house in the city or if you are renting. Is there any way you could move down to the house in the country - while its not the ideal for job-seeking - or if you have a partner who is working - this would then become your primary residence and providing you didnt have another residence or means you'd qualify for SWA, rent allowance, GMS and the household package? You'd also have to shift your jobseeker application to this area of the country as well.
 
Hi there, thank you for that. I am actually staying with friends in Dublin, so luckily I am not trying to pay rent also. I suppose the only thing is to move down to my house, and take it from there.

Thank you for your advice.
 
Look at your mortgage protection policy and what the policy protects you for in periods of unemployment and/or illness. What I suggested only sorts the SWA application - household package etc. you may still possibly face a prob in relation to getting payments for your mortgage. I'd definately contact your local citizens information services for a list of your full entitlements and if you feel you are going to run into financial difficulty definately foreplan and make an apt with MABS. If you are claiming jobseekers benefit that will run out in a year. Hopefully, before that runs out you will get other employment - but if not - Jobseekers allowance like SWA is a means tested payment and the house would be considered as part of your means assessment for JA purposes - if you were living in Dublin. Similarly, the house would be looked on as means for household benefit package and the medical card. Hope your jobseekers gets sorted out quickly - and good luck with job-hunting.

Ps. the other thing you need to think about - is while its only 200 euros is the tax on second properties (the house is not your primary residence). You'd want to sort this out - I think the end of Sept is the closing date as if not registered with the county council - financial penalties kick in of €20 or so per month.
 
annet said:
Unfortunately this is the rule for Supplementary Welfare Allowance.... your kinda snookered in a way. You dont say if you also own a second house in the city or if you are renting. Is there any way you could move down to the house in the country - while its not the ideal for job-seeking - or if you have a partner who is working - this would then become your primary residence and providing you didnt have another residence or means you'd qualify for SWA, rent allowance, GMS and the household package? You'd also have to shift your jobseeker application to this area of the country as well.
Click to expand...

If the OP is moving to their own property, then they can't apply for Rent Supplement.

In addition, the household package (presume you mean the Household Benefits - electricity units, etc) is only given to pensioners and certain other categories of SW claimants, persons on Jobseeker's payments do not qualify for it.

Social Welfare legislation states that any capital (savings) or property not being personally used must be assessed as means when deciding on a means-tested claim. This must be applied whether the property is rented or not.
 
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