Payments between 65 and 66

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I am currently working 3 days per week and receiving Jobseekers Benefit for 2 days.I will be 65 in January 2016 and I will have an average of 28 stamps per anunm and will qualify for a Pension of €196 per week at 66 according to Dept of Social Welfare.What I want to know is if I leave work at 65 will I be entitled to any payments between 65 and 66.Also if I left at 64 whats the story.Any help would be appreciated.
 
Just looking at the T&C for this.

Citizens advice website says clearly you are no longer required to be available for full-time work or looking for work or having to sign on. Yet it would appear that you can only be absent from the state for two weeks in a calendar year..

Is that correct? It makes no sense as you are not required to be jobseeking.
 

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"Absence from the State​

A person shall be disqualified from receiving BP65, including increases in respect of a Qualified Adult or Child Support Payment for each qualified child, while they are absent from the State, unless the following exception applies:

Regulations governing Absence from the State have been amended to allow people in receipt of Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds to be temporarily absent from the State for longer than 2 weeks in a calendar year.

There is no time limit prescribed. However, the absence must be temporary, and a person must not engage in gainful employment or self-employment while absent from the State.

Legislation does not define the length of time a temporary absence from the State is deemed to be “temporary”. However, it is up to the Deciding Officer to decide if an absence can be considered temporary having considered the particular facts of the case, including the reason for the absence and the person’s intention to return to the State.

A person aged 65 years, including their qualified adult, can be absent from the State on a temporary basis for any duration during the lifetime of their claim. A person is still required to inform the Department of their intention to leave the State and must give an approximate return date. The UP30b Absent from the State form, must be completed but payment may continue to issue to the person for the duration of their absence."




You can be absent from the state for the entire year if you choose. Provided that you are not in employment outside the state and you intend to return to the state in the future you remain entitled to receive BP65 payments.
 
I wonder how long they will continue to do that, pay social welfare from 65 to 66, probably the next budgetary crises they will do away with that benefit, I doubt it will be still there in 15 years time.
 
Until employment contracts and the norms of retirement at 65 change I guess.

My contract says 65, I know I can contest that but I’ve seen colleagues try and the results aren’t pretty. No one wants to stay on where they are not wanted and sidelined. And my pension scheme will start to pay out at 65. So hanging around to be bullied into leaving isn’t attractive but neither is being broke,

So yeah, maybe a few years down the line they will look to get rid of it.
 
Annieindublin said:
So yeah, maybe a few years down the line they will look to get rid of it.
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The Over 65 Benefit Payment is a comparatively recent innovation having been introduced in 2021. Ever since FF made a complete hames of changing the Medical Card entitlements in 2008, governments have been very nervous of upsetting the grey haired brigade. Recent budgets have demonstrated this time after time. The Over 65 Benefit Payment scheme (which is growing to be a bit of a monster) was actually a further attempt to placate this cohort as a result of continuous agitation following the abolition of the State Pension (Transition) in 2014. Any attempt to eliminate the Over 65 Benefit Payment would shine a big bright spotlight on the gap between the normal retirement date in many people's contracts of employment (i.e. 65) and the minimum SPC entry age of 66, and would lead to demands for one of two things - across the board extension of the NRA in all employment contracts from 65 to 66 or greater (a legislative nightmare that would spend years in the courts) or a reduction in the minimum SPC entry age to 65, which would cost the exchequer a small fortune.

Anything is possible, but I wouldn't loose too much sleep over the possibility of this scheme being abolished. That was attempted in 2014 and they had to do a U turn. It's difficult to see it happening again.
 
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S class said:
The UP30b Absent from the State form, must be completed but payment may continue to issue to the person for the duration of their absence.
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The words "may continue" here are quite important. While in receipt of the Over 65 Benefit Payment I dutifully notified DSP of an upcoming overseas holiday using the online form on the my welfare website. They suspended my payment without notice. Sent them a stinker of a message and they reinstated it. No explanation was forthcoming despite my requesting it. I didn't bother notifying them of any further overseas holidays for the remainder of the year.
 
S class said:
You can be absent from the state for the entire year if you choose. Provided that you are not in employment outside the state and you intend to return to the state in the future you remain entitled to receive BP65 payments.
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Be careful taking that advice too literally. If you’re genuinely gone for a full year, you won’t be an Irish tax resident for that year. I somehow doubt you can claim benefits if you’re not a tax resident.
 
The UP30b Absent from the State form, must be completed but payment may continue to issue to the person for the duration of their absence.
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Does "Payment may continue" mean that the payment is waiting for you at the post office or something else?
Even if you're out of the country for a month because you're on vacation?
 
@Emelem
If you are claiming BP65 you can choose payments to your bank account. These payments will continue as normal when you are abroad.

If you were having payments to your local post office these would be paid after your period abroad.

If you are claiming Pay related Jobseekers benefit you are only allowed 2 weeks abroad. The payments must be made to your local post office.
 
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S class said:
If you are claiming BP65 you can choose payments to your bank account. These payments will continue as normal when you are abroad.
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Good point. And just to clarify all BP65 payments were directly to my bank account, which was what surprised me about their decision to suspend mine when on holiday.
 
Yes S class ,It's possible, as you wrote, that you're informing them two weeks in advance so they can pay the amount due for the absence in advance (for the JPRB). But what the Operational Guidelines for Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit say, "All payments should be made retrospectively, and it is not necessary for the person to be present at the office after their return in order to make normal payments to resume and arrears due to issue,"
makes me suspect that this is a payment in arrears, meaning after their return. But my English isn't very good, so I might be wrong.
It's good to hear that on BP65, you have the right to choose your payment and it's not at the officer's decision.
 
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