Over 100,000 sign off the Pandemic Unemployment Payment

Interesting statistics released this week, show that over 33,000 people have closed their claim for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment in the last week, bringing the number of people who signed off it so far to 108,000.

The top 3 sectors in which people returned to work were, 7700 in the Wholesale, Retail Trade & Motor Repairs industry, 5,300 in Construction, 2,500 in Manufacturing and a further 2,400 employees in Accommodation and Food Service activities.

In relation to Enhanced Illness Benefit that was introduced for people who have either been diagnosed with COVID-19 or who had symptoms and had to self-isolate, over 11,700 were in the Human Health & Social Work sector, followed by 10,800 in the Wholesale and Retail Trade and 6,800 in Manufacturing.

The COVID-19 payments have been extended until end of August and the Government has urged people to sign off when they are offered their jobs back. The easiest way to close a claim for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is online via www.mywelfare.ie . Any worker returning to work with an enquiry about closing their claim, can contact the department’s dedicated income support helpline at 1890 800 024 (Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm).

The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection are continuing to carry out checks to ensure that claims are valid.

Full Details can be found below in the Official Department Release

Update on payments awarded for COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment and Enhanced Illness Benefit

Date: 15 June 2020

The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection issued payments valued at €174.6 million to 498,700 people in respect of their application for the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP). Taking the 517,600 who were paid last week, this represents a decrease of 18,900 on the number of people paid last week.

Since last week’s payment, 33,000 people have closed their claim for a Pandemic Unemployment Payment. Of these, 21,900 will be receiving their last payment tomorrow.

As well as those availing of the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment, there are now over 60,600 employers who have registered with the Revenue Commissioners for the Temporary COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS) with at least one subsidy being paid in respect of over 532,000 people under that scheme since it began. An estimated 400,000 employees are currently being supported by the scheme having received a subsidy in their most recent pay period.

The above payments are in addition to the 225,600 people who were reported on the Live Register as of the end of May.

Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty today said:

“The numbers receiving the Pandemic Unemployment Payment continue to gradually decline – with the total now dropping below the 500,000 mark. Only a few short weeks ago, there were approximately 600,000 receiving the payment so some progress has been made, but it is also clear that the return to a new normal will be gradual and incremental. That is why I extended the payment beyond its originally planned life cycle into August. My department will continue to monitor the rate of the economy’s reopening, the continuing need for income support and the developing health situation and will develop a number of options for Government to consider before the scheme’s projected end in August.”

People returning to work

Last week, some 33,000 people closed their claim for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment of which 27,600 reported that they were returning to work. Of those 27,600 returning to work, approx. 21,900 are receiving their last payment this week. As the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is a weekly payment paid in arrears, there can be a one week lag in how closures, due to people returning to work, are reflected in the payment data. The 21,900 individuals who closed their claim as they return to work are eligible for a final payment, as they were unemployed in the week for which this payment is due. The top three sectors in which employees are returning to work this week are Wholesale and Retail Trade, Repair of Motor Vehicles and motorcycles with 7,700 back in work, while 5,300 have returned to the Construction sector and 2,500 have returned to their jobs in Manufacturing. A further 2,400 employees are returning to Accommodation and Food Service activities. A full breakdown of the sectors is set out at Appendix 6 below.

Looking at the age profile of employees returning to work this week, the largest cohort are those aged 35-44 with 7,100 returning (up from 6,200 last week). There are 5,500 employees aged 25-34 returning this week, up 500 on last week while 4,600 people under 25 are returning to their jobs this week which is up 1,000 on last week. Full details are available at Appendix 7.

With the government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business now in Phase Two, the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection is instructing workers who are returning to work that they must close their claim for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP).

In order to ensure that their claim is processed correctly, workers who will be returning to work must close their claim for the PUP payment on the actual date that they start back at work. Since the commencement of Phase One of the government’s Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business, some 108,000 employees have closed their claims and returned to work.

The easiest way to close a claim for the Pandemic Unemployment Payment is online via www.mywelfare.ie . Any worker returning to work with an enquiry about closing their claim, can contact the department’s dedicated income support helpline at 1890 800 024 (Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm).

COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment Checks

As is the case, for all social welfare schemes, the department conducts a series of pre and post payment checks for the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment, including:

• integrity checks made against records already held by the department including Public Service Information data and cross checks with payments on other schemes. These help to verify if a person is who they claim to be and that they are entitled to claim payment

• a reconciliation process between the department’s payment file and Revenue’s payment file for the COVID-19 Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme

• a prior employment status check by comparing all claims for PUP against prior earnings and employment records from Revenue data

• as with other welfare schemes, the department contacts recipients to ensure that they continue to satisfy the eligibility criteria of the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

• data analytics

• the department’s inspection staff participating with Garda and Customs staff, in security checks on major transport routes and transport hubs

Temporary COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme

There are now over 60,600 employers who have registered with the Revenue Commissioners for the Temporary COVID-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme (TWSS). Workers whose employers have registered them on the scheme are not eligible to receive a pandemic unemployment payment. In addition workers who were in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment but who have now been registered by their employers on the TWSS are no longer eligible to receive a payment pandemic unemployment payment.

COVID-19 Enhanced Illness Benefit Payment

There are now 51,300 people up to age 66 who have been medically certified for receipt of the COVID-19 enhanced Illness Benefit. Approx. 7% (3,627) have been diagnosed with COVID-19 while 93% (47,673) were required to medically self-isolate.

Since the beginning of June, 48 people have applied for Illness Benefit as they have been medically certified with having COVID-19 while 452 have applied because they are medically self-isolating.

The sector the largest number of employees in receipt of COVID-19 Illness Benefit is the Human Health and Social Work sector (11,700), followed by Wholesale and Retail Trade (10,800) and Manufacturing (6,800). Full details are at Appendices 8, 9 and 10 below.

The department wishes to thank its customers for submitting the majority of applications through our online portal www.MyWelfare.ie. This is the quickest and easiest way to submit an application and enables the department to allocate resources to contacting those who submitted invalid applications.

Individuals can close their COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment online at www.MyWelfare.ie.

In the interests of the public health advice and the restrictions on movements please if at all possible do not attend your local Intreo Centre as opening hours have now been restricted. Instead please apply through www.MyWelfare.ie.

Further Information on statistics available;

Analysis of Pandemic Unemployment Payments by County

Pandemic Unemployment Payments by Sector

Pandemic Unemployment Payments by Age Profile

Analysis of People who Closed their PUP Claim to Return to Work

Analysis of Closed Pandemic Unemployment Payments by Sector

Analysis of Closed Pandemic Unemployment Payments Age Profile

Enhanced Illness Benefit Payments by County

Enhanced Illness Benefit Payments by Sector

Enhanced Illness Benefit Payments Age Profile

See the details HERE