Social Welfare Information for Families

I have recently been put on a 3 day week in my workplace and i have 9 month old twins. 

I also have a 35 year mortgage and many bills.

My situation is such that I urgently need advice on how myself and my wife can carry on.

She is on illness benefit of €188 per week and we are also getting child benefit of €210 per month.

Social Welfare Options

My wife is unemployed and my new wage will be just under €330 for 3 days. OR €320 NET. We have 2 children.

Option 1

If Wife stays on Illness (you can for up to 2 years) and Husband claims Jobseekers Benefit wife will get an extra €29.80 (€14.90 for each child extra you should be getting, could be back dated) + €188 = €217.80 and husband will get €87.12 jb as he will have is 2 days dole plus half rate for children. You must ring illness and husband must go into Social Welfare office to do this

TOTAL : €304.92

Option 2

If Wifes claims Jobseekers Allowance for the whole family and goes off Illness Benefit altogether

We would all get €210.40 as husband would have a small income.

TOTAL: €210.40

Option 3

If husband claims Jobseekers Benefit for the family and himself it works out at €148.96

TOTAL: €148.96

Option 4

WIll I be able to claim Family Income Supplement and if so how much will it be?

Family Income Supplement with wife on Illness benefit is only €50 but family income supplement without illness is €163.20.

TOTAL: €163.20

Other things worth noting is that it is advised to look into getting Mortgage Interest Supplement to help you out if your claim works out small. If you are on the Illness Benefit this will not be the case and you will probably get nothing but in some of the other instances it is worth taking a look at.

Also Jobseekers Allowance takes longer to process than Jobseekers Benefit as they do not have your PRSI details.

All delayed payments are backdated.