Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

529. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a couple with savings of €40,000 are means tested for jobseeker's allowance; and if they would be entitled to full payment. [14758/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

In assessing means for social assistance payments including jobseeker’s allowance, account is taken of the value of capital and property belonging to the person and their spouse or partner.  Property such as the family home or a premises used by a person in carrying out a business is not liable for assessment. 

The capital assessment method for jobseeker’s allowance involves disregarding an initial amount of capital / savings and applying an increasing notional weekly value for amounts in excess of the disregarded amount, as outlined in the table.  The same assessment of capital applies to capital / savings in the name of the claimant and his or her spouse / partner.

The weekly entitlement of the claimant is the maximum weekly rate of payment for the person less the means calculated.

This means that a couple on jobseeker's allowance can have €20,000 in savings and be assessed with nil means from capital and receive the maximum weekly rate of JA.  A couple with savings of €40,000 would be assessed with €30 of capital means, meaning they would entitled to the full rate minus €30.