Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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494. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the mechanisms of support available to a person who is unemployed as a result of the pandemic. [29980/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) is available to the unemployed who lost their employment due to Covid- 19 and satisfy the scheme conditions. Self- employed individuals must have suffered a reduction in their trading income to the extent that they are available for full time employment.

The weekly rate is linked to prior weekly earnings. Individuals with prior earnings of €400 or more receive €350. Those with earnings of less than €200 receive €203. For earnings between €200 and €299.99 the rate is €250 and for earnings between €300 and €399.99 the weekly rate is €300.

Budget 2021 provided that self-employed PUP recipients can earn up to €480 over a rolling four week period and retain entitlement to PUP. The €480 limit is based on gross income, before tax and PRSI, minus expenses. If they exceed this threshold and work up to 24 hours per week they may be eligible for support under the Part Time Job Incentive scheme which has been extended to the self-employed who transition from the PUP. The weekly personal rate of payment is €128.60.

A person engaged in limited employment may apply for a jobseeker's payment depending on their circumstances. The weekly rate of payment is €203 and increased allowances are paid for qualifying adults and child dependents.

Financial support is also available under the means-tested Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme.

Information on the range of supports available to employers and employees is available at the following link: www.gov.ie/dspcovid19.

I trust that this clarifies the position.