Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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434. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection whether €20,000 or €40,000 of savings is disregarded for a jobseeker’s allowance assessment for a married couple; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36066/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Jobseeker's Allowance is a means tested payment and to qualify for a payment a person must satisfy certain conditions as to means. A means assessment includes all of a person's household income, any savings, shares, investments or property apart from a person's home. A means test will also include any income that a person's spouse, civil partner or cohabitant has.

My Department adds the income from all sources, and, from this, calculates the means for each week which is used to work out the amount of payment a person is entitled to receive.

Where a married couple, in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance, who have capital of over €20,000 are assessed for means, only one disregard of €20,000 is applied to that assessment. The total amount of savings between both people is added together and the disregard of €20,000 is applied to the total figure.

The formula for assessing the value of capital including property, savings and investments is as follows:

First €20,000 is disregarded

Next €10,000 - €1 per €1,000 is assessed

Next €10,000 - €2 per €1,000 is assessed

Over €40,000 - €4 per €1,000 is assessed

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.