As part of Budget 2015 – a new scheme called the Back to Work Family Dividend was announced.
This is supposed to provide an incentive for long-term unemployed jobseekers with children to return to work by letting them keep the element of any welfare payment which they received for their children.
Currently, amyone in receipt of Jobseeker payments gets €29.80 per week for each child . (The “Qualified Child Increase”).
Under the Back to Work Family Dividend scheme, these jobseekers will retain the €29.80 a week for the first year in employment. During the second year in a job they will get half the payment – or €14.90 per child.
This means that over two years, a family with one child will receive additional support of €2,324 to top up wages. A family with two children will receive €4,649, those with three children will get €6,973, while those with four or more will get €9,298.
The Back to Work Family Dividend will be additional to any entitlement the family may have under the Family Income Supplement (FIS) scheme and will not affect the level of the FIS payment.
Is this immediate or to come in later?
Usually welfare changes start from January