Back to Work Family Dividend

Introduction

The Back to Work Family Dividend (BTWFD) scheme aims to help families to move from Social Welfare into employment. It will give financial support to people with children who were getting Jobseekers and One-Parent Family payments who take up employment or become self-employed.

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No Social Welfare payment

To qualify for Back to Work Family Dividend (BTWFD), you and all members of your family (including your qualified adult) must sign off all Social Welfare payments.

Back to Work Family Dividend cannot be paid with any other Social Welfare payment – with the exception of Child Benefit and Working Family Payment. In order to qualify for the Back to Work Family Dividend (BTWFD) you must be signing off your Social Welfare payment (other than Working Family Payment and Child Benefit) for one of the following reasons:

• Being in or taking up employment, or
• Being in or taking up self-employment. (Back to Work Family Dividend is not paid together with Back to Work Enterprise Allowance.)

 

Working Family Payment (WFP)

The Back to Work Family Dividend can be paid with Working Family Payment (WFP) and is not taken into account in the income test for WFP.

Back To Work Family Dividend Payment

BTWFD is based on the standard Increase for a Qualified Child (IQC) rate, depending on the child’s age. The Increase for a Qualified Child (IQC) is €40 where the child is aged under 12 and €48 where the child is aged 12 and over.

In the second year, it is reduced to €20 for a child aged under 12 and €24 for a child aged 12 and over.

If you were getting a half-rate IQC with your payment you will get a full rate IQC on BTWFD. There is a ceiling of €160 per week, equal to the Increase for a Qualified Child rate for 4 children aged 12 years and over. You will be paid weekly by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).

 

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Duration of Scheme

The BTWFD will last for up to 2 years, if you remain in employment. If you claim a Social Welfare payment at any time within the 2 year period, the BTWFD payment will stop. If your spouse or partner claims a Social Welfare payment the BTWFD payment will also stop.

Who Qualifies

You may be eligible for Back to Work Family Dividend (BTWFD) if you have at least one qualified child and are getting one of the following payments:

• Jobseeker’s Allowance or Jobseeker’s Benefit for at least 12 months (312 days of unemployment) of which at least 6 months (156 days of unemployment) must have been in the last year, or
• One-Parent Family Payment (OFP), or
• Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (this is paid to lone parents, persons who are not co-habiting, with children aged between 7 and 13 years)

You can combine time on a Jobseekers payment with time spent on education, training or employment schemes to meet the eligibility requirements. If you went from a qualifying payment to an education, training or employment scheme and then find work you can go directly onto the BTWFD scheme without having to sign back onto your original payment.

One-Parent Families

You can qualify for Back to Work Family Dividend if you were getting a One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) and you meet all the following conditions:

• You start working or become self-employed, and
• You have taken up insurable employment/self-employment within four weeks of the close of your One-Parent Family claim, and
• You did not claim another Social Welfare payment when your OFP ended (except for WFP and Child Benefit).

If you lose your job and claim a Social Welfare payment the BTWFD stops but it may restart if you get a new job – to a maximum of 2 restarts per claim. You must use up your entitlement to BTWFD within 3 years.

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How to Apply

Contact your local Intreo Centre/Branch Office or Citizens Information Centre to get more information on the scheme. They will explain how the application process works and give you the application form.

 

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Contact Us

Telephone

You can speak, in complete confidence, to an Information Officer in the Information and Advocacy section directly at 01 - 856 0088 , Monday - Thursday 9.30 am to 5.00 pm and Friday 9.30am to 4.00pm.

Online

Use the online Contact Us forms on the INOU website