Illness Benefit is made up of a personal rate for yourself and may include increases for your qualified adult and qualified child(ren). You will get less Illness Benefit if your average weekly earnings are below a certain amount (currently €300 per week for claims made on or after 5th January 2009) in the relevant tax year.
Note
Volunteer development workers who return to Ireland can get the full rate of payment if they satisfy the qualifying conditions for payment. The earnings requirement does not apply.
If you are transferring from full rate, long term Jobseeker’s Allowance, you may get the full rate of Illness Benefit provided you have a total of 260 PRSI contributions paid and you satisfy the qualifying conditions.
Who is a qualified adult?
If you are married, or if you are living with someone as husband and wife and you are supporting them, you may get an increase for them as a qualified adult.
If your spouse’s or partner’s gross weekly income or earnings is €100 or less, you will receive a full increase for them. If your spouse or partner has gross weekly income or earnings of between €100.01 and €310, you will get an increase for them at a reduced rate.
You will not get an increase for your spouse or partner if they:
- have gross weekly earnings or income of more than €310 before deductions such as PRSI or tax,
or
- are getting a social welfare payment (except Disablement Benefit, Child Benefit or Supplementary Welfare Allowance),
or
- are disqualified from getting a Jobseeker’s Allowance because of a trade dispute,
or
- are taking part in a full-time FÁS non-craft training course.
If you are single, widowed or separated, and your children are living with you, you can claim an increase for a person aged 16 or over who is caring for them, if you are supporting that person.
Note
Your spouse’s or partner’s income or earnings includes earnings from employment, self-employment, occupational pensions and other sources, such as property, savings, capital and investments.
How we assess your spouse’s or partner’s property, savings, capital and investments
When working out their means from investments and savings we add together the following items and use a special formula to work out their means:
- the cash value of investments and property (except the home),
- money in a savings account, or any other kind of bank account,
and
- cash-in-hand.
The following formula is used.
| Capital: |
Weekly means assessed: |
| First €20,000 |
Nil |
| €20,000 - €30,000 |
€1 per €1,000
|
| €30,000 - €40,000 |
€2 per €1,000
|
| Over €40,000 |
€4 per €1,000
|
When property is held jointly (for example by a couple), half the value of the asset is taken as belonging to each person.
Who is a qualified child?
A qualified child is a child under 18 years of age who normally lives with you and is being supported by you. Sometimes a child who is not living with you can also be your qualified child if you are supporting them.
A child who is aged 18 and over and being maintained by you is also considered a qualified child:
- for the 3 month period after they leave second level education,
or
- for the 3 month period after they finish the Leaving Certificate,
or
- up to the end of the academic year in which they reach 18, as long as they are attending a full-time course of study by day at a school, college or university.
If you are getting Illness Benefit or a combination of certain other short-term payments for more than 156 days, you may be paid a Qualified Child Increase for a child in full-time education up to the age of 22 or up to the end of the academic year in which they reach 22.
You will not get the Qualified Child Increase if the child gets:
- a social welfare payment in their own right (except Disablement Benefit),
or
- Infectious Diseases Maintenance Allowance (IDMA) from the Health Service Executive.
What rate of Qualified Child Increase can I get?
You will get the full Qualified Child Increase if you:
- qualify for a full increase for your spouse or partner,
or
- are a lone parent and not getting:
- One-Parent Family Payment,
- Deserted Wife’s Benefit, or
- Widow’s or Widower’s (Contributory) Pension.
You will get half the Qualified Child Increase if:
- you do not qualify for a full increase for your spouse or partner,
or
- your spouse or partner is getting a social welfare payment in their own right. In this case, your spouse or partner will get half the Qualified Child Increase with their payment and you will get half the Qualified Child Increase with your Illness Benefit.
You will not get a Qualified Child Increase if your spouse or partner has income or earnings of more than €400 a week.