Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 March 2026
417. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has considered options to maintain insurability for PhD scholarship holders, such as PRSI credits, so that eligibility for jobseeker's allowance can be sought after State-supported doctoral study; the outcome of any such analysis; the timeframe for a decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18060/26]
View answerPersons in full time education, including those studying for a PhD, can maintain their social insurance record so they can continue to be eligible for social insurance benefits in two ways, either through credited employment contributions (credits) or voluntary contributions.
The primary purpose of credits is to preserve the continuity of a person’s insurance record during periods when they are unable to work and pay social insurance contributions in the normal way.
Similar to other schemes operated by the Department, there are qualifying conditions which must be met before a person can be awarded credits. In order to qualify for credits, absences from work would have to arise due to notified incapacity for work, proven unemployment, periods during which the person was in receipt of certain other social welfare payments or a period spent as a full-time student.
A student who has completed a course of full-time education and re-enters insurable employment may have an entitlement to student credits. A person may be awarded student credits if:
• they commenced the course before they reach the age of 23 years;
• the course was full-time;
• they re-enter insurable employment at PRSI Class A.
Student credits can only be awarded once. Student credits provide coverage for Illness Benefit, Health and Safety Benefit, Jobseeker's Benefit, Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit, Maternity Benefit, Adoptive Benefit, Paternity Benefit and Treatment Benefit.
A person under the pensionable age of 66 or a person born on or after 1 January 1958 who is aged between 66 and 70 years of age and who has not been awarded the State Pension (Contributory), who ceases to be covered by compulsory social insurance, either as an employee or as a self-employed person, may opt to become insured on a voluntary basis and pay voluntary contributions, provided certain contribution conditions are satisfied. Voluntary contributions act to maintain a person’s established social insurance record in respect to eligibility for State pensions in the future. Based on the person's contribution history the voluntary contribution scheme may provide coverage for State Pension (Contributory), Bereaved Partner’s (Contributory) Pension and Guardian's Payment (Contributory).
It should be noted, however, that credits and voluntary contributions allow an insured contributor to maintain entitlement to contribution based benefit payments, not means tested allowance payments such as Jobseeker's Allowance.
Any expansion beyond the scope of the credited employment or voluntary contributions options would need to be considered in the wider policy and budgetary context.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
