Louise O'Reilly
Question:352. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the first year and full year cost of expanding the jobseekers transitional payment threshold by 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% respectively. [46591/26]
View answerThursday, 18 June 2026
Questions (352)
Written answers
The Jobseeker's Transitional Payment is a provision under the Jobseeker’s Allowance scheme that is available to lone parents, under 66, whose youngest child is aged 7 to 13 years inclusive. There is no set payment threshold for Jobseeker's Transitional Payment. Instead, an person's entitlement gradually reduces based on assessable means.
The means disregards for the Jobseeker's Transitional Payment is comprised of three components:
-1. The first €20,000 of capital is disregarded. The following formula is then applied to the value of capital above this amount, as follows: next €10,000 = €1 per €1,000, next €10,000 = €2 per €1,000 and capital in excess of €40,000 = €4 per €1,000.
I 2. Income from employment: the first €165 of weekly earnings is disregarded, with 50% of income above that amount also being disregarded.
- 3. Income from self-employment: is assessed based on the net profit of the business.
Any changes to the Jobseeker's Transitional means tests would have to be considered in a budgetary context, within the scope of the overall resources available for welfare improvements and in conjunction with other social welfare schemes. Calculating the cost of the effects of changes to the means test requires complex analysis. Consequently, it is not possible to provide the costing requested by the Deputy.
Question No. 353 answered with Question No. 351.
Question No. 354 answered with Question No. 349.