Q. I am on social welfare payment and I am hoping to go on holidays later in the year with my family. However I’m nervous about my payment. Is this allowed? And is there anything I need to do before going?
Dear Reader,
Thanks for this question, I think it will be of interest to many of our readers, and it is a question we very often get from people.
You must inform the department in advance of any absences from the State, for example for holidays, or funerals abroad, if you are in receipt of a social welfare payment.
In general, people in receipt of welfare payments in Ireland can take up to two weeks holidays each year and still continue to have their social welfare payment paid.
However, you must always contact your local Intreo Centre branch office or your Community Welfare Officer in advance of your trip, or indeed in advance of booking to be extra safe, to check your entitlements before planning or going on holidays.
If your holidays are longer than two weeks or you expect to be abroad for an extended period, your social welfare payment may not be paid.
There are some variations and exceptions to this, depending on what payment you are on.
For instance, people in receipt of the One Parent Family or Jobseekers Transitional payments can be away from the country for up to three weeks. There are also different arrangements for people over 65 on benefit payments, so it is best to always check first with social welfare to make sure you won’t be negatively impacted.
You will need to notify of your intended absence no later than 14 days before your departure.
If you have a MyGov account, it may be possible to give the notification to the department there in advance of your trip. For jobseekers payments, INTREO also have a form you can fill out. For other payments, you may need to contact the relevant section directly.
All that said, we strongly advise you to retain your boarding cards as evidence of the dates you have left and returned to the country, as you may be asked for these by social welfare in the future.