Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment
The Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (JST) is a means-tested payment under the Jobseeker’s Allowance Scheme for people who are parenting alone. If you have been in receipt of One-Parent Family Payment, and the payment is ending because your youngest child will be 7, you may be eligible for this payment.
You may also be eligible if you are parenting alone or sharing parenting following the end of your relationship, and you have a child aged between 7 and 13 who lives with you for 50 percent of the time or more. You can apply for JST even if you were not in receipt of One-Parent Family Payment previously.
The payment is designed to support you back into work when your children are older. You will need to meet certain conditions for payment, but you do not have to meet the requirement of being available for, and actively seeking, full-time work.
If you are married or in a civil partnership but your relationship has ended and you are no longer living together, you will need to be living apart for three months to qualify. This does not apply to unmarried applicants who were cohabiting.
The main conditions for Jobseeker’s Transitional payment are as follows:
- You have your child living with you who is aged between 7 and 13 (the payment ends when the youngest child reaches 14)
- You are capable of work
- You meet the means test
- You are not living with a spouse, civil partner or partner cohabiting
While in receipt of Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment:
- You do not have to be available for, or seeking, full time work.
- You can study full-time and keep your payment.
- You do not have to be fully unemployed for 4 out of 7 days; this means you could work part time across more than 3 days and still receive a payment.
Payment rate for 2024
- Personal Rate: €232 weekly
- €46 for each dependent child aged 0-12
- €54 for each dependent child aged 12+
Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment and Employment
You can work and earn €165 gross per week before your rate of payment is affected. Half of the remaining amount of your gross weekly earnings is assessed as means and deducted from the maximum weekly payment. If you are self-employed, then the weekly disregard of €165 does not apply. All of your net profit is assessed as means.
With this payment you do not need to be available for full-time work, or genuinely seeking work if you are caring for your children. However, you will be expected to meet with the Department from time to time, at their request, to consider what options may be available to you, to plan for work in the future. You may also be required to take recommended courses of education or training.
You cannot get the Working Family Payment (WFP) in addition to the Job-Seeker’s Transitional Payment.
How to Apply
You can apply for the JST payment at your local INTREO centre. You can also download the application form and return it, with the relevant documentation, to your local INTREO centre. Information on the Department’s website, including the application form, is here.
Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment and Maintenance
There is information on the changes to how maintenance is to be assessed on our website here: Changes to how child maintenance is treated.
Page last modified 8th February 2024