Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 section 238B

Entitlement to dividend

Section 238B sets out the entitlement conditions, restrictions and definitions for the back to work family dividend, a payment designed to support people with children who move off certain welfare payments into employment or self-employment.

• A person who stops claiming jobseeker's benefit, jobseeker's allowance, blind pension, disability allowance, one-parent family payment or certain other qualifying payments — because they (or their spouse, civil partner or cohabitant) take up employment or self-employment — may be entitled to the back to work family dividend, provided they were receiving a child-related increase in that payment and had been claiming for at least 312 days (with at least 156 of those in the preceding 12 months).
• Only one dividend is payable per couple, and the claimant must be under pensionable age (or, if born on or after 1 January 1958 and over pensionable age, must be under 70 and not yet in receipt of a State pension (contributory)).
• The dividend is not payable where the person or their spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is receiving most other social welfare benefits or assistance payments, is participating in a qualifying scheme, or has ceased to be employed or self-employed — though it may continue for up to 36 days during a period of illness where illness benefit or injury benefit is also payable.
• The claimant must be habitually resident in the State, and "couple" for these purposes means a married couple living together, civil partners living together, or cohabitants.