Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 section 68C

Entitlement to benefit and qualifying conditions

Section 68C sets out the eligibility requirements for self-employed individuals to claim jobseeker's benefit when their business ceases or they become unemployed.

• Claimants must be under pensionable age (or aged 66–69 if born on or after 1 January 1958 and not receiving the State pension contributory), meet the required PRSI contribution conditions, and not currently be engaged in self-employment.
• The claimant must be capable of work, actively seeking suitable employment, and able to prove their unemployment status through prescribed methods, including electronic declaration.
• The Minister may issue regulations defining what constitutes being available for and genuinely seeking work, taking account of factors such as work history, duration of unemployment, and local job market conditions.
• A person who works four or more days in insurable employment during any payment week loses entitlement to the benefit for that week, though days worked as a retained firefighter are excluded from this count.