Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 section 68H

Duration of payment

Section 68H sets out how long self-employed individuals can receive Jobseeker's Benefit (Self-Employed), including the rules for requalifying after entitlement is exhausted and special provisions for older claimants approaching pensionable age.

• The benefit is payable for 26 weeks where the claimant has fewer than 260 self-employment contribution weeks, or 39 weeks where they have 260 or more such weeks.
• To requalify after exhausting entitlement, a claimant must have paid 52 self-employment contributions since the last week of entitlement and at least 12 months must have elapsed.
• Receipt of other unemployment payments (jobseeker's allowance, jobseeker's benefit, jobseeker's pay-related benefit, or Short Term Enterprise Allowance) counts towards the duration as if Jobseeker's Benefit (Self-Employed) had been paid; receipt of jobseeker's pay-related benefit for any week counts as six days of Jobseeker's Benefit (Self-Employed).
• Claimants who reach age 65 after their benefit ends may continue receiving it until pensionable age, provided they have 52 qualifying contributions in the governing year and at least 156 contribution weeks since entering insurance, though those born on or after 1 January 1958 must notify the Minister if they wish to continue receiving payment beyond pensionable age.