Maternity leave.....

[Diomond]

hi guys, i hv a question , i know its not immigration related, but i really need help,plz dont mind
question is , Can eu national who had worked in ireland for a year can apply for maternity leave from social welfare, And if she is earning less than 352 a week, and PRSI code is A0,eu national came in ireland a year ago.
thanks in advance,

[dalebutt]

Your PRSI class will determine how much you will get in benefit payment, once you have contributed PRSI you will usually receive maternity benefit, if you have paid 39 weeks PRSI in the last 12 months period before the first day of your maternity leave.

If you do not meet that requirement it does not mean you can not get maternity benefit, you can still get if you have paid at least 39 weeks PRSI since you have started work and at least 39 weeks PRSI paid or credited in the relevant tax year or in the tax year immediately following the relevant tax year.

The relevant tax year is last year if you will be going on maternity leave this year. You must also have been paying PRSI up-to the 16th weeks of the end of the week your baby is due.

Say for example, if you have been working for a year plus in the state and have paid more than the required PRSI but unfortunately your work cease a week before you clock the 16th week, and are unable to find employment before you go on leave , you will not be paid maternity benefit.


The Irish maternity benefit is complicated and more of a slap to genuine workers, the system is nothing close to being fair to me. You should contact the welfare department for guidance. The people at the other end of the telephone are always ready to help.

McCarter's Road, Ardarvan, Buncrana, Co. Donegal

Telephone 01 471 5898
LoCall 1890 690 690

If calling from outside the Republic of Ireland please call + 353 1 471 5898
http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/PRSI_holder.aspx

[Diomond]

Your PRSI class will determine how much you will get in benefit payment, once you have contributed PRSI you will usually receive maternity benefit, if you have paid 39 weeks PRSI in the last 12 months period before the first day of your maternity leave.

If you do not meet that requirement it does not mean you can not get maternity benefit, you can still get if you have paid at least 39 weeks PRSI since you have started work and at least 39 weeks PRSI paid or credited in the relevant tax year or in the tax year immediately following the relevant tax year.

The relevant tax year is last year if you will be going on maternity leave this year. You must also have been paying PRSI up-to the 16th weeks of the end of the week your baby is due.

Say for example, if you have been working for a year plus in the state and have paid more than the required PRSI but unfortunately your work cease a week before you clock the 16th week, and are unable to find employment before you go on leave , you will not be paid maternity benefit.


The Irish maternity benefit is complicated and more of a slap to genuine workers, the system is nothing close to being fair to me. You should contact the welfare department for guidance. The people at the other end of the telephone are always ready to help.

McCarter's Road, Ardarvan, Buncrana, Co. Donegal

Telephone 01 471 5898
LoCall 1890 690 690

If calling from outside the Republic of Ireland please call + 353 1 471 5898
http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/PRSI_holder.aspx

Thanks for ur detailed reply,
Actually she started work in week a when she came to the state, its been more than a year , but PRSI on the payslips shoes 0.00 as she been earning less than 352 a week but had a parmanent job for 32 hours a week. she has been working more than 39 weeks anyway, but when u earn less than 352 and tax code is A0 and PRSI deductions are 0.00 , Can u still be eligible for leave or you hv to hv paying such amount??????

[dalebutt]

That would mean she has not paid any PRSI, she would most likely not qualify for maternity payment. It is better to call them and get clarifications. They will most likely give you a definite answer on the phone.

[Diomond]

That would mean she has not paid any PRSI, she would most likely not qualify for maternity payment. It is better to call them and get clarifications. They will most likely give you a definite answer on the phone.

Thanks again,
But what about the PRSI, her employer paying. As long as i know PRSI is to be paid by both, employee as well as employer, So her employer must hv paid PRSI , Any idea about that?

[dalebutt]

Yes employers pay PRSI for their employee, how much or if they have paid at all in your wife's/partner's case I cannot confirm.

If your wife contact the welfare office, and give them her PPS number , they will be able to tell her straight away how much PRSI contributions she has accumulated.

[Brigid from Ireland]

Even if you do not think you qualify, you should apply for maternity benefit. This is because based on the information given she definitely gets credits, which are useful if you need to claim social welfare in later years.

There are different ways to qualify for benefit - the simplest is to have 39 weeks prsi paid as an employee in the 12 months before you begin leave, so I think she qualifies.

At least two weeks must be taken before the baby is due (sometimes the doctors get the due date wrong, and then if you are working until the birth the maternity benefit begins on the day of birth).

Earning 350 euro a week is fine - class A0 prsi is fine (actually earning 38 euro or more every week is fine).

PRSI paid if your home country (eg Poland) is also counted for many social welfare benefits here, but I think she is fine if she has worked for one year (or even for 41 weeks) before giving birth.

Congratualtions on the baby.

[Brigid from Ireland]

Hi Dalebutt,

In those circumstances you should ask a friend to employ you for one week, to meet the conditions. Most employers would actually keep you on for the extra week, if asked and if you explained the reason why. Or else try to get even one day of work with an agency in the 16 weeks before birth.

[Diomond]

Even if you do not think you qualify, you should apply for maternity benefit. This is because based on the information given she definitely gets credits, which are useful if you need to claim social welfare in later years.

There are different ways to qualify for benefit - the simplest is to have 39 weeks prsi paid as an employee in the 12 months before you begin leave, so I think she qualifies.

At least two weeks must be taken before the baby is due (sometimes the doctors get the due date wrong, and then if you are working until the birth the maternity benefit begins on the day of birth).

Earning 350 euro a week is fine - class A0 prsi is fine (actually earning 38 euro or more every week is fine).

PRSI paid if your home country (eg Poland) is also counted for many social welfare benefits here, but I think she is fine if she has worked for one year (or even for 41 weeks) before giving birth.

Congratualtions on the baby.

Thanks very much Brigid of Ireland, To be honest i thought so but i was confused. I hope she will qualify. Thanks again

[dalebutt]

Thanks for the tip Brigid, we completely miss that, my wife lost out on the benefit solely for that reason, she had been paying prsi and Universal credit totaling 500 Euros every month and just because there wasn't jobs forthcoming from the agency she was working for, she lost out because of the 16 weeks rules.

We actually have someone who could have employed her for a week or more on a short time, gutted now!

[Brigid from Ireland]

Hi Dalebutt,

Not sure when the child was born?

If the child is not born yet she can still work the day if that is enough to get her to qualify.

I presume she knows that if she was suffering from complications of pregnancy she could apply for illness benefit - before and after the birth? This might be backdated for as much as six months, if it applies.

Also as she had lost her job she could apply for unemployment benefit? This is payable during/after pregnancy, you just don't get asked to look for work, as baby is too small for first few months.

PRSI paid in another EU country could be used to help qualify for any of the above.

I presume she claimed her maternity benefit credits if she got no payment from social welfare - these are useful in the future. If she is still not working I presume she is signing for credits (eg unemployment credits), even if there is no payment due to her.

The Irish attitude in general is as follows: these are the conditions and how do I satisfy these conditions?

Other tips that may help: If she paid tax she may be due a refund.

If dad is working 20 or more hours per week, and is low income, he may be due Family Income Supplement as soon as the child is born.

She can apply at any time for Jobseekers Assistance - this is based on dad's income, so she may not get any money, but should get credits.

If you are on credits it is VERY useful if you get one week of salary at 300 euro or more for that week. Complicated reason, but basically can make a big difference if you are unemployed two years later.

[Diomond]

thanks brigid, Wht about is dad is working and paying PRSI , Do they can count as well or just the mother, And how dad credit can be beneficial????

[dalebutt]

The child is actually a year old now, she had pregnancy complications which was actually a serious one, she did a series of test at the Galway University Teaching Hospital, which was sent to France for determination. Because she was working for an agency and she has not actually been laid off by them, we thought it might be complicated applying for unemployment benefit and that she might not even qualify as she might be deemed to be in employment.

I wish we had this information then it would surely have made a difference, we have left Ireland though, my wife always go on about it, she felt cheated by the system.

[Brigid from Ireland]

Hi Diomond,

Sorry - that last post was for Dalebutt.

PRSI must be paid by the mother in order for her to get maternity benefit - if dad is paying that does not help. But I think from what you say that your wife is ok as I think she has enough prsi paid.

Hi Dalebutt

Ok. She was not unemployed, and based on what you say she was entitled to illness benefit (assuming she met the prsi conditions for that).

I understand her feelings in the matter - it is the sense that it was unfair as much as the money that upsets her.

It is not good for her to keep thinking about it - best to focus on having a nice baby rather than on this matter. Congratulations on the baby.

[sun_in_rome]

Can Pregnant women take holidays or days off form job for 8-9 weeks on 9th week of pregnancy???? or it has to be near delivery only????

[Brigid from Ireland]

Any person, pregnant or not, can take holiday leave whenever they agree this with the employer.

A preganant woman is entitled to paid time off to attend the doctor for antenatal visits.

If your wife takes unpaid holidays this may have an impact (or may have no impact) on her entitlement to maternity benefit. She should check this before taking unpaid leave.

Maternity leave may be taken between 2 and 16 weeks before the expected birth of the child. So if you want leave 16 weeks before the child is born you have a right to this, and it lasts for 26 weeks. Most women take two weeks before birth, as this keeps 24 weeks for after the birth, to spend time with baby.

If your wife is sick during pregnancy she can take sick leave and if she has paid prsi in her employement she can apply for illness benefit (188 per week if she has paid enough prsi).