Back to Education Allowance

Information

If you are unemployed, getting a One-Parent Family Payment or have a disability, you may be able to pursue approved second-or third-level education courses through the Back to Education Allowance scheme. Participants in the scheme get a standard rate of payment that is not means-tested. 

The allowance is payable for the duration of the course. If you were previously getting an unemployment or jobseeker's payment, you will not get the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) during the summer period between academic years. If you are unable to secure employment during the summer months, you may be able to apply for Jobseeker's Benefit or Jobseeker's Allowance. However, you may continue to get BTEA if you are on work placement or experience that is an essential part of your course.

Cost of Education Allowance

In addition to your weekly payment, you will also be entitled to an annual Cost of Education Allowance, which is payable at the start of each academic year. The amount of the allowance is €500. In September 2008, the Cost of Education Allowance was extended to people signing on for unemployment credits.

Keeping your secondary benefits

If you qualify for the Back to Education Allowance, you will keep an entitlement to any secondary benefits you already have, for example, Christmas Bonus, Fuel Allowance, or Rent Supplement and Mortgage Interest Supplement under the Supplementary Allowance Scheme. However, any increase in income will be assessed and may affect your entitlement to Rent Supplement or Mortgage Interest Supplement or the amount of supplement you get. For example, if you changed from a reduced social welfare payment to the standard BTEA rate. 

Student maintenance grants

From 2010, if you are starting a new course and getting a Back to Education Allowance, you will not get a student maintenance grant. However, this does not affect any entitlement you may have to an exemption from college fees or student support charges.

Spouse/partner can qualify for BTEA

You may qualify for BTEA if you are not getting a social welfare payment but your spouse/partner is getting an Increase for a Qualified Adult in their social welfare payment for you.

To qualify your spouse/partner must have an entitlement to BTEA and be getting an Increase for a Qualified Adult in his/her social welfare payment for you as an adult dependant. You must be a Qualified Adult (6 months for Second Level Option or 9/12 months for Third Level Option, see ‘Rules’ below), of a person who would qualify for the BTEA scheme.

If you qualify for BTEA because you are an adult dependant, you will get the same social welfare payment as your spouse/partner but at the maximum standard personal rate. Your spouse/partner will keep his/her entitlement to his/her personal rate of payment. You will also qualify for the annual Cost of Education Allowance.

If you get the Back to Education Allowance your spouse/partner can still keep his/her entitlement to the allowance. 

Rules

To qualify for the Back to Education Allowance, you must be at least 21 years of age (24 years of age for a third-level postgraduate course). For exceptions to the age limit - see below.

If you wish to attend a second level course you must be getting one of the social welfare payments listed below for at least 6 months immediately before you start the course (3 months if you are a jobseeker and out of the formal education system for at least 2 years).

If you wish to attend a third level course you must be getting one of the social welfare payments listed below for 12 months immediately before you start the course (9 months if you are assessed and approved by FÁS under the National Employment Action Plan or a Facilitator from DSFA).

Qualifying social welfare payments are:

• Jobseeker's Allowance or Jobseeker's Benefit
• Farm Assist
• One-Parent Family Payment
• Deserted Wife's Benefit/Allowance
• Widow/Widower's (Contributory) Pension
• Widow/Widower's (Non-Contributory) Pension
• Prisoners Wife's Allowance
• Carer's Allowance (after your caring responsibilities have finished)

If you are getting Illness Benefit for 2 years or more you can also also qualify for the Allowance.

Time spent on BTEA, VTOS, FÁS training courses, Fáilte Ireland Training course, Community Employment schemes, FIT, Rural Social Scheme, Back to Work Allowance, FÁS Job Initiative, Job Assist, Supplementary Welfare Allowance, in prison or in Direct Provision can count towards the qualifying period. You may go directly from one of the above schemes to Back to Education Allowance provided you were getting one of the qualifying social welfare payments listed above before you started the scheme. You must start your approved course of study within four weeks of leaving the scheme. Otherwise you must be getting a qualifying social welfare payment immediately before starting an approved course of study.

If you are awarded statutory redundancy and entitled to one of the qualifying social welfare payments you may get the the Back to Education Allowance.

If you qualify for credited contributions, these will continue to be awarded while you are taking part in the Back to Education Allowance scheme. If you are signing for unemployment credits only, you may qualify to participate in the scheme but you will not get a Back to Education Allowance. However, you will get the Cost of Education Allowance which is a once off payment.

Exceptions to the age limit

To qualify for the Back to Education Allowance, you must be at least 21 years of age (24 years of age for a third-level postgraduate course).

However, if you are getting Jobseeker's Allowance, Jobseeker's Benefit or One-Parent Family Payment for the required period of time and aged between 18 and 20 and you have been out of the formal education system for at least 2 years you may qualify for Back to Education Allowance.

If you are aged 18 or over and getting Blind Pension, Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension or Incapacity Supplement for the required period of time you may qualify for the Allowance. The allowance has also been extended to people with disabilities who have left Community Employment schemes and who, when beginning the scheme, were not receiving a qualifying social welfare payment. They must begin the course within 4 weeks of finishing the scheme.

Study options

There are two study options available under the scheme:

• Second-level option
• Third-level option.

Second-level option

You can attend a second-level course of education at any secondary, community, comprehensive or vocational school. The course must be full-time and to a certificate recognised by the Department of Education and Science or approved by the Further Education and Training Awards Council, for example, Junior Certificate, Leaving Certificate, Post Leaving Certificate or a City and Guilds Certificate.

Third-level option

You can attend a third-level course of education at any university, third-level college or institution, provided that the course is a full-time day course of study and is approved by one of the following:

• Department of Education and Science for Higher Education Grant purposes
• VEC Scholarship Scheme
• Third Level Maintenance Grant Scheme for Trainees
• Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC) recognition.

If you already have an undergraduate third-level qualification, (i.e., you already have a degree) your application for a Back to Education Allowance may still be considered. You should get in touch directly with the Back to Education Allowance Section at the Department of Social and Family Affairs.

You may get the Back to Education Allowance for a postgraduate course of study that leads to a Higher Diploma (H.Dip.) qualification in any discipline or a Graduate Diploma in Education (primary and secondary teaching). Other types of postgraduate qualifications are not recognised for BTEA.

You will not get BTEA if you already have a postgraduate qualification.

Back to Education Allowance is not payable during the summer months. You may however be eligible for Jobseeker's Allowance or Jobseeker's Benefit.  

Monitoring arrangements

You must provide a certificate from the school/college in question confirming your registration, commencement and attendance at the course. You will be requested to supply this information before payment can begin. During the course of the academic year, you may be asked to provide confirmation that you are still taking part in the course.

If you are currently getting an unemployment payment and qualify for participation in the scheme, you will no longer be required to sign on at your local social welfare office.

Rates

Back to Education Allowance is paid at a standard rate, so if you are currently getting a reduced rate of payment, you will be entitled the maximum standard rate of payment. If you are already getting the maximum rate, you will continue to do so.

If you are getting an unemployment payment, you will be paid a Back to Education Allowance equivalent to the maximum standard rate of Jobseeker's Benefit or Jobseeker's Allowance. It will include any increases for a qualified adult and qualified children.

Back to Education Allowance is payable in the same way as your current social welfare payment.

How to apply

Contact your local second- or third-level school or college to get details of the courses available. Schools or colleges will also advise you on how to obtain a place on the course of your choice.

When you are accepted on a course, you should notify the Department of Social and Family Affairs by downloading and completing the Back to Education Allowance application form (pdf), which is also available from your Social Welfare Local Office.

If you are getting an unemployment payment, you should return your application form to your Social Welfare Local Office.

If you are getting One-Parent Family Payment, Deserted Wife's Benefit/Allowance, Widow's/Widower's Pension, Prisoners Wife's Allowance or Blind Pension, return your completed form to the relevant section in the Pension Services Office, Department of Social and Family Affairs, College Road, Sligo - see below.

If you are getting Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Incapacity Supplement or Carer's Allowance you should return your completed form to the relevant section in the Social Welfare Services Office, Ballinalee Road, Longford - see below.

If you are getting Illness Benefit (for 2 or more years), your completed form should be returned to the Back to Education Programme office - see 'Where to apply' below.

Where to apply

If you are getting Illness Benefit contact:


If you are getting One-Parent Family Payment, a deserted wife's payment, Widow's/Widower's (Non-Contributory) Pension, Widow's/Widower's (Contributory) Pension or Blind Pension contact:


If you are getting Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Incapacity Supplement or Carer's Allowance contact: