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This case study looks at the choices available to people getting Jobseeker’s Allowance, One-Parent Family Payment and Disability Allowance.

Anne is getting Jobseeker’s Allowance for 9 months and starting a full-time course of further education at second level:

Anne cannot get Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA) and attend full-time education. She should apply for the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA). Her rate of payment on BTEA will be the same as the maximum rate of Jobseeker’s Allowance and she can keep any secondary benefits she is currently getting. However, if she moves from a reduced rate of JA to the maximum rate of JA it may affect her rate of Rent Supplement or Mortgage Interest Supplement. She will not get the maintenance component of a student grant with BTEA, but she will be financially better off on BTEA than she would be on the maintenance grant alone. Anne will get an annual Cost of Education Allowance (sometimes known as a book grant). Income from paid employment will not affect her BTEA or secondary benefits except for Rent Supplement or Mortgage Interest Supplement.

She must still apply to her local authority or VEC to be assessed for the fee component of the student grant, covering the student contribution and any tuition fees/essential field trip costs.

Peter is getting a One-Parent Family Payment for 3 years and starting a full-time course in higher education at third level:

Peter is getting a One-Parent Family Payment which means he has two options and will need to work out which will give him the higher income.

1. Peter can stay on his One-Parent Family Payment and get a student grant (both maintenance and fee components). If he chooses this option he will continue to get his One-Parent Family Payment at his current rate as well as the grant. However, he will lose any secondary benefits such as Rent Supplement or Mortgage Interest Supplement. If he is nearing the end of his entitlement to One-Parent Family Payment, the Back to Education Allowance may be of greater benefit to him because it is paid for the duration of his course.

2. Peter can transfer from One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) to the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA). If he chooses this option, he will not get the maintenance component of the student grant but he will get a Cost of Education Allowance (also known as a book grant). His rate of payment on BTEA will be the same as the maximum rate of One-Parent Family Payment and he can keep any secondary benefits he is currently getting. Moving from a reduced rate of OFP to the maximum rate of OFP may affect his rate of Rent Supplement or Mortgage Interest Supplement. Income from paid employment will not affect his BTEA or secondary benefits except for Rent Supplement or Mortgage Interest Supplement.

He must still apply to his local authority or VEC to be assessed for the fee component of the student grant, covering the student contribution and any tuition fees/essential field trip costs.

Maria is getting a Disability Allowance for a number of years and starting a full-time course in higher education at third level:

Maria is getting a Disability Allowance which means she has two options and will need to work out which will give her the higher income.

1. Maria can stay on Disability Allowance and get a student grant (both maintenance and fee components). If she chooses this option she will continue to get Disability Allowance at her current rate. However, she will lose any secondary benefits she is already getting such as Rent Supplement or Mortgage Interest Supplement. If she is living at home, her parents’ income may affect the amount of maintenance grant she will get. It may mean she will get a reduced amount of maintenance grant, or just the fee component of the student grant, or neither. She must notify the Disability Allowance Section in the Department of Social Protection that she is starting a course of study.

2. Maria can transfer from Disability Allowance (DA) to the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA). If she chooses this option and qualifies for BTEA she will not get the maintenance component of the student grant but will get a Cost of Education Allowance (also known as a book grant). Her rate of payment on BTEA will be the same as the maximum rate of Disability Allowance and she can keep any secondary benefits she is currently getting. Moving from a reduced rate of DA to the maximum rate of DA may affect her rate of Rent Supplement or Mortgage Interest Supplement. Income from paid employment will not affect her BTEA or secondary benefits except for Rent Supplement or Mortgage Interest Supplement.

She must still apply to her local authority or VEC to be assessed for the fee component of the student grant, covering the student contribution and any tuition fees/essential field trip costs.

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