Disability payments and work
- Rehabilitative work and disability payments
- Rules
- FÁS training courses
- FÁS Community Employment
- Other rehabilitative employment
Rehabilitative work and disability payments
If you are getting a disability payment such as Disability Allowance, Blind Pension, Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit, you may be allowed to do work that is rehabilitative or therapeutic or participate on a FÁS training course or Community Employment scheme.
From 16 January 2012 new participants on Community Employment schemes will not be able to claim another social welfare payment at the same time.
First you must get written approval from the Department of Social Protection to do rehabilitative work and retain your disability payment. For Disability Allowance, Blind Pension and Invalidity Pension you do not need to have been getting your payment for a minimum period of time before you can apply. However, in general you must have been getting Illness Benefit for at least 6 months before you will be considered for approval.
How a FÁS training allowance or earnings from rehabilitative employment (including Community Employment) affects your disability payment, and any secondary benefits you may be getting, depends on how much your training allowance or earnings are and whether you are getting a social assistance (means-tested) or a social insurance (PRSI-based) disability payment.
Rules
Social assistance (means-tested) disability payments
Disability Allowance and Blind Pension are means-tested disability payments. To qualify for a means-tested payment your income from various sources is examined to see whether it is under a certain level. Some earnings from rehabilitative work are not taken into account in the assessment of your means and do not affect your payment.
For Disability Allowance and Blind Pension, earnings of up to €120 from rehabilitative work are not taken into account at all in the assessment of means. (You deduct PRSI, any pension contributions and any union dues from your gross earnings but you cannot deduct income tax or income levies.)
If you earn more than €120 per week from rehabilitative work, 50% of your earnings between €120 and €350 are not taken into account in the Disability Allowance or Blind Pension means test.
However, all earnings over €350 are assessed as income and your entitlement to Disability Allowance will be reduced in line with the appropriate reduced rates of payment for Disability Allowance. If you have no other means, the maximum amount you can earn is €422.50 (2011) and still keep an entitlement to the minimum personal payment of €3 (2011).
If you are getting Blind Pension any earnings over €350 will also be assessed as income and your entitlement to Blind Pension will be reduced in line with the appropriate reduced rates of payment for Blind Pension. If you have no other means, the maximum amount you can earn is €427.60 (2011) and still keep an entitlement to the minimum personal payment of €3 (2011).
While no restriction has been placed on the number of hours you may work you should use a maximum of 20 hours a week as a guideline.
Social insurance payments
Invalidity Pension and Illness Benefit are social insurance (PRSI-based) payments. If you are getting Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit and take up rehabilitative work you can keep your payment in full, but you may have to pay income tax on your total income.
You must be getting Illness Benefit for 6 months before you can apply to do rehabilitative work. Rehabilitative work must not be more than 20 hours a week.
In practice the Department also operates a limit of 20 hours work a week for
people getting Invalidity Pension.
FÁS training courses
If you are a FÁS trainee on Disability Allowance or Blind Pension you will receive a FÁS training allowance at the same rate as your social welfare payment and an additional training bonus of €31.80. Your social welfare payment is suspended when you are on the training course. You can continue to get your social welfare payment when you leave the training course.
If you are a FÁS trainee on Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit, you will get a standard FÁS training allowance plus your full social welfare payment including any increases you get for your dependents.
Other benefits are affected as follows:
| Secondary Benefit | Disability Allowance | Blind Pension | Invalidity Pension | Illness Benefit |
| Fuel Allowance | Retain | Retain | Lose | Lose |
| Rent Supplement | Retain | Retain | May be affected | May be affected |
| Household Benefits Package | Retain | Retain | Retain | People getting Illness Benefit do not qualify for the Household Benefits Package |
| Medical card | Retain | Retain | May lose | May lose |
| Mobility Allowance | Retain | Retain | Retain | Retain |
| Blind Welfare Allowance | Retain | Retain | Retain | Retain |
FÁS Community Employment
A single adult Community Employment allowance is €208 (2012). This is paid even if you have dependants. As this exceeds the €120 rehabilitative earnings threshold, half of your allowance between €120 and €208 is assessed as means and your Disability Allowance or Blind Pension payment is reduced. Invalidity Pension and Disability Benefit are paid in full but you may be liable for income tax.
From 16 January 2012 new participants on Community Employment schemes will not be able to claim another social welfare payment at the same time.
Other benefits you may be getting are affected as follows:
| Secondary benefit | Disability Allowance | Blind Pension | Invalidity Pension | Illness Benefit |
| Fuel Allowance | Retain | Retain | Lose | Lose |
| Rent Supplement | Will be affected | Will be affected | Will be affected |
Will be affected |
| Household Benefits Package | Retain | Retain | Retain | People getting Illness Benefit do not qualify for the Household Benefits Package |
| Medical card | Retain | Retain | Retain | Retain |
| Mobility Allowance | Retain | Retain | Retain | Retain |
| Blind Welfare Allowance | Retain | Retain | Retain | Retain |
Other rehabilitative employment
If your earnings from rehabilitative employment exceeds the €120 rehabilitative earnings threshold, Disability Allowance and Blind Pension payments are reduced. However, only 50% of earnings between €120 and €350 will be taken into account in the Disability Allowance or Blind Pension means test.
Invalidity Pension and Illness Benefit are paid in full but you may be liable for income tax.
Other benefits you may be getting are affected as follows:
| Secondary Benefit | Disability Allowance | Blind Pension | Invalidity Pension | Illness Benefit |
| Fuel Allowance | Retain | Retain | Lose | Lose |
| Rent Allowance | It will be affected if you are earning more than €120 | It will be affected if you are earning more than €120 | It will be affected if you are earning more than €120 |
It will be affected if you are earning more than €120 |
| Household Benefits Package | Retain | Retain | Lose if you are earning more than €100 | People getting Illness Benefit do not qualify for the Household Benefits Package |
| Medical Card | May be affected | May be affected | May be affected | May be affected |
| Mobility Allowance | Retain | Retain | It will be affected if you are earning more than €120* | It will be affected if you are earning more than €120* |
| Blind Welfare Allowance | Retain | Retain | It will be affected if you are earning more than €120* | It will be affected if you are earning more than €120* |
*If your earnings from rehabilitative employment exceed the €120 rehabilitative earnings threshold, Mobility Allowance and Blind Welfare Allowance payments are reduced. However, only 50% of earnings between €120 and €350 will be taken into account in the means test for Mobility Allowance and Blind Welfare Allowance. If you are earning less than €120 and your Mobility Allowance or Blind Welfare Allowance is reduced you should consider appealing this decision.
Language
Related Documents
- Blind Pension
The Blind Pension is a means tested payment paid to blind and visually impaired people normally living in Ireland. Find out more about this social welfare payment and how to apply. - Working with a disability
There is a range of supports for people with disabilities to assist them to find and keep employment. - FÁS training allowances
If you get a place on a FÁS training course you may be paid an allowance for the duration of your course.
Contact Us
If you have a question relating to this topic you can contact the Citizens Information Phone Service on 0761 07 4000 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm) or you can visit your local Citizens Information Centre.