Disability payments and work

Rules

Social assistance (means-tested) disability payments

Disability Allowance and Blind Pension are means-tested disability payments. If you wish to do rehabilitative work you must get written approval from the Department of Social Protection to retain your Disability Allowance or Blind Pension. For both payments you need to provide a letter from your doctor certifying that the proposed work is rehabilitative. For Disability Allowance you need to provide a letter from your employer describing the proposed employment, the number of hours being worked and how much you will be paid. You do not need to have been getting your payment for a minimum period of time before you can apply.

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. (The means assessed are your gross earnings less PRSI, any pension contributions and any union dues. 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 and still keep an entitlement to the minimum personal payment of €3 (2012).

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 and still keep an entitlement to the minimum personal payment of €3 (2012).

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.

From 13 February 2012 Partial Capacity Benefit replaces the previous exemption arrangements where people on Illness Benefit or Invalidity Pension could get permission to work part-time (known as an exemption) for rehabilitative or therapeutic purposes and keep their full social welfare payment. Those who currently have this permission will not be affected until their permission comes up for review. At that stage, the exemption will no longer be available to them but they have the option of applying for Partial Capacity Benefit.

If you have been getting Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit (for at least 6 months) you can apply for Partial Capacity Benefit if you have a reduced capacity to work. The work does not have to be considered rehabilitative. You may have to pay income tax on your total income. Exemptions for rehabilitative work are no longer available except for FÁS training courses (see below).

Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme and rehabilitative work

Injury Benefit is one of the benefits available under the Occupational Injuries Scheme. If you are getting Injury Benefit you can do light voluntary work. You can also do part-time work which is part of a treatment or charitable in character (provided you do not earn more than €50 a week) without permission. However if you wish to do other rehabilitative work or a training course you must get written permission from the DSP (called an exemption) before starting. Exemptions allowing a person to work are not normally granted within the first 26 weeks of Injury Benefit.

Incapacity Supplement is paid to people who are getting Disablement Benefit and who do not qualify for any other disability payments. You can work provided you do not earn more than €33 a week. However if you wish to do other rehabilitative work or a training course you must get written permission from the DSP before starting. Requests for an exemption to do training courses are automatically granted but subsequent requests are referred to a DSP medical advisor. If you wish to take part in a Community Employment Scheme you cannot retain your Incapacity Supplement but you can retain your Disablement Benefit.

Exemptions (for both work or training courses) are always granted for a specific period of time. At the end of that period you must re-apply. When you are granted an exemption for rehabilitative work you cannot work more than 20 hours a week

People getting Disablement Benefit (without another payment) can work (full- or part-time) and do not need permission from the Department.

Secondary benefits

If you work while getting a disability payment other benefits you may be getting are affected as follows:

*Note that this information only applies to people on Illness Benefit and Invalidity Pension who are currently availing of the exemption for rehabilitative work. From 13 February 2012, people on these payments are only eligible for Partial Capacity Benefit. Those who are on Illness Benefit or Invalidity Pension and who are currently availing of the exemption for rehabilitative work will not be affected until their exemption comes up for review.