Latest news with #DepartmentofSocialProtection
Irish Independent
16 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Kerry carers can earn more and still keep allowance under new changes
Announced last Thursday, the income disregard will rise from €450 per week to €625 per week for single carers, and from €900 per week to €1,250 per week for carers with a spouse or partner. In practical terms, the changes would see a carer in a two-adult household earning up to €69,000 receive the full carer's allowance, while those with incomes up to €97,000 may still qualify for a partial payment. The new changes will immediately benefit 196 family carers in Kerry who are currently receiving the carer's allowance and will receive higher payments due to the threshold increase. The minister said the reforms will also extend eligibility for the carer's allowance 'to more people in Kerry than ever before', once the rules come into effect on July 3. It's believed that 99 per cent of current recipients, nationally, will qualify for the full-rate payment. Welcoming the changes, Minister for Children, Disability, and Equality Norma Foley, said carers make a vital contribution to the wellbeing of their loved ones and also to wider society. She added that Fianna Fáil remains committed to abolishing the means test for carer's allowance and this latest announcement is a positive step forward in that direction. 'The change represents an 88 percent rise in income thresholds since June 2022, reflecting Fianna Fáil's continued commitment to supporting carers in a meaningful and practical way,' Minister Foley said. The carer's allowance supports over 100,000 carers across Ireland. In 2025, spending on this allowance is expected to exceed €1.24 billion. In addition, the Department of Social Protection provides non-means-tested supports such as the Carer's Benefit and the annual Carer's Support Grant of €2,000, which was recently paid to more than 138,000 carers on June 5.
Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- General
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ireland TV licence loophole means some don't have to pay €160 fee in 2025
Most people in Ireland know the rule - if there's a TV in your home or business, you're legally required to pay the €160 annual licence fee, regardless of how you use the device. Whether you're bingeing Netflix, playing video games or even if your television is broken and collecting dust, you're still expected to pay if the equipment is capable of receiving a broadcast signal. Fines of up to €1,000 can be issued to anyone caught without a valid licence. One licence covers an entire home or premises, even if there are multiple TVs. First-time purchases can be made at an An Post office, online or over the phone, and it must be renewed every 12 months. But not everyone has to pay. Thanks to a lesser-known exemption, some people in Ireland can legally avoid the fee in 2025 - and many may not even realise they qualify. The key to this exemption is the Household Benefits Package (HBP), a government support scheme that helps with the cost of household bills, such as electricity and gas. If you're approved for the HBP, you may also be entitled to a free TV licence. To qualify for the HBP and the free TV licence, you must meet specific criteria: Anyone aged under 70 and living with a spouse, cohabitant or civil partner can get the HBP if they are in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment, and other factors apply. In order to get the HBP, they must be getting an increase in their qualifying social welfare payment for their partner/cohabitant, or they are getting their own qualifying social welfare payment, or they are getting a social welfare payment not listed below and they satisfy a means test. They can also live with other adults who are not their spouse, cohabitant or civil partner and still get the HBP. The following social welfare payments will qualify those under 70 for the HBP. For those aged between 66 and 70 and not getting a qualifying social welfare payment, they must pass a means test. In a means test, the Department of Social Protection examines all their sources of income. The person's weekly income must be below a certain amount to pass the means test. The amount of means that they are allowed to have for the HBP is the current maximum rate of State Pension, including any increases that they might get for their age, living alone and dependants, plus €200. The main items included in the means test are: If you believe you meet the criteria, you can apply online at or download and post the application form for the Household Benefits Package. With the cost of living crisis ongoing, it's worth checking if you qualify because this little-known exemption could save you €160 in 2025.
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
RTÉ HR manager denies making worker 'misrepresent' tax status
A senior human resources manager at RTÉ has denied that it procured a media worker to "misrepresent his employment status" to the taxman to get shifts in its newsroom. The worker, Joseph Kelly, claims he was denied the statutory entitlements to paid leave and Sunday premium pay that would normally accrue to an employee while he was engaged by the broadcaster under a "freelance" contract between 2012 and 2018. The State broadcaster, however, argues that Mr Kelly was paid all Sunday premium owed, along with annual leave and public holidays. RTÉ was found liable for a €36,000 bill for the period by the Department of Social Protection after it ruled in 2022 that Mr Kelly had been employed since 2012. However, it maintains the ruling only pertains to insurability of employment and that the claims are out of time. Questioned repeatedly about Mr Kelly's status at a hearing yesterday, a senior human resources manager at RTÉ said: "We absolutely accept the insurability decision. The reality was that the contract Joseph signed was a sole trader agreement. I can't rewrite history, that's what it was." The WRC was hearing evidence in complaints brought under the Organisation of Working Time Act 2005 and the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994 by Mr Kelly. Mr Kelly's representative, Martin McMahon, said the Scope ruling showed his client "should have been treated as an employee" by RTÉ since 2012, and it therefore followed that he had been denied various pay-related statutory rights set out in his complaints. Mr Kelly claims he was denied the entitlement to paid annual leave, not paid for public holidays, and did not receive a premium for Sunday work from 2012 to 2018. He further alleges he was not provided with a statement of his core terms of employment. Giving evidence yesterday, Mr Kelly said: "The way I was brought in was by word of mouth. "My name was given to a guy, I was brought in, talked to a manager, it was a casual interview. When I was coming in, HR said I had to be a sole trader, so I became a sole trader," he said. Mr Kelly said his job at that time in the broadcaster's media ingest department from 2012 to 2018 was to "cover the guys in the room" - all of whom were RTÉ employees - and to do "whatever was needed of me". It was a "high-pressure role" where Mr Kelly and his coworkers received and organised multimedia material and recorded news feeds from across the world in preparation for news broadcasts, the complainant said. "I wouldn't have received time off. It's famine or feast - you might have a month where you might get two days; you might have a month where you only get two days off," Mr Kelly told the hearing. This situation continued from 2012 to 2018, when the ingest room manager "got a promotion" and an employee "moved up" into the management position, leaving an open vacancy, whereupon he "became staff", Mr Kelly said. He told the WRC that due to the fact he was self employed, he "wasn't allowed" to apply for internal jobs. Having received a staff contract, he later secured a more senior position as a newsroom coordinator in 2023, he said. He also said he believed he should have got incremental pay rises and could have advanced to a more senior role more quickly if he had access to internal staff competitions and that he "should be on a higher rate than I'm on now". Addressing Mr Kelly's current contract in cross-examination, RTÉ's solicitor, Seamus Given of Arthur Cox, put it to the complainant that he was on point 12 of a 14-point salary scale in his current role, after 11 years' service. "I'm putting it to you are correctly positioned," Mr Given said. "Well, I would say no," Mr Kelly said. Angela McEvoy, a senior HR manager at RTÉ, gave evidence that in that period Kelly was paid all Sunday premium owed, along with annual leave and public holidays, referring to a payroll report submitted by the broadcaster. Questioning Ms McEvoy, Mr McMahon said: "Joseph was an employee of RTÉ from 2012 to 2018, that's the legal position, uncontested by RTÉ. Joseph's increments would be different if RTÉ accepted all those years of service, yes or no?" "No, we're saying not, because Mr Kelly is on point 12 of the salary scale, that is obviously close to the top of the salary scale," Ms McEvoy said. Asked whether RTÉ informed Mr Kelly that he had been "misclassified as self-employed" when he was first put on an employment contract in 2018, Ms McEvoy said: "No, because there was no need to do that. There was no need to inform Mr Kelly of anything like that." "Joseph was offered employment in RTÉ, but legally Joseph had been an employee from 2012, do you accept that?" Mr McMahon said. "No I don't," Ms McEvoy said. "You've accepted it in Social Welfare, why won't you accept it here?" Mr McMahon asked. "What RTÉ accepted is a PRSI insurability decision going back to 2012," the witness said. Mr McMahon continued to press Ms McEvoy on this point for some time and received the same answer. She said at one stage: "You're saying there's a contract of employment. We absolutely accept an insurability decision. "The reality was that the contract Joseph signed was a sole trader agreement. I can't rewrite history, that's what it was," she said. Addressing the contract for services signed by Mr Kelly in 2012, Mr McMahon put it to her that RTÉ "has the power in that situation" and that there was "no negotiation" of its terms. "I don't accept what you're saying. There is a choice for an individual to sign or not. Nobody is forced to sign," she said. She agreed that it was a term of the contract that a worker "had to be registered as self-employed in order to access a self-employment agreement" with RTÉ at that time. Mr McMahon said it was an offence to "procure an employee to misrepresent themselves to the Revenue Commissioners". "In the contract, black and white, [it states] RTÉ has to receive written confirmation from the Revenue Commissioners that Joseph can be treated as self-employed for tax purposes," Mr McMahon said. "Do you accept RTÉ did procure Joseph to misrepresent himself to Revenue?" Mr McMahon said. "Absolutely not," Ms McEvoy said.
Dublin Live
2 days ago
- General
- Dublin Live
All the social welfare, cost of living, and bill changes in July with plenty of good news
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info There is plenty of good news lined up for the month of July. Between a rule change for a social welfare payment and another scheme remaining open for applications, there is a lot people need to know. Here is everything you need to know for the month of July: Social welfare Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) have opened this month. Some people will automatically qualify for the scheme, with the Department of Social Protection (DSP) expected to let you know if this is the case using your MyWelfare account, or by post. If you don't hear from the DSP by the end of June, you must apply for BSCFA online, even if you got the BSCFA payment last year. Payments for the schemes will begin being made from the week starting Monday, 14 July. If your child is aged between four and 11 on 30 September, you could qualify for a cash boost of €160, whereas, if your child is aged between 12 and 22, you may receive €285. You can find out more about the payment here. Carer's Allowance Carer's Allowance is a weekly social welfare payment to people who care for someone because of their: Age Disability, or Illness (including mental illness) To qualify for the payment, your income must be below a certain amount. If you care for two or more people, your rate of Carer's Allowance is increased by 50% (maximum) each week. If you get another social welfare payment, you may get half-rate Carer's Allowance. In July 2025, the Carer's Allowance income disregard will increase to €625 for a single person and €1,250 for a couple. You can find out more information here. Bills Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) for commercial electric vehicles An emissions-based approach to VRT for category B commercial vehicles is being introduced from 1 July 2025. This will introduce a lower 8% rate for category B vehicles with CO2 emissions of less than 120 grams per kilometre and vehicles with CO2 emissions greater than 120g/km will be at 13.3%. Rent Pressure Zones From 20 June 2025, all private and student-specific accommodation tenancies in Ireland now come under Rent Pressure Zone (RPZ) rules. landlords can increase rent once a year by either the rate of inflation or by 2%, whichever is lowest. You can find out more information about it here. Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
5,884 properties in Wicklow have gained from retrofits since 2019
There has been a 13pc increase in the number of home energy upgrades in 2024, compared with 2023, showing continued momentum in home retrofitting and the uptake in Wicklow has been remarkable, going from 579 properties in 2019, to 1,889 in 2024. The SEAI offers a range of government-funded financial supports, suiting a variety of circumstances, to help property owners achieve their home energy upgrade ambitions. These include: 'Better Energy Homes and Solar PV' grants for individual energy upgrades aimed at homeowners. The 'National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme', a fully project-managed service that provides grant support to private homeowners, private landlords and Approved Housing Bodies that want to upgrade their homes to a BER B2 or better' . 'Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme', which provides a fully funded and fully managed solution for qualifying homeowners in receipt of certain Department of Social Protection payments to upgrade their home. 'Community Energy Grants', which support the upgrading of a wide variety of building stock and facilities to exacting standards of energy efficiency and renewable energy usage, thereby reducing fossil fuel usage, energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. In County Wicklow, some 1,494 properties benefitted under the 'Better Energy Homes and Solar PV' grants scheme; 40 under the 'National Home Energy Upgrade Scheme'; 354 under the 'Better Energy Warmer Homes Scheme'; and just one under the 'Community Energy Grants' scheme. Remarking broadly on the progress, Environment Minister Darragh O'Brien, said: 'This report shows continued steady progress and delivery across SEAI home energy upgrade schemes. It's particularly positive to see that there was a 31pc increase in the delivery of upgrades for energy poverty households, with over 7,700 completed in 2024 – this works out at an average of 150 upgrades every week last year. "Home energy upgrades have the ability to transform people's lives through living in warmer, healthier homes, as well as the added benefit of living in a home that has a lower carbon footprint and lower running costs.' He added: While a lot of progress has been made in the area of retrofits, we know we have to continue to build on and accelerate the level of upgrades taking place.'
