What am I entitled to when I lose my job?

Losing a job can be a challenging and upsetting experience. If you lose your job, it is important to know that there is information and support available.

What are my entitlements if I lose my job?

If you lose your job, you may have questions about your rights, redundancy and social welfare benefits.

Am I entitled to a redundancy payment if I lose my job?

If you lose your job because your employer is closing the business or reducing staff, this is known as redundancy. Being made redundant is different from being fired, also known as dismissal. In a dismissal, your employer intends to replace you with someone else, while being made redundant means your job has ceased to exist. Find out more about dismissal from work.

If you are made redundant, it is possible that you will be entitled to a redundancy payment if you meet certain conditions. A redundancy payment is a one-off payment based on your pay and how long you have worked with the company.

To be eligible for a redundancy payment, you must:

• Be aged over 16 years of age
• Be in employment that is insurable for all benefits under the social welfare system (PRSI Class “A”)
• Have worked continuously for the employer for at least two years while over the age of 16
• Have been made redundant

If you are a part-time, casual or agency worker you may be eligible for redundancy if you have been in continuous employment for more than two years and meet the other requirements.

Apprentices can also qualify for redundancy unless they are let go within one month of completing an apprenticeship.

You are entitled to a minimum of two weeks’ written notice of redundancy. This notice period increases depending on how long you worked for the employer. Find out more about your rights and entitlements when facing redundancy.

Am I entitled to a social welfare payment if I lose my job?

If you lose your job, you might be entitled to receive a weekly social welfare payment such as Jobseeker’s Benefit or Jobseeker’s Allowance. These payments can help you to support yourself if you are unemployed.

To be eligible for an unemployment payment, you must be:

• Unemployed (fully unemployed or unemployed for at least four days out of seven consecutive days)
• aged between 18 and 66
• available for full-time work
• capable of full-time work
• genuinely seeking employment

Find out if you are eligible to receive social welfare payments.

When you lose your job you should register as unemployed with your local Intreo Centre or social welfare office even if you do not qualify for unemployment payment. You may be able to receive social insurance (PRSI) credits. Keeping your social insurance record active in this way is important as it will help you to protect your social insurance entitlements. Learn more about social insurance credits.

Can I access work and training support if I lose my job?

If you lose your job and want support with job seeking and applying for jobs, Intreo has some free services that can help you. Find out more about how Intreo can support you to find a job.

You might decide to return to education if you lose your job. If you are receiving an unemployment payment, you may be eligible for the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) or the Back to Education Allowance. Your local Intreo Centre or social welfare office can give you more information about these opportunities. 

Need more information?

We are here to answer your questions and talk through your options. Our online chat service is for 16 to 25 year olds and is available Monday to Friday, 4pm to 8pm. Chat to us now about your situation.

• Chat now to a trained Youth Information Officer
• Or leave us a message and we will email you back

Losing your job can be a very challenging experience. If you have lost your job and want to talk to someone about it, you can contact our free text support service 50808: 

Feeling overwhelmed or want to talk to someone right now?

• Get anonymous support 24/7 with our text message support service
• Connect with a trained volunteer who will listen to you, and help you to move forward feeling better
• Free-text SPUNOUT to 50808 to begin

If you are a customer of the 48 or An Post network or cannot get through using the ‘50808’ short code please text HELLO to 086 1800 280 (standard message rates may apply). Some smaller networks do not support short codes like ‘50808’