JobsPlus is a new employer incentive which encourages and rewards employers who employ jobseekers on the Live Register. This incentive replaced the Revenue Job Assist and Employer Job (PRSI) Exemption Scheme in 1 July 2013. It is designed to encourage employers and businesses to employ people who have been out of work for long periods. Eligible employers who recruit full-time employees on or after 1 July 2013 may apply for the incentive.

The Department of Social Protection will pay the incentive to the employer monthly in arrears over a 2-year period. It will provide 2 levels of regular cash payments:

• A payment of €7,500 for each person recruited who has been unemployed for more than 12 but less than 24 months,
• A payment of €10,000 for each person recruited who has been unemployed for more than 24 months

Rules for Employers

JobsPlus is available to all employers in the private (including commercial semi-state), community, not-for-profit and voluntary sectors. However it is not open to public service employers. Employers can avail of Jobsplus when filling positions that arise as a consequence of natural turnover.

Employers must meet the following conditions:

• The business must be registered as a PAYE employer with the Revenue Commissioners.
• The employer must be compliant with Irish tax and employment laws. Employers will be asked to give an officer of the Department of Social Protection permission to check their status with the Revenue Commissioners and to obtain a Tax Clearance Certificate using Revenue’s on line service.
• The employer must offer full-time employment of over 30 hours per week, spanning at least 4 days per week. The eligible employee must be on the payroll of the company and subject to PAYE and PRSI.
• Employers must give details of the work force prior to application, where an increase in the work force is not evident employers will be asked to provide additional information to the Department to support the application.

Employees

Eligible employees must:

• Be getting Jobseekers Benefit or Jobseekers Allowance, or signing on for credits

And

• Be at least 12 months (312 days) on the Live Register in the previous 18 months to qualify as an eligible employee for the €7,500 incentive

Or

• Be at least 24 months (624 days) on the Live Register in the previous 30 months to qualify as an eligible employee for the higher incentive of €10,000

People taking part in internships under JobBridge and the Work Placement Programme (WPP) who were getting a qualifying payment prior to their internship may be employed directly from these schemes once the required qualifying period and conditions are satisfied.

Other supports

Family Income Supplement: New employees under the JobsPlus scheme may be entitled to get Family Income Supplement

Medical card: People who have been unemployed for at least 12 months may keep their medical card for 3 years when they take up new employment.

Employers - How to Apply

If an employer decides to recruit an additional employee, they can log on to jobsplus.ie and complete an online application form. Once this is submitted an officer of the Department of Social Protection (DSP) will review and check the tax clearance certificate is in order and email the employer if it is approved.

Once eligibility is confirmed by the DSP an employer may start to recruit, either by contacting their local employment services office or their local Intreo centre for details of suitably experienced and qualified candidates for their vacancy.

Further information

You can get further information about JobsPlus by logging on to www.jobsplus.ie.

“The information herein is reproduced from the Citizens Information Board in accordance with the Regulations on the Re-use of Public Sector information, and in particular we acknowledge here its source. Every care has been taken to reproduce the information accurately”.