To qualify for a social welfare payment you and/or your employer must have paid PRSI on your behalf two years before the tax year in which you are applying. For example, if you apply for a social welfare payment in 2015, PRSI must have been paid on your behalf in 2013.
Payments based on your PRSI contributions include:
- Illness Benefit
- Jobseeker’s Benefit
- Maternity Benefit
- Adoptive Benefit
- Health and Safety Benefit
- Invalidity Pension
- Widow/Widower/Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory Pension
- Guardian’s Payment (Contributory)
- State Pension (Contributory)
- Treatment Benefit
- Occupational Injuries Benefit
- Carer’s Benefit
For up-to-date information about each of these payments, please visit your local Department of Social Protection office or Citizens Information Bureau or find further information here.