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Know
your rights - June 2004
- Q. I heard that the EU Form E111 which I used to get from my Health
Board when going on holidays has been replaced. What has replaced it?
- A.You are right. It has been replaced by a new European Health Insurance
Card.
Previously, if you were going on a short stay to an EU country (excluding
UK), an EEA country (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) or to Switzerland
it was advisable to have an E111 form from your local Health Board to
cover you and your family for public healthcare should you become ill
or injured while away. From June 2004 this form has been replaced by
a European Health Insurance Card. The card is valid for up to two years
and you will need a card for each person travelling.
You can apply for the card online at www.ehic.ie if you have a Medical
Card or a Drugs Payment Scheme Card. You can also download application
forms from the website or get them from your local Health Board. You
will have to provide your name, address, date of birth and Personal
Public Service (PPS) Number.
You should apply for the Card at least ten working days before travelling.
If there is not enough time to get a card you can get a Temporary Replacement
Certificate from your Health Board instead for each person travelling,
which will cover you.
Apart from people going on holidays, other people who should apply for
the card are:
- Those going on business trips
- Those going to look for work
- Those posted to work in one of the countries mentioned, temporarily,
but still paying tax in Ireland
- Those going to do a course of study
- Those going temporarily for any other purpose where healthcare
itself is not the purpose.
Further information is available from your local Health Board and
from the Citizens Information Centre.
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- Q. I understand that the surviving spouse/partner
of someone who dies can continue to receive the deceased’s social
welfare payment for six weeks after he/she dies. Is this true?
- A. Up to June this year it was not true in all cases. Improvements
were introduced by the Department of Social and Family Affairs.in 2003.
However, these improvements did not cover all cases. If, for example,
the deceased was receiving a Contributory Old Age Pension and his/her
spouse/partner was receiving Invalidity Pension, the Contributory Old
Age Pension would not continue to be paid for six weeks after the death.
From June 2004, however, such cases should no longer arise under the
new arrangements which are as follows:
- Where a person dies who was receiving a social welfare payment
which included an increase for his/her spouse/partner, or would
have been if the spouse/partner was not receiving a social welfare
payment in his/her own right, the deceased’s payment continues
to be paid for six weeks after the death.
- Where the spouse/partner dies for whom an increase is being paid
the increase continues to be paid for six weeks.
- Where a child dies for whom an increase is being paid the increase
continues to be paid for six weeks.
- Where a person is receiving One Parent Family Payment and he/she
has only one child, if the child dies the payment including the
increase for the child continues to be paid for six weeks.
- Where a person is receiving Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s
Benefit and the person who is being cared for dies, the carer’s
payment continues to be paid for six weeks after the death.
The relevant section in the Department of Social and Family Affairs
should be notified of the death. If the deceased was receiving Unemployment
Benefit or Unemployment Assistance, the local Social Welfare Office
should be notified.
Further information is available from the Citizens Information Centre.
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- Q. I am hoping to start my first job next month.
What should I do so that I do not have to pay too much tax?
- A. To ensure your tax is dealt with properly and that your employer
deducts the correct amount of tax there are two things you must do.
You should give your employer your Personal Public Service Number (PPS
No.). This number is your unique personal identification number for
public services in Ireland. Your employer should then let your tax office
know that you have started work and that they are your employer. If
you do not know your PPS No. or you wish to apply for one contact your
local Social Welfare Office.
You should apply on a Form 12A for a ‘Certificate of Tax Credits
and Standard Rate Cut-Off Point’ to your employer’s tax
office. You can ask your employer for the application form and the address
of the tax office. If your employer does not have a Form 12A, you can
get one from any tax office or by telephoning LoCall 1890 306 706.
To ensure that your employer and the tax office have time to have everything
sorted out before your first pay-day, it is advisable to do all this
as soon as you accept an offer of a job (even for part-time or holiday
employment). The tax office will then forward you a detailed statement
of your tax credits. Your employer will also be notified of your tax
credits.
Your own personal circumstances dictate the amount of tax credits you
are entitled to and therefore how much tax you must pay. All workers
have tax credits – for example, a single person has a Personal
Credit of €1,520 and an Employee Credit (previously PAYE Credit)
of €1,040 in the tax year 2004. If you are single your tax is calculated
on your gross pay at 20% of your earnings below €28,000 and at
42% of the balance. This gives you your gross tax liability. Your tax
credits are then subtracted from this figure and the remainder is the
amount of tax you will pay. The tax you pay is spread over the tax year
so that you receive approximately the same wages each week.
Further information is available from the Citizens Information Centre.
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- Q. I understand the new Rural Social Scheme announced
in the Budget has been recently launched by the Department of Community,
Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. Who is the scheme for?
- A. The Rural Social Scheme (RSS) aims to provide income support for
farmers who are in receipt of long-term social welfare payment and to
provide certain services of benefit to rural communities, such as environmental
maintenance work or care of the elderly. Low-income fishermen may also
be eligible. To be eligible for the scheme you must be:
- In receipt of Farm Assist OR
- Have a herd number and be in receipt of long-term Unemployment
Assistance, Unemployment Benefit (if previously on a Community Employment
Scheme) or Disability Allowance.
The dependent spouse of a qualified farmer is eligible to participate
on the scheme instead of the farmer. Those currently on Community
Employment (CE) Schemes, who meet the eligibility criteria, may be
able to transfer.
You work 19½ hours per week on an RSS and you are initially
accepted for 12 months. If you are receiving Farm Assist, Unemployment
Assistance or Unemployment Benefit you receive a payment from the
scheme instead of your social welfare payment. The rates of payment
are similar to FÁS CE rates:
| Participant |
Qualified Adult |
Child Dependant |
€159.20 |
€89.40 |
€16.80 |
If you are receiving Disability Allowance, you continue to receive
it and also receive a top-up payment from the scheme to bring you
up to these rates. A person receiving a maximum Disability Allowance
of €134.80 would receive a top-up of €24.40 per week.
You should check with the Department of Social and Family Affairs
and your local Health Board to see if your secondary benefits such
as a Medical Card, Fuel Allowance, etc are affected. Apart from your
farming work you are not permitted to earn more than €88.88 from
other employment.
Further information is available from your local LEADER or Údarás
na Gaeltachta office and from the Citizens Information Centre.
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