Back to Work Schemes in Ireland

Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA)

The BTWEA supports people who want to become self-employed. If you qualify, you can keep a percentage of your social welfare payment for up to 2 years while you set up your business.

Year	% of social welfare payment retained
Year 1	100%
Year 2	75%

Source: Citizens Information — Back to Work Enterprise Allowance ↗

To qualify you must have been getting a qualifying social welfare payment for at least 9 months (12 months for some payments) and have an approved business plan. Your business idea must be approved in advance by a Department of Social Protection case officer.

You can use the BTWEA a second time after a gap of at least 5 years if you used it before and exhausted your entitlement.

Back to Education Allowance (BTEA)

The BTEA allows people on certain social welfare payments to attend approved second-level or third-level education courses while continuing to receive their social welfare payment at its current rate.

Condition	Detail
Qualifying payments	Jobseeker's Allowance, Jobseeker's Benefit, One-Parent Family Payment, Disability Allowance and others
Minimum time on payment	Generally 9 months (varies by payment and course level)
Course type	Approved second-level or third-level courses leading to a QQI qualification
Payment during course	Your existing social welfare rate continues for the duration of the course

Source: Citizens Information — Back to Education Allowance ↗

All new BTEA claims must be recommended and approved by a Department of Social Protection case officer before you start the course. Do not enrol in a course before getting approval — you may not qualify for the allowance if you do.

Part-Time Education Option

If you are getting Jobseeker's Allowance, Jobseeker's Benefit or Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit, you can attend a part-time day or evening course and continue to receive your full payment — without needing to have been unemployed for any minimum period.

You must continue to be available for and actively seeking full-time work while attending the course. Springboard+ courses are also eligible under this option.

Other supports worth knowing

Scheme	What it does
Community Employment (CE)	Part-time work placements with community organisations, with a weekly payment
Tús	Community work placement initiative for people on Jobseeker's Allowance for 12+ months
JobsPlus	Incentive for employers to hire people who have been long-term unemployed
Springboard+	Free higher education courses in areas of employment demand, open to unemployed people

Source: Citizens Information — Social welfare payments and work ↗