New Jobs Plus Scheme

Hiring staff? Consider the new jobs plus scheme announced last week.

A new scheme announced last week is offering employers up to a €10,000 subsidy if they hire someone off the dole.In an effort to ramp up job creation, the scheme launched by the Taoiseach Enda Kenny, will see employers receive a €1 in every €4 refund if they hire a worker who has been on the dole for more than a year. The subsidy will be paid on a monthly basis over a two-year period.

There are two levels of subsidy. If you take on a worker who has been on the dole for over one year you will receive €7,500 over the two years. However if the person you employ has been unemployed for over 2 years €10,000 is the refund.

The rules to qualify are less stringent than previous schemes. The job you are offering must be over 30 hours a week across 4 days. The new hire should not displace another employee, you have to be registered with the Revenue as an employer and be fully compliant with all Irish tax and employment laws. Unlike other schemes there are no limits on the number of employees you can take on under the scheme.

How can an employer apply?

The scheme will be operated by the Department of Social Protection and a new website jobsplus.ie has been developed to manage the application process. To start the process simply log on to www.jobsplus.ie and fill in an online application form. The Department of Social Protection will check your application and they will check that you have a tax clearance cert. once they have done this they will let you know if you are approved. Once you have been approved you can then proceed to start recruitment.

We can help

The responsibilities faced by employers can be intimidating, but we can guide you through the processes, costs, calculations and deadlines and take care of everything for you.

Date published 18 Jul 2013

This article is intended to inform rather than advise and is based on legislation and practice at the time. Taxpayer’s circumstances do vary and if you feel that the information provided is beneficial it is important that you contact us before implementation. If you take, or do not take action as a result of reading this article, before receiving our written endorsement, we will accept no responsibility for any financial loss incurred.