SWA Payment Pending Wages

SWA – Payment Pending Wages

If you have been offered employment, and the job is paid on a monthly or biweekly basis, it could mean that you may be waiting days/weeks to be paid your first salary – with no Jobseeker’s payment available.

In support of Jobseekers in these circumstances, the Department of Social Protection (DSP) can make available payment through the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme to financially support Jobseeker's in taking up employment.

This basic SWA payment can be made for up to 30 days for anyone returning to/taking up work, where they would no longer qualify for a Jobseeker’s payment because they are in full-time employment. The ‘Payment Pending Wages’ payment is means tested (the income savings, investments, employment/self-employment of your spouse/partner are taken into consideration), and is paid as a weekly payment and at a rate of €2 less than that of any previous Jobseeker's payment.

There is no automatic entitlement to a basic SWA payment while pending wages. Eligibility for any payment are determined on an individual case by case basis. This payment is not repayable to the department when the person receives their wages.

Applications for ‘Payment Pending Wages’ can be made under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme at your local Intreo Centre or Social Welfare Branch Office.

Return to The Main Types of SWA Payments

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person in green shirt holding white plastic pack