AN IMAGE OF a social welfare payment receipt has gone viral on social media in recent weeks and is being used to suggest that migrants or people not originally from Ireland can receive a higher rate of jobseeker’s payment than Irish people.

This is not the case, however, and the image and commentary attached to it are misleading.

The image in question shows a receipt from the Department of Social Protection for a jobseeker’s payment. The receipt shows a full name and a date, as well as the amount paid: €584.

While the image does look like a real Jobseeker’s Allowance receipt, there is no way to know whether the image that has been shared is real or if it has been doctored.

According to the receipt, the payment period is for a single six-day period in July.

The exact origin of the image is unclear; however, it has been shared widely across social media platforms, often with negative, xenophobic and false commentary.

The image that has been shared widely on social media.

“Struggling to feed your children?… This is exactly why they are all flocking to Ireland, That’s just a weeks payment for a single person,” one individual wrote on Twitter.

The tweet in question has been viewed close to 287,000 times and retweeted over 1,500 times. Many of the retweets amplify and support the claim made in the original tweet.

The image has also been shared widely on Facebook, where similar commentary is attached, supporting the suggestion that “migrants” or people from outside of Ireland are given a higher rate of welfare payments than people from Ireland.

The claim plays into a common theme in anti-migrant misinformation narratives: that migrants are treated better in their host countries than the citizens of those countries.

‘No special rates’

However, the claim is not true.

In a statement, the Department of Social Protection said that it does not comment on individual cases. However, commenting generally, a spokesperson said:

“Jobseeker’s Allowance is a means-tested scheme available to jobseekers seeking full time work… There are no special rates in place for migrants or other individuals.

“The maximum weekly personal rate is €220 which is paid to an individual. The total payment may increase depending on the household composition of the applicant. For example, a couple would receive €366 and a couple with two children (of which one is aged under 12 years and the other is aged over 12 years) would receive €458.

In some cases, the weekly payment may also contain arrears in respect of payments owing from previous weeks.

Full details on Jobseeker rates are available on the Department’s website.

Rates of payment

According to the department, the standard rate of jobseeker’s payment for anyone over the age of 25 who has no means is €220. This is based solely on a person’s age and income, and is not determined by their citizenship or immigration status.

The rate of payment can increase depending on whether or not a person has an adult dependent (usually a spouse, partner or cohabitant who is not in receipt of their own jobseeker’s payment) and/or dependent children. 

The amount paid for a qualified adult over the age of 24 is €146 per week. An extra payment for a qualified child under the age of 12 is €42.00 (full-rate) or €21.00 (half-rate). An extra payment for qualified child 12 years and over is €50.00 (full rate) or €25.00 (half rate). 

The full or half rate will be paid depending on whether a person is claiming for a qualified adult.

For example, a person claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance for themselves and a qualified adult, with four children under the age of 12 and one child over 12, would be eligible for €584 a week from the Department of Social Protection.

What this shows, then, is that regardless of their immigration or citizen status, a person may receive different weekly rates of jobseekers allowance depending on their individual circumstances.

While we don’t know for sure why €584 was paid to the person whose social welfare receipt was shared online, it was not because they received a favourable rate.

Any claim otherwise is misleading and false.

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