The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) is to be reduced from today under the government plan to put and end to it on a phased basis. The top two payments of PUP will be reduced by €50 from today, September ,7, and it will show effect from the next week’s payment for those who still receive PUP.
If you are receiving €350 as PUP a week, from September 14 onwards, you will be receiving €300 each week. And for those who receive €300, it will be reduced to €300.
Meanwhile for those who receive €250 as PUP, they will be given €203 from next week. €203 is the standard jobseeker’s payment in the country. Later on, 26 October onwards, those who receive €203 will be considered as jobseekers, not PUP beneficiaries.
PUP was introduced by the government to support those who lost their jobs as the pandemic hit and almost 900,000 people have availed it so far. The authorities had stopped receiving new applications for PUP from July and said a phased withdrawal of plan would be introduced.
The PUP will be reduced further on 16 November 2021 and on 8 February 2022 before stopping the payment as a whole.