Self-employed Week

Self-employed week from 29th July to 4th Aug.

About the New Deal

Fine Gael is committed to creating a supportive environment for entrepreneurship. We recognise the importance of small and medium businesses and the need to provide an income safety net to employees and self-employed alike.

We have sought to encourage enterprise and, particularly, have sought to introduce a new deal for the self-employed when it comes to their access to benefits.

Extension of benefits to the self-employed

Extension of the Treatment Benefit Scheme

  • In March 2017 the Treatment Benefit scheme was extended to some 450,000 self-employed people and their dependent spouses for the first time.  
  • This included small business owners, farmers, tradespeople, freelancers, contractors and professionals. 
  • It meant that people who work for themselves and pay PRSI at class S now get the same regular dental and optical examinations, free of charge, that previously were only available to employees.

Extension of Invalidity Pension to Self-Employed Persons

  • Entitlement to Invalidity Pension was extended to the self-employed from December 2017.
  • For the first time, this gave the self-employed access to the safety-net of income supports if they become permanently incapable of work as a result of illness or disability, without having to go through a means test.

Extension of Jobseeker’s Benefit for the Self-Employed

  • From November 2019 Jobseeker’s Benefit will be extended to the Self-Employed.
  • It will provide a social insurance support to self-employed contributors who lose their businesses and, hopefully, provide them with the breathing space and support they need as they re-assess their next steps.

Earned Income Tax Credit

  • The equalisation of the Earned Income Tax Credit with the PAYE Tax Credit is also part of Fine Gael’s self-employed agenda.
  • We have made progress in recent years, for example, for 2019 you may claim an Earned Income Tax Credit of €1,350, increased from €950 in 2017 and €1,150 in 2018.

Measures taken by Fine Gael in Government
to support hard working people.

Introduced paid Paternity Leave.

Extended free pre-school to 2 years for all children.

Increased Maternity Leave and Benefit for mothers of premature babies.

Extended free GP care (for over 70s, under 6s, GP card for carers, medical cards for children with severe disabilities).

Reduced the tax burden on working families.

Next Steps

Starting with under 8s in Summer 2020, under 10s in 2021 and under 12s in 2022.

From November, we will introduce an additional two weeks paid leave for each parent, supporting hard pressed parents to spend more time at home with their children and ease the burden of juggling the work-life balance.

We will extend paid leave to seven weeks for each parent.

From September, both parents will be entitled to 22 weeks unpaid leave per child up to the age of 12 years. This is an increase of 4 weeks. Next Year, we will increase it by another 4 weeks.

Since 2015, the Home Carer’s Tax Credit has been increased to €1,500 per annum, up 85% in 4 years. This recognises families where one parent stays at home to care for a child or a dependent. We will continue this.

Brexit

Information and advice on Brexit from the Irish Government is available here:

Getting Ireland Brexit Ready

Brexit and Business

For advice from the Irish Government on how Brexit may impact your business select the relevant sector below: