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Benefit of work

Would this job actually leave you better off?

The State's own estimator handles tax and welfare, but never asks what the job costs you to do. This one counts childcare and travel, adds any Working Family Payment, and tells you the salary you'd need to break even.

€

A year, before deductions

€

Your actual current payment — we don't guess it

Drives Working Family Payment

38+ to qualify for WFP

€

A week. Extra cost only, not what you already pay

€

A week — fuel, tolls, fares, parking

On welfare now€254.00

what you receive today, a week

In this job€713.07

take-home plus any WFP, after childcare and travel

Taking this job leaves you better off by

€459.07 a week

About €23,872 a year. At these hours and costs, even a minimum-wage job would leave you ahead.

Take-home from the job
€533.68/wk
Working Family Payment
€199.39/wk
Childcare
−€0.00/wk
Travel
−€20.00/wk

What this leaves out — and it's usually in your favour

  • Your medical card. If you've been on a qualifying payment for 12 months or more, you keep it for 3 years after starting work.
  • The National Childcare Scheme. Subsidies can cut the childcare figure above substantially. Enter what you'd actually pay after any subsidy you already claim.
  • Housing. HAP differential rent is recalculated on income and varies by local authority, so it isn't modelled here. Check with yours before deciding.

An estimate using 2026 rates, to help you think it through — not a decision on your claim. Means-tested payments depend on your circumstances and only the Department of Social Protection can confirm them. If the numbers are close, talk to your Intreo case officer or Citizens Information before handing in notice.

Why the answer is usually "yes"

People tend to compare a weekly welfare payment against a weekly wage and stop there. That understates work, because three things come with the job and none of them show up on a payslip.

Where work genuinely does not pay, childcare is nearly always the reason. That is worth knowing precisely rather than guessing at — which is the whole point of putting a number on it above.

Before you hand in notice

This is an estimate built from published 2026 rates, and it is deliberately conservative: it asks for your current payment rather than guessing it, and it leaves out supports it cannot model accurately. If the two bars are close together, the difference will come down to details of your own claim. Talk to your Intreo case officer or Citizens Information — both are free, and both can see things this page cannot.

Benefit of work — common questions

Will I be better off taking a job than staying on social welfare?
Usually yes, and often by more than people expect — Working Family Payment tops up low wages for households with children, it is tax-free, and you keep your medical card for 3 years. The cases where work does not pay are almost always driven by childcare costs rather than the wage itself. The calculator above shows both sides and tells you what a job would need to pay to break even.
Do I lose my medical card if I start work?
No, not immediately. If you have been getting a qualifying social welfare payment for 12 months or more and you take up employment, you keep your medical card for 3 years from the day you start work. This is one of the most valuable and least understood parts of moving into a job.
What is the Benefit of Work Estimator?
It is the Department of Social Protection's own tool on MyWelfare, and it is worth using. There are two versions — one for Jobseeker's and One-Parent Family Payment, one for Disability Allowance and Illness Benefit. It covers tax and residual welfare well. It does not ask about childcare, travel or housing costs, and it cannot tell you what salary you need to break even, which is what this page adds.
Does childcare really change whether work pays?
It is usually the deciding factor. Wages and tax move the answer gradually; childcare can move it all at once, and for some households no salary closes the gap. Enter what you would actually pay after any National Childcare Scheme subsidy you already claim — the subsidy can cut the figure substantially.
Can I keep any social welfare payment while working?
Often, yes. Working Family Payment is specifically for employees on lower wages with children. One-Parent Family Payment has a weekly earnings disregard, and some jobseeker claims can be kept on a part-time basis. If you expect to keep part of your payment, enter it in the calculator so it is counted.
What about my rent if I am on HAP?
HAP differential rent is recalculated when your income changes, and each of the 31 local authorities runs its own scheme. Because the rules genuinely differ by authority, this calculator does not model it — check directly with yours before making a decision, especially if the result above is close.