Minimum rate
€286.50 a week for 19.5 hours
Community Employment gives long-term unemployed people a part-time placement in their own community and pays more than the payment they were on. Most guides stop at that. The part that actually decides whether CE is open to you is the time limits — and one of them resets.
Quick facts
- Minimum rate
- €286.50 a week for 19.5 hours
- Aged 21–55
- 12 months on a qualifying payment
- Lifetime cap
- 6 years (7 on a disability-linked payment)
- Aged 60+
- Can stay until State Pension age
What it pays
You work 19.5 hours a week. If the social welfare payment you were getting (including dependants) was €254 a week or less, you get the minimum CE rate of €286.50 — that is €254 plus €32.50. If your payment was higher, you get the equivalent rate plus €32.50.
You can take up other part-time work during your placement, including self-employment, as long as it does not interfere with the placement and you declare the income to Revenue.
Who qualifies
Aged 21 to 55: generally you must be unemployed and getting a qualifying payment — jobseeker’s payments, One-Parent Family Payment, Deserted Wife’s Benefit, a bereaved partner’s pension and others — for at least 12 months.
The time limits, which are the whole game
- The maximum over your lifetime is 6 years, or 7 years on a disability-linked payment.
- Participation more than 7 years ago does not count. Time on CE in the 7 years before the current year counts towards the cap; anything older does not. If you were on a scheme in your twenties, it may have dropped off.
- Working towards a major education award can extend a placement by up to 2 years, but not beyond 3 years (4 on a disability-linked payment).
- Aged over 55: you can stay for 3 consecutive years.
- Aged 60 and over: you can stay continuously until you qualify for a State Pension, if you keep meeting the conditions.
Tax and PRSI
If your CE payment is less than €352 a week you pay no employee PRSI contribution. Above that, you do.
How to join Community Employment
Register at your Intreo Centre
To take part in CE, register at your local Intreo Centre or Social Welfare Branch Office.
Ask about CE places near you
Places are limited, so ask your Intreo Centre or Branch Office about CE job openings.
Sort out childcare if you need it
If you need childcare to take up a CE place, you can apply for the National Childcare Scheme.
Report any change straight away
Once you are on CE, tell your CE supervisor and the local DSP officer about any change at once.
Common questions
How much does Community Employment pay?
How long can I stay on CE?
I did CE years ago — does that count?
Can I work while on CE?
Do I pay PRSI?
Check the official sources
This guide is general information, not financial advice. Rules, rates and eligibility change and differ by country — always confirm the current details with the relevant official body before you act.
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