Further reductions of PUP from today

The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) will be reduced further from today, as part of the ongoing process to gradually wind down the payment.

Recipients who currently get €300 per week will now receive €250, while those who get €250 will now see there payment drop to €203, the current rate of jobseeker's benefit and allowance. Those who are already receiving €203 will be transitioned over to the main jobseeker's payment.

Recent figures from the Department of Social Protection revelaed there were approximately 78,000 people still receiving the PUP but this figure is expected to drop to below 70,000 as more people return to work 

More than 900,000 people received at least one PUP payment throughout the pandemic, with around €9bn being spent on the payments to date.

The system has been closed to new applicants since July 8 with some employers blaming staff shortages in a range of sectors on the slow down of the payment.