What it pays
The grant is paid monthly in arrears by bank transfer, in 18 payments, for as long as the person stays in the job.
| Who you hire | Time on a qualifying payment | Grant |
|---|---|---|
| Aged under 30 | 4 months (104 days) in the last 6 | €7,500 |
| Aged over 30 and under 50 | 12 months (312 days) in the last 18 | €7,500 |
| Aged under 50 | 24 months unemployed in the last 30 | €10,000 |
| Aged over 50 | 12 months (312 days) in the last 18 | €10,000 |
| A person with refugee status on a qualifying payment | None | €7,500 |
| A former One-Parent Family Payment recipient now on Jobseeker's Transitional Payment | None | €7,500 |
| A Traveller or a person of Roma ethnicity on a qualifying payment | 4 months (104 days) in the last 6 | €10,000 |
| A person on a qualifying payment with a criminal record or a history of addiction in the last 5 years | 4 months (104 days) in the last 6 | €10,000 |
The qualifying payments are Jobseeker's Allowance, Jobseeker's Benefit, Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit, Jobseeker's Benefit (Self-Employed), jobseeker's credits, the Part-Time Job Incentive, Jobseeker's Transitional Payment, Disability Allowance and Blind Pension.
Time on Community Employment, Tús, the Rural Social Scheme and some training schemes can count towards the qualifying period.
There is no limit on the number of eligible people you can hire. You can only get the grant once for the same employee.
Which employers qualify
- You are in the private, community, not-for-profit or voluntary sector.
- You are registered with Revenue as a PAYE employer. Companies, sole traders, partnerships, trusts and charities with a CHY number all count.
- You are tax compliant and can give a tax clearance access number.
- The job is full-time: at least 30 hours a week, worked over at least four days.
- The job is new, or the vacancy arose through natural turnover such as a retirement.
- The employee is on your payroll, paying PAYE and Class A PRSI, and gets at least the minimum wage.
A start-up can qualify once it can show the business has started operating. So can an employer who is on the allowance for people starting a business from a long-term welfare payment.
Turning a part-time job into a full-time one can qualify, if the employee meets the conditions.
Who and what is excluded
- Public service bodies, unless they can prove the post is not funded by the Government.
- Part-time, short-term and seasonal jobs.
- Existing full-time employees.
- Apprenticeships, training schemes and work experience programmes. For an apprentice, look at the yearly grant for employers of apprentices.
- Jobs already supported by another State wage support. That includes the hourly wage subsidy for employing a disabled person.
- People on One-Parent Family Payment, Illness Benefit or Short Time Work Support.
- A parent, child, sibling or other close relative, unless the job is insurable and the Department approves it.
- Any hiring that displaces existing staff. The Department can demand the money back.
How to apply, step by step
- Register as an employer on the JobsPlus employer registration page. The form asks for the business name, your employer registration number, the size of your workforce, your sector, your bank details and a tax clearance access number. You only register once.
- The Department checks the details and emails you its decision.
- Recruit. You can ask your Intreo Centre to put forward candidates, or advertise free on JobsIreland.ie.
- Ask shortlisted candidates to check their own eligibility on the JobsPlus employee eligibility page. If they qualify, the Department posts them a two-part JP1 form. Part A confirms that they are eligible, and at which rate.
- When you choose your candidate, complete Part B of their JP1, sign the declaration and return it to the JobsPlus unit in Carrick-on-Shannon.
- The new employee closes their jobseeker's claim. Someone on Disability Allowance or Blind Pension tells that section they have started work instead.
- The Department emails you to confirm the award. Payment starts from the next monthly payment date after it has the completed JP1 and confirmation that the claim is closed.
Return the JP1 when you decide to hire, and no later than 30 days after the job starts. The grant is not backdated.
What goes wrong
The grant is tied to one named employee. If they leave, it stops at once. Tell the JobsPlus unit straight away, or you may be asked to repay an overpayment.
The person must go straight from the Live Register, or from one of the approved schemes, into your job.
A candidate's eligibility is checked when they apply and again when you hire them. If their circumstances changed in between, they may no longer qualify.
You must declare any other State funding you get, or plan to apply for, towards the same job.
If you are refused, or the grant is stopped, you can ask in writing for a review by an officer who was not involved. There is no appeal to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.
The scheme is used far less than it was. The Department's statistics count 488 JobsPlus recipients at the end of 2025, compared with 5,217 in 2017. It spent €2.55 million on the scheme in 2025.
The current rates and the 18-month term date from October 2024. Budget 2027 on 6 October 2026 could change them.
Common questions
How much is the JobsPlus grant in 2026?
€7,500 or €10,000, paid monthly over 18 months. The higher amount is for recruits aged over 50 with 12 months on a qualifying payment in the last 18. It also applies to recruits under 50 who have been unemployed for 24 of the last 30 months, and to some other groups.
Can a sole trader or a new business get JobsPlus?
Yes. Sole traders, partnerships and companies all qualify if they are registered with Revenue as a PAYE employer. A start-up needs to show that the business has started operating.
Does the job have to be full-time?
Yes. It must be at least 30 hours a week, worked over at least four days. Part-time, short-term and seasonal jobs do not qualify.
What is the JP1 form?
It is the form the Department posts to a jobseeker who qualifies for JobsPlus. Part A confirms their eligibility and the grant rate. The employer completes Part B when hiring them and returns the form to the JobsPlus unit.
Can I get JobsPlus for hiring a family member?
Only in limited cases. Hiring a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, sibling, half-sibling or step-relative can only be supported where the job is insurable under the Social Welfare Acts and the Department approves the application.
Can I claim JobsPlus for someone I have already hired?
Only if you act quickly. The JP1 form should reach the JobsPlus unit no later than 30 days after the job starts. After that you have to explain the delay, and the Department does not backdate the grant.
Keep reading
Where this comes from
- gov.ie, JobsPlus
- gov.ie, Operational Guidelines: JobsPlus
- Department of Social Protection, JobsPlus Employer Registration
- Department of Social Protection, Annual Statistics Report tables 2025 (tables E1 and E3)
Checked on 3 October 2026. We are an independent guide, not a government service. Rules change, so confirm the detail on the official page before you apply.