Voluntary work is a good way to keep active, learn new skills and get involved in your local community. You can do some unpaid work as a volunteer and keep your social welfare payment. However, you must continue to meet all the conditions attached to your payment. Your Intreo centre or Social Welfare branch office or the section paying your social welfare payment will usually decide whether you can keep your social welfare payment and work as a volunteer.

Disability payments and volunteering

If you are getting Illness Benefit or Invalidity Pension you must get permission to work as a volunteer. You must apply to the section that pays your social welfare payment before starting any voluntary work. If you are getting Illness Benefit, you apply to the Partial Capacity Benefit section for permission to do voluntary work. If you are getting Invalidity Pension, you must apply directly to the Invalidity Pension section for permission. If you are getting Disability Allowance or Blind Pension, you do not need permission to participate in voluntary work.

Carer’s payments and volunteering

To qualify for a carer’s payment you must be providing full-time care. If you are getting Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s Benefit, you can do a maximum of 18.5 hours per week of voluntary work. Before you start working as a volunteer, you must get permission from the Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s Benefit section in the Department of Social Protection.

Jobseeker’s payments and volunteering

If you want to do voluntary work, you must first get permission from a deciding officer at your Intreo centre or Social Welfare branch office, and apply by filling in a VW1 application form. You must continue to satisfy the conditions of your jobseeker’s payment. The Deciding Officer considers a number of factors including the aims of the voluntary group, the type of work involved, and the weekly number of hours worked. Examples of unpaid voluntary work a jobseeker can do include assisting youth clubs, care groups, sports groups, and local residents associations.

Other social welfare payments

If you are getting another social welfare payment such as a State Pension, One Parent Family Payment or Bereaved Partner’s Pension payment, there are no restrictions on the number of hours or type of unpaid work you may do. In addition, you don’t need prior permission to do voluntary work.

If you need further information contact your local Citizens Information Service in Bantry (Monday to Thursday 10am-5pm, Friday 10am-4pm) or ring 0818 07 8390.

Alternatively you can email on [email protected] or log on to www.citizensinformation.ie