Back to Work Enterprise Allowance

The Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) scheme encourages people getting certain social welfare payments to become self-employed.

If you take part in the scheme and qualify, you can keep the following portion of your social welfare payment, including increases for a qualified adult and qualified children for a maximum of two years:

• 100% for the first year 
• 75% for the second year

Back to Work Enterprise Allowance is a payment made by the department to people aged under 66.

How to apply?

A new applicant should meet with an employment personal adviser, who will conduct a brief initial assessment with you to ascertain your suitability for the scheme in line with your progression plan.

Once this is completed, you will be referred to a local development company (LDC), which will assist you in discussing your options and exploring the viability of your business idea. The LDC will assist with preparing your business plan to outline the new enterprise. Once the plan is completed, it will be returned to the employment personal adviser who will review the proposal and then make a recommendation to the deciding officer. 

Once you are accepted into the scheme, your new enterprise can avail of support from the employment personal adviser and mentoring from the LDC over the two years of the scheme.

Eligibility requirements

You can qualify for  the scheme if you are:

• Setting up as self-employed in a new business that has been approved in advance in writing by an employment personal adviser and a local development company
• Getting Jobseeker's Benefit, Jobseeker's Benefit for the Self-Employed or Jobseeker's Allowance continuously for at least nine months (234 days). If you have been getting either casual Jobseeker's Benefit or Jobseeker's Allowance payments continuously for 12 months (312 days) immediately before Back to Work Enterprise Allowance, you can have a maximum of 30 days off the live register during this time