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Back to Education Allowance (BTEA)

What is the Back to Education Allowance?

You can take part in a Further Education or Higher Education course and get a Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) if you:

  • Are unemployed
  • Are parenting alone, or
  • Have a disability and are getting certain payments from the Department of Social Protection (DSP)

If you want to do other courses not covered under the BTEA (such as a personal development or training course), you may return to education under the:

What if my course is overseas?

In general, you can only get BTEA for approved courses that start in Ireland or in Northern Ireland. However, you can get BTEA for a year abroad (for example, under the Erasmus+ programme) if the year is an integral or mandatory part of your course. This must be verified by the registrar or admissions office of your college.

Read detailed information about the Back to Education Allowance on Gov.ie.

Study options for BTEA

There are 2 study options available under the BTEA scheme:

  • Further Level Education option
  • Higher Level Education option

Your course must lead to a Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) accreditation (including FETAC or HETAC awards), or equivalent. You must also progress in educational qualifications.

For example, if you already have a Level 6 qualification on the National Framework of Qualifications, the course you attend must be for at least a Level 7 qualification. This progression rule has been relaxed for people applying for Further Education Level courses at Levels 5 and 6 in limited circumstances.

For example, if you already hold a Level 5 or 6 qualification, your Employment Personal Advisor or Job Coach may recommend a course at the same or lesser level if:

  • You have worked for at least 3 years and paid PRSI contributions
  • You got your previous qualification 3 or more years ago and it is no longer relevant in the current job market
  • The proposed course will let you progress your career, and it meets future skills needs or local demand
  • The proposed course lasts no more than 24 months

Further Level Education option

You can attend a Further Level Education course of education at any:

  • Secondary school
  • Community school or college
  • Comprehensive school
  • Vocational school
  • Education Training Board (ETB)
  • College of Further Education
  • Institute of Technology or Technological University

The course must be full-time and lead to a certificate up to Level 6, as recognised by the Department of Education or approved by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI).

For example:

A Foundation or Access course is considered to be a Further Level Education course for BTEA purposes.

Higher Level Education option

You can attend any Higher Level Education course in an approved third-level institution (university, institute of education, or third-level college).

The course must be a full-time day course and be approved for the Student Grant Scheme, or be approved by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI). Not all QQI courses are approved for BTEA.

Undergraduate courses

In general, you must be starting your Higher Level Education course at year one. However, you may be eligible for BTEA if you:

  • Are exempt from part of your course because of a qualification you received in a previous course (for example, you have a higher certificate in a course that you now wish to take to degree level)
  • Completed a year (or years) of your course as a part-time student
  • Completed earlier years before becoming unemployed or receiving statutory redundancy
  • Are permitted by your school or college to proceed to the next year of a course having dropped out or deferred a year (due to mitigating circumstances)
  • Were getting a One-Parent Family Payment (OFP) while in full-time education and were affected by age-related changes to OFP (you may get BTEA in the middle of your course if you are affected by this)

If you defer a year of study, you are treated as a new entrant when you return to your course.

Postgraduate courses

If you hold a Level 7 ordinary degree, you can apply for a one year add-on honours degree, which may be in a different discipline. You cannot get BTEA for a new Level 8 degree course.

In limited circumstances, you may get BTEA for a postgraduate course. You may get BTEA for:

  • A Level 8 Higher Diploma (H. Dip.) in any discipline
  • A Level 9 Professional Masters in Education (PME) for post-primary teaching
  • A Level 9 Masters degree where you don’t have a third level qualification and the college has admitted you based on relevant life experience

You cannot get BTEA if you already have a postgraduate qualification, unless it is a Springboard+ course.

Can I get the BTEA and the Student Grant Scheme?

The Student Grant Scheme is divided into 2 parts: maintenance grants and fee grants.

You cannot get the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) and the maintenance part of a student grant together.

While you can’t get the maintenance part of the student grant, you must still submit a student grant application form to be assessed for a fee grant. The fee grant can be used to pay your Student Contribution, field trip costs and tuition fees (if payable).

Other social welfare payments

If you are getting one of the following payments, you can choose to either transfer from your current social welfare payment to BTEA, or stay on your current social welfare payment and apply for a student grant:

You can choose whichever option benefits you most.

In general, people who are studying full-time cannot get Rent Supplement unless they are getting BTEA.

Read more about getting social welfare payments and the student grant.

How to qualify for BTEA

To qualify for Back to Education Allowance (BTEA), you must:

  • Be over 21, or over 24 for postgraduate courses (there are some exceptions to this – see ‘BTEA age limits’ below)
  • Be getting a qualifying social welfare payment (see 'Qualifying social welfare payments for BTEA' below)
  • Have been getting a qualifying social welfare payment for a certain period of time (see ‘Qualifying period for BTEA’ below)
  • Have been accepted onto a qualifying course

Qualifying social welfare payments for BTEA

You must re-establish your entitlement to a qualifying payment at the beginning of each academic year so that you can continue getting BTEA during the year. If you are no longer entitled to a qualifying payment, your BTEA will end.

Qualifying period for BTEA

You must have been getting a qualifying social welfare payment for at least:

  • 3 months for Further Level courses (78 paid or credited days of unemployment)
  • 9 months for Higher Level courses (234 paid or credited days of unemployment)
  • 12 months for the Professional Masters in Education (312 paid or credited days of unemployment

You must be getting the qualifying payment immediately before you start the course.

Meeting the qualifying period

You don’t have to have been getting your qualifying payment continuously. Time spent on other qualifying social welfare payments (see ‘Qualifying social welfare payments for BTEA’ above) which is not broken by more than 12 months can be linked to help you meet the qualifying period required.

Time spent on some education, training, work placement and activation support schemes, which is not broken by more than 12 months, can be taken into account to meet the qualifying period.

Time spent on the following payments and schemes count towards the qualifying period:

If you’re an ex-offender and you have an entitlement to a qualifying payment, your time spent in prison counts towards the qualifying period.

Statutory redundancy and BTEA

If you have been awarded statutory redundancy and are entitled to a qualifying social welfare payment immediately before you start the course, you can get immediate access to BTEA without any waiting period.

You must take part in the BTEA scheme within one year of getting statutory redundancy and meet all the other conditions.

BTEA age limits

To qualify for BTEA, you must be at least aged 21 (or at least aged 24 for a Higher Level postgraduate course).

However, you may qualify for BTEA if you are aged between 18 and 20 and:

You may also qualify for BTEA if you are 18 or over (or 24 or over for the postgraduate options), if you are getting one of the below payments:

You must have been getting these payments for the required period (see ‘Qualifying period for BTEA‘ above).

Unemployment or illness credits

You may qualify for BTEA on a non-payment basis if you are:

  • Signing on for unemployment credits, or
  • Submitting medical certificates for illness credits for the required period of time (either 3, 9, or 12 months, or 2 years, depending on your course)

This means you do not get a weekly Back to Education Allowance. You continue to be awarded credited contributions while you are taking part in the BTEA scheme.

If you take part in the BTEA scheme on a non-payment basis, you can also apply for a student grant, to be assessed for both the fee and maintenance component of the grant.

Qualified adults

If you’re married or in a relationship, both you and your partner can get BTEA while taking an approved course.

If you are a qualified adult, you can get BTEA if you:

  • Establish an entitlement to a qualifying payment in your own right, and
  • Meet the other criteria needed to qualify for BTEA

The rate you get is based on your entitlement. You can use time spent as a qualified adult, as well as time getting your own qualifying payment, towards the qualifying period for BTEA. The claims must not be broken by more than 12 months.

Proof of course and change of circumstances

You must provide a certificate from the school or college confirming your registration, commencement, and attendance at the course. You must give this information to the Department of Social Protection (DSP) before your BTEA payment can start.

During the academic year, you may be asked to prove that you are still taking part in the course.

If you change from a jobseeker's payment to BTEA, you do not need to sign on while you are getting BTEA.

Change of circumstances

If your circumstances change (for example, if you stop attending your course or start working part-time), you must tell the DSP immediately.

Any change of circumstance may affect:

  • Whether you are eligible for your qualifying payment, or
  • The value of your BTEA payment

BTEA, other social welfare schemes, and work

Can I get BTEA while on another social welfare scheme?

If you get a Back to Education Allowance (BTEA), you cannot work full-time or be involved in the following schemes:

If you get Working Family Payment (WFP), you are not eligible for BTEA.

Can I work part-time?

While you cannot work full-time, you may work part-time.

If you are getting BTEA and start work during the academic year, you will be assessed under the rules that apply to your primary payment (see ‘Qualifying social welfare payments for BTEA’ above). This includes the means test, and applies to new applicants and people returning to BTEA after a break.

If you qualify for BTEA from a jobseeker’s payment, you can work any number of days each week during the academic year. However, you must still meet the other conditions of your primary payment (for example, you must pass a means test if you get Jobseeker’s Allowance).

Summer period between academic years

If you were getting a jobseeker’s payment

If you were getting a jobseeker’s payment before going back to education, you are not paid BTEA during the summer months between academic years.

Your Intreo Centre will contact you in March or April to ask the date of last attendance for the current academic year, and you will not be paid BTEA beyond this date. However, you may get BTEA during the summer if you are on work placement or work experience that is an essential part of your course.

You will get BTEA again from the start of the new academic year, if you are still eligible.

If you can’t find work during the summer, you may be entitled to Jobseeker's Benefit or Jobseeker's Allowance (you must meet all of the conditions). If you claim Jobseeker’s Allowance and work part-time, your earnings are assessed against your Jobseeker’s Allowance.

If you were getting certain other payments

Your BTEA will continue to be paid during the summer if:

If you work during the summer, your means from work are assessed using the rules that apply to the original payment.

If you stop work or your work pattern changes, you should tell your local Intreo Centre so your case can be reassessed.

How much is the BTEA?

Your weekly BTEA rate is equal to your previous social welfare payment (see ‘Qualifying social welfare payments for BTEA’ above). You may also qualify for increases for a qualified adult and qualified children.

You must have established an entitlement to a qualifying payment immediately before starting BTEA, even if you were previously on an employment or training scheme.

If you are aged under 25 and getting a reduced Jobseeker's Allowance payment because of your age, your payment will increase to €232. Any means that you have will be deducted from this rate.

You can get your BTEA paid directly to your bank account. It is paid for the duration of the course.

Cost of Education Allowance

You get an annual Cost of Education Allowance of €500 if you are getting BTEA and you have a dependent child.

The maximum Cost of Education Allowance available per household is €500, even if you and a qualified adult both get BTEA.

You cannot get the Cost of Education Allowance if you are:

Keeping your extra benefits

If you qualify for the Back to Education Allowance, you can keep your entitlement to any extra benefits you already have (for example, Fuel Allowance or Rent Supplement).

However, any increase in income may affect your entitlement to Rent Supplement or the amount of supplement you get. For example, this can happen if you have additional income from part-time work.

How to apply for BTEA

You must apply for BTEA before your course starts, or within 30 days of the course starting.

To apply for BTEA, you must:

  • Complete the Back to Education Allowance application form (BTE1) (pdf)
  • Be recommended for BTEA by a DSP Employment Personal Advisor or Job Coach (if you are a jobseeker making a new BTEA claim)
  • Get written confirmation that you are registered as a full-time day student from the college registrar or admission officer
  • Send your application to the section in DSP that deals with your primary payment (see ‘Where to apply for BTEA’ below)

You will not get a BTEA payment until the DSP gets the confirmation letter from your course provider.

Make an appeal

The Back to Education Allowance is a non-statutory scheme. This means you cannot appeal the decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.

However, if you are not satisfied with a decision, you can request a review by an officer in the relevant social welfare office or section. You should include any new evidence to support the review. You must do this in writing within 21 days.

Where to apply for BTEA

You can download and fill in the Back to Education Allowance application form (BTE1) (pdf). You can also get a copy of the form from your local Intreo centre.

Your qualifying payment determines where you should send your application form for BTEA.

For example, if you are getting a jobseeker's payment, Farm Assist or a One-Parent Family payment, you should return your application form to your local Intreo Centre.

But, if you are getting Illness Benefit, you should send your application form to the Illness Benefit section of the DSP.

Illness Benefit

Department of Social Protection

P.O. Box 1650
Dublin 1
Ireland

Tel: (01) 704 3300 or 0818 928 400

Alternatively, you should send your application form to the DSP office in Sligo if you are getting:

Department of Social Protection

Social Welfare Services
College Road
Sligo F91 T384
Ireland

Opening Hours: This office does not offer a service to personal callers. All queries must be made using the online enquiry form, by telephone or in writing.
Tel: (071) 915 7100 or 0818 200 400

Lastly, you should send your BTEA application form to the DSP office in Longford if you are getting:

Department of Social Protection

Social Welfare Services Office
Government Buildings
Ballinalee Road
Longford
Ireland

Tel: (043) 334 0000 or 0818 927 770
Page edited: 21 August 2024

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