Minimum Wage:

Minimum hourly rate for adult worker has increased to €10.20 from January 1st 2021.

PUP-Pandemic Unemployment Payment-Extension
The cut-off date for new applications has been extended to the 31st March 2021. This is good news for anybody who has lost their job after Christmas.

State Pension Age
The planned increase in age for the State pension from 66 to 67 in 2021 will NOT be implemented

Parent’s Leave
For parents of children born or adopted from November 2019, Parent’s Leave will increase from 2 weeks to 5 weeks for each parent Details, this change is anticipated to take effect from April 2021.

USC-Universal Social Charge
From Jan 1st 2021 the 4.5% threshold is to be increased to €20,687. This change will protect minimum wage earners and keep them out of the higher USC bracket.

Illness Benefit
From end of February 2021 the waiting time to avail of Illness Benefit reduces from 6 to 3 days.

Working from Home:
As the pandemic continues; working outside of the office becomes more and more relevant and is now essential to the operations of many employers. The Government has recognised and has established a group to develop a strategy around remote working.