🇮🇪 For jobseekers in Ireland
Start your business and keep your payment.
The Back to Work Enterprise Allowance pays 100% of your jobseeker payment in year one and 75% in year two. We get you ready, plan the money and set you up to trade.
- No card needed
- No trial that runs out
- No hidden charges
- 100%of your payment in year 1 on BTWEA
- €2,500Enterprise Support Grant
- €50,000Microfinance Ireland start-up loan
Schemes
Official schemes in Ireland
- Keep an incomeJob search required
Jobseeker’s Allowance while you prepare
Stay on Jobseeker’s Allowance while you research and plan your business. Business research, a business plan and a Start Your Own Business course count as genuinely seeking work, and 9 months on it qualify you for the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance.
What is this, and what do I have to do? →- €254 a week from age 25; usually €163.70 at 18–24 living at home (2026)
- Genuinely seeking work: bring examples of your steps, business ones included, to Intreo meetings
- Plan and research, but don’t start trading: a business that already operated can’t get BTWEA
- 234 paid days in a row unlock the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance
Official siteChecked 25 Sept 2026 - Keep an incomeJob search until approved
Back to Work Enterprise Allowance
After at least 9 months on a qualifying payment, you can start an approved new business and keep 100% of your payment in year one and 75% in year two.
What is this, and what do I have to do? →- 100% of your payment in year 1, 75% in year 2 (including increases for dependants)
- Needs 9 months on e.g. Jobseeker’s Allowance, One-Parent Family Payment or Disability Allowance
- Approved in writing by Intreo and a Local Development Company before you trade
- Not taxable; can be combined with the Enterprise Support Grant (up to €2,500)
Official siteChecked 25 Sept 2026 - Keep an incomeJob search until approved
Short-Term Enterprise Allowance
If you get Jobseeker’s Benefit or Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit, you can keep the same weekly payment for up to 9 months while you start an approved business.
What is this, and what do I have to do? →- Same weekly rate as your jobseeker payment, for up to 9 months
- No minimum time on the payment; an Intreo adviser must recommend it first
- Taxable; seasonal or part-time self-employment does not qualify
Official siteChecked 25 Sept 2026
See all 7 options
- Grant
Enterprise Support Grant
If you are approved for BTWEA or STEA, you can apply for up to €2,500 towards start-up costs such as equipment, insurance and marketing. You pay a share of each cost.
- Up to €2,500 on BTWEA; €1,000 on a 9-month STEA; €625 on a 6-month STEA
- You pay at least 20% of each cost (10% for mentoring and short training)
- Pays against quotes and invoices; not rent, vehicles or stock
Official siteChecked 25 Sept 2026 - Loan
Microfinance Ireland Start-Up Loan
A government-backed not-for-profit lender offering €5,000 to €50,000 to new small businesses that struggle to borrow from banks.
- €5,000 to €50,000, up to 3 years, no fees
- 6.5% interest, or 5.5% if you apply through a Local Enterprise Office
- Up to 5 free mentoring sessions
Official siteChecked 25 Sept 2026 - Advice & support
Local Enterprise Office supports
Training, mentoring and the Start Your Own Business programme. LEO grants mainly go to manufacturing and export businesses, so most local services will not qualify.
- Start Your Own Business training and one-to-one mentoring at 31 local offices
- Priming Grant: up to 50% of investment in the first 18 months, for eligible sectors only
- Retail, personal services, professional services and construction are generally excluded from grants
Official siteChecked 25 Sept 2026 - Keep an income
Back to Work Family Dividend
Parents leaving a long-term jobseeker or one-parent payment for self-employment can get a weekly amount per child for up to 2 years. Not with BTWEA.
- Year 1: €58 a week per child under 12, €78 for 12 and over; half in year 2
- Up to 4 children, for up to 2 years; not taxable
- You sign off primary payments and start within 4 weeks
Official siteChecked 25 Sept 2026
Summaries are simplified. Always check the official source before you apply.
Back to Work Enterprise Allowance calculatorSee what you’d keep over 2 years, plus the Enterprise Support Grant.Your plan, step by step
We hold your hand from idea to first customer
Eight stages, in order. Each step says what to do and why, gives you the tool for the job (free first) and keeps your budget and benefit right.
Get set up
Keep your income safe and make time for the business.
Shape your offer
Know what you sell, who it’s for and what it costs.
Fund it
Know what you can spend, and claim the support you’re entitled to.
Get online
A website, your own domain and a proper email. Every business needs them.
Show up on social
Be where your customers already are, without it eating your day.
Find customers
Start conversations and make it easy to say yes.
Get paid properly
Tell the right people, take money safely and keep records.
Grow with others
You don’t have to do this alone.
Tools
The right tools for what you’re building
Websites, design, AI assistants, bookings, shops and bookkeeping, matched to your goal and budget. Free tiers first.
Website
CarrdFree
FramerFree
Squarespace
Design
CanvaFree
FigmaFree
AI assistant
ClaudeFree
ChatGPTFree
Bookings
Online shop
Shopify
Square OnlineFree
Bookkeeping
Google SheetsFree
Email list
MailerLiteFree
beehiivFree
KitFree
Business bank
Revolut Business
Some tool links are affiliate links. If you sign up through one we may earn a fee. It never changes your price or what we recommend.
€0
forever
Always freeFree for you. Always.
No card, no trial that runs out, no premium plan, no hidden charges. Every feature is free for everyone.
- No card needed
- No trial that runs out
- No hidden charges
- Every feature included
How we stay free. When we recommend a tool, some links pay us a small commission if you choose to sign up with them. It never costs you more, and we always show the free option first.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Is it really free?
Yes. No card, no subscription and no hidden charges, now or later. We’re paid small commissions when you choose a tool we recommend, at no extra cost to you.
Are you part of the government?
No. We are an independent service. We link to the official source for every scheme, and your benefit office always has the final say.
Will starting a business affect my benefit?
Usually it has to be reported. We show you when, and we never suggest hiding income or activity.
What happens to my data?
In this early version your plan is stored only in your browser. When accounts launch, we will ask before storing anything.
Your scheme is the start. Let’s build the rest.
Two minutes to a plan you can act on today.
Sign up free: it takes 2 minutes- No card needed
- No trial that runs out
- No hidden charges