Where a person who was formerly self-employed makes a claim for unemployment assistance, and a deciding officer of my Department is satisfied that the self-employment has ceased, any income which accrued to that person in the past from that self-employment is not assessed as means. Where a person either makes a claim to or is in receipt of unemployment assistance and that person continues to be engaged in self-employment, the deciding officer, in the absence of any other means of ascertaining it, will assess the net income received in the past year.
Income from self-employment can vary from week to week and the current arrangements avoid the necessity to continuously recalculate means because means are assessed by reference to income over a full year. I am satisfied that these arrangements are a fair and reasonable method of estimating income from self-employment for the purposes of unemployment assistance. However, if there is a change in the person's position which is likely to have an ongoing effect on the amount earned from self-employment, this matter should be brought to the attention of the deciding officer or, alternatively, if the person is already in receipt of unemployment assistance, a review of means should be sought. I would also like to point out that a person may appeal to the independent social welfare appeals office if he or she is dissatisfied with any decision of a deciding officer.