Thousands of social welfare recipients are set to be impacted by changes to how they receive their payments within days.
Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys announced this week that jobseeker's payments will soon be paid from post offices.
Recipients will be required to collect their benefits from their local post office once again as Covid restrictions ease.
These changes will take effect within days as the Minister said the jobseeker's claims will be processed in post offices from February.
The move brings to an end the "exceptional measure" introduced in 2020 at the outset of the pandemic which allowed welfare recipients to receive their payments directly into their bank accounts.
But jobseeker's payments will soon return to the post office in line with the easing of Covid-19 restrictions.
One group is set to be impacted first, as the changes will apply initially to all new jobseeker applicants before being extended to other jobseekers over the coming months.
The Minister added that the action will bring additional footfall to post offices as well as helping to combat social welfare fraud.
She said on Wednesday: "Our post offices provide essential services in communities the length and breadth of the country.
“Even throughout the Pandemic, our postmasters, postmistresses and postal staff pulled out all the stops to meet the needs of their customers.
“I believe this is the right approach to take in terms of supporting the post office network and helping to reduce social welfare fraud.”
She added: "The requirement to physically visit your local post office in order to collect your jobseeker payment will apply initially to new claims, beginning next month.
“But over the coming months, my Department will work to extend this requirement to other jobseeker claims.
“I’m also conscious that as Minister for Rural and Community Development, we need to do all we can to support our post offices in Rural Ireland, as per our commitment under the Government’s rural development policy ‘Our Rural Future’.
“This measure will increase the footfall in our post offices in communities across the country – sending a clear signal of Government’s commitment to supporting the network as a whole.”
