Employees rights to notice pay, holiday pay, arrears of wages and redundancy pay from the Redundancy Payments Office

It is the government who pay the employees the money to which they are entitled when their employer company goes bust

Insolvency - Liquidation - Administration - An employees right to claim and recover wage arrears & other entitlements from the RPO (Redundancy Payments Office)

An employee of a Limited Company has a right to claim monies owed to him (for arrears of wages, holiday pay, notice pay & redundancy pay)  from the Department of Trade and Industry's, Redundancy Payments Office ("RPO") , if their employer has gone into Creditors Voluntary Liquidation, Compulsory Liquidation, an Administration order has been made against it, or a Company Voluntary Arrangement has been approved.

What can be claimed by the employee?

The following items can be claimed by an employee from the Redundancy Payments Office: -

• unpaid wages or salary for up to eight weeks.

• holiday pay for days not taken, but due under employees contract, up to a maximum of six weeks.

• Compensation in lieu of receiving statutory notice.

• and most importantly - Redundancy pay.

The statutory minimum periods of notice are as follows:

• One week for continuous employment for more than one but less that two calendar months.

• One week for each year of continuous employment for more than two years but less than twelve years.

• Twelve weeks if you were in continuous employment for twelve years or more.

• Statutory redundancy payments, depending on age and length of service.

To receive a payment for redundancy an employee must have had at least two years continuous employment since the age of 18 and are based on age and length of service as follows:

For each complete year between age 18 and 21 an employee will receive half of a week's pay.

For each complete year between age 22 and 40 an employee will receive one weeks pay.

For each complete year between age 41 and 65 an employee will receive one and a half weeks pay.

A maximum of 20 years service will be counted for redundancy purposes.

For all payments there is an upper limit of per week payments made by the Redundancy Payments Office. If an employee is owed more than the RPO can pay, the employee must make a claim as a creditor in the liquidation.

Claims need to be submitted to the Redundancy Payments Office following the appointment of the Liquidator on Form RP1. This along with further information booklets and advice is available from the Redundancy Payments Offices detailed as follows:

For advice on your entitlements and rights as an employee to claim arrears of wages, holiday pay, notice pay an redundancy pay from the Redundancy Payments Office (RPO) when your employer has become insolvent you should telephone the above numbers.