A man who was refused Job Seekers Allowance as he was doing unpaid work says it does not make sense.

Chris had recently finished college and had already completed two internships.

He then saw an unpaid internship for social media and got the position.

It was then that the Department of Social Protection told him he could not claim the allowance because he was not available for work.

This was after he supplied documents proving his position was voluntary.

The Department has since said that engaging in unpaid work other that Jobbridge to the extent that the jobseeker is not available for and genuinely seeking work will result in the jobseekers payment being stopped.

Chris says the situation was confusing because he had to deal with different people all the time.

He told his story to Lunchtime here on Newstalk.