Ministers have stressed there will be no cliff edge end to the pandemic unemployment payments, or an austerity budget this year.
The State will run another significant deficit this year despite a projected small growth in the economy.
However, that could be put at further risk if there's another wave of the virus or extended lockdown.
Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath says they understand the need to keep wage support payments in place beyond the current expiry date of June.
"The anchor of our decision making is the avoidance of a cliff edge, because we know what the consequences of that would be.
"It would end up resulting in many employees on the wage subsidy scheme currently going on job seekers supports directly, and that is essentially a false saving.
"So we will need to do it in a careful and gradual way."
