Adult Adult Dependant
Contributory OAP (Full Rate) €230.30 €206.30 (aged 66 +)
Non Contributory OAP €219.00 €144.70 (aged 66 +)
Contributory Widow (Under 66) €193.50
Contributory Widow (66+) €230.30
Invalidity Pension €193.50 €138.10
Maternity Benefit €230.00
Supplementary Welfare €186.00 €124.80
All other payments €188.00 €124.80
Living Alone Allowance € 7.70
Over 80s Allowance € 10.00
Children
Child Benefit is €130 per month all children.
Qualified Payment of €29.80 per week is paid per child to those parents who are on Social Welfare and whose spouse is earning no more than €400 per week. The payment is made to the end of the academic year in which the child reaches the age of 18.
Those who are Social Welfare for over 26 weeks and whose dependant child is in full –time education may claim this allowance until the child is 22 years of age.
Back to School allowance of €100 for Primary Students aged 4 +. The payment for Secondary students is €200.
Family Income Supplement
A couple or single parent who work at least 19 hours per week combined can get a supplement for their children. This includes those aged up to 22 who are in fulltime education. The payment is made on the basis of 60c per € by which the take home pay falls below
€506.00 for a family with one child plus €96 for the second,€101 for the third, €12 for the fourth and €126 for each subsequent child.
The payment will be for a period of no less than 52 weeks and be no less than €20 per week.
Those qualifying may be entitled to a Back to School Payment from the HSE. This is subject to HSE assessment.
Family Income Support will not affect eligibility for a Medical Card.
Family Income Support is not counted as means for One Parent Family Payment.
Bereavement payment
In the year of bereavement those with children receive a once off payment of €6,000
If the spouse were both in receipt of Social Welfare allowances at the time of bereavement the total payment will continue to be paid for a period of 6 weeks following the bereavement.
Domiciliary care Allowance
The Department of Social Protection pays an allowance of €309.50 per month and an annual respite grant of €1,375 up to the age of 16 for children with a severe disability who require substantial and documented extra care. A half-rate payment is payable to a child in institutional care who resides at home for a minimum of 2 days per week.
Free Pre School Places
One years placement is available to any child aged between 3 years and 3 months and 4 years and 6 months on the 1st September. The service may cover either:
Playschool for 3 hours daily for 38 weeks
Childcare for 2 hours 15 minutes daily for 50 weeks.
The Pre-School may not charge extra for the hours covered by the scheme, but can charge for the extra hours or for any additional activities as long as these are optional.
Fuel Scheme
If you are a long term Social Welfare recipient an allowance of €20 per week is available over a 26 week period Oct/March. In income above the contributory pension rate. To qualify you must live alone or only with dependants or another long-term person on Social welfare or JSA.
Supplementary welfare.
If you do not qualify for any of the above and are in need, allowances may be made to you by the Community Welfare Officer under the following.
- A weekly payment when sick or unemployed and no Social Welfare payment was made.
- A once off payment for unforeseen needs such as funeral, fares to attend hospital, a robbery, fire, flood or for unaffordable essentials needs such as furniture, kitchen equipment when setting up home, needs associated with pregnancy and a new baby, clothing or replacing essential equipment for older people on low income or in poor health, children’s clothing in exceptional circumstances.
- A weekly supplement may be made towards the assigned cost of a special diet. This is calculated at €70 less 1/3 of the applicants current income (1/6 of a couples income)
- An exceptional heating supplement can be paid in serious medical circumstances
- In cases of excessive hardship caused by the repayment schedule sought in respect of Electricity/Gas arrears. In assessing eligibility, the CWO will asses all income coming into the house from all sources. In general full-time students and those working more than 30 hours per week are generally not eligible.
The CWO’s decision can be appealed to Appeals Office, Social Welfare, D’Olier Street, Dublin 2. Ph: 01-6732800 or LoCall 1890747434.
Treatment Benefit covers
Free Dental, Optical examinations, Medical and Surgical Appliances including Hearing Aids up to a maximum of €500 per aid once only every four years. For an insured worker, their spouse and retired people who have required number os PRSI Contributions.
Illness benefit is only payable after the 6th day of absence from work.
State Pension
To qualify you must be aged 66. From 2021 this will rise to 67
Graduated Pension Entitlement
For a person with an incomplete pension record applying after September 2012. Those with less than 80% record over their lifetime will get a % of a full pension based on the following
- Average of 30-39 weeks contributions per year will get 90%
- Average of 20-29 weeks contributions per year will get 85%
- Average of 15-19 weeks contributions per year will get 65%
- Average of 10-14 weeks contributions per year will get 40%
- Those with less than 10 weeks average do not qualify for a payment.
Free Schemes
If you are permanently incapacitated aged 66 or over, living alone except for dependants, a spouse on Social Welfare Benefit, another pensioner or someone giving you fulltime care, you can receive the following concessions along with your irish or British Social Welfare Pension.
- Electricity or natural Gas up to €420
- Television Licence
Those not in receipt of a SW Pension who are aged 66 or over can qualify on the same terms as above provided that their means do not exceed the full contributory OAP pension rate by more than €100 per week.
At age 70 you can qualify for all these free schemes regardless of your income or its source and regardless of who lives with you. If you are widowed and aged 60 or over you can retain the free schemes and free travel if your spouse already had them and you satisfy the other conditions.
Part Time Working
Jobseekers
- A person on Jobseekers Benefit loses one fifth of their payment for each day worked including Saturday and Sunday.
- A person on Jobseekers Allowance will have 60% of their daily earnings over €30 deducted from the total weekly payment.
- In both of the above no payment is made if you work more than 3 days per week.
The allowance is cut to €150 if a job offer or activation measure is refused.
A person claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance whose spouse is working will be paid the rate for a claimant and a n adult dependant less 60% of their spouses earnings (after pension contributions, PRSI and Union Subscriptions) in excess of €60 per week.
A single person under 25 living at home who has left school can apply for Jobseeker’s Allowance. They will be assessed with 34% of their parents disposable income (after deduction for Income tax, PRSI, Superannuation, Mortgage/rent, Health Insurance Union Fees, €600 for a two parent family €470 for a single parent family and €30 per child)
Jobseeker’s Allowance is capped at €100 for persons aged 18-24 with no children and €144 for those aged 25 plus. Existing claimants on a higher rate hold their entitlement.
Jobseeker’s Allowance is paid for 6 months for those with 260 or less contributions for all others 9 months.
Lone Parent Allowance
A claimant may earn up to €110 per week after Pension and PRSI Contributions without affecting their entitlement to the One Parent Family Payment. For earnings above €110 and up to €425 the payment is reduced by 50c per euro. Up to €95.23 of Maintenance payment may be disregarded when there are housing payments to be met, thereafter half of the payment is assessed.
The One Parent Family Payment is to cease when the youngest child reaches the age of 7. This applies from July 2014 for persons whose claim was made after 3rd May 2012 and from July 2015 for all other claimants.