Basic Social Welfare Rates from January 2012
Adult Adult Dependent
Contributory OAP €230.30 €206.30 (aged 66 or over)
Non-Contributory OAP €219.00 €144.70(aged 66 or over)
Contributory Widows - under 66 €193.50 —
Contributory Widows - 66 or over €230.30 —
Invalidity Pension €193.50 €138.10
SupplementaryWelfare €186.00 €124.80
All Other Payments €188.00 €124.80
Living Alone Allowance €7.70
Over 80 Allowance €10.00
Children
Child Benefit is paid for all children (€140 month for the first two, €148 for the third, €160 others) up to their 16th birthday, or 18th birthday if in full-time education or with a disability. A single rate of €140 will apply from 2013 onwards.
Qualified Child Payment of €29.80 is paid to persons on Social Welfare up to the end of the academic year in which the child reaches 18. A person on social welfare for over 26 weeks can claim up to 22nd birthday if in full-time education. Full rate QCP will be paid if your spouse is working and earning no more than €400.
A Back-to-School payment of €150 for primary pupils from age 4, €250 for secondary pupils payable to persons on Social Welfare whose weekly income is not more than €150 over the weekly contributory pension rate.
Family Income Supplement
A couple or a single parent on low pay, who work for at least 19 hours per week combined
(including job-sharers) can get a supplement for their children (including those 18-22 in full-time education). The payment is calculated at 60c for each €1 by which your take home pay (i.e. net of tax, PRSI levies and superannuation) falls below the following income:
– €506.00 for a family with one child, plus
– €96 for second, €101 for third, €121 for fourth, and €126 (approx) for each other child.
If you qualify, the payment will last at least 52 weeks. It will be of a minimum €20 per week and also entitles you to a back-to-school payment from the HSE and the smokeless fuel allowance, and will not affect your eligibility for a medical card. A person on One Parent Family Allowance may apply but FIS will be treated as income in your means test.
A widow(er) with children receives a once off €6,000 in the year of bereavement. In addition the standard Bereavement Grant of €850 is payable. From January 2012, widows and OPFA can no longer claim half rate unemployment or sickness benefits with their payment.
The HSE pays Domiciliary Care Allowance €309.50 per month and an annual respite grant of €1,700 up to their 18th birthday for children with a disability who require considerable extra care. This increase from 16 to 18 is suspended while a review is undretaken. A payment of €35 per week is payable to persons resident in institutional settings who do not have Disability Allowance.
Free Pre School for one year is available to any child aged between 3 years and 3 months and 4 years and 6 months on 1st September covering either:
• Playschool for 3 hours daily for 38 weeks, or
• Childcare for 2 hours 15 minutes daily for 50 weeks.
A pre-school cannot charge parents extra for the hours covered by the scheme, but can charge for extra hours or for additional activities as long as these are optional.
Fuel Scheme: A Fuel Allowance of €20 per week is payable for 26 weeks if you are on long-term Social Welfare with no more than €100 per week in household income over the contributory pension rate. However, to qualify, you must be living alone, or only with dependents or another person on long-term social welfare or on JSA. The current season will end on 6th April 2012.
Supplementary Welfare
The Community Welfare Officer in the HSE may help out with the following:
• A weekly payment if you are sick or unemployed and have not received Social Welfare.
• A supplement towards the assigned cost of a special diet (about €70) less one third (one sixth in the case of a couple) of the applicant’s current income. Exceptional heating supplement can be paid in serious medical circumstances.
• A once-off payment for unforeseen needs such as a funeral, fares to visit or attend hospital, a robbery, fire or flood; or for unaffordable essential needs such as: furniture or 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.
• Help if the repayment schedule sought by the ESB/Gas to sort out a serious arrear causes excessive hardship.
In assessing eligibility, the CWO takes into account all income coming into the house including part-time earnings of a spouse and income of other adults. Full-time students and persons working over 30 hours are not generally eligible. New guidelines will apply stricter rules in 2012. Decisions can be appealed to the The Regional Appeals Office, HSE, 8 O’Connell St, Clonmel, Co Tipperary(1890 700 150).
Treatment Benefit
Treatment Benefit now only covers free dental, optical examinations and Medical and Surgical Appliances (including hearing aids, max €500 per aid once every 4 years) scheme for the insured worker and their spouse.
Free Schemes
Free Schemes: If you are 66 or over or permanently incapacitated, and living alone except for dependents, a spouse on Social Welfare, another pensioner, or someone giving you full-time care, you can receive the following concessions along with your Irish or British Social Welfare Pension:
- ESB Standing Charges plus 1,800 units worth €430 per year; or
- Natural Gas worth €21/month(June-Nov) and €44.50/month(Dec-May). (You can carry up to €150 credit from one bill to the next) and
• Free Colour Television Licence; and
• Telephone Allowance of €267/year(which can be used for mobile phones).
Pensioners who don’t have a Social Welfare pension can qualify at age 66 on the same terms provided their means don’t exceed the Contributory OAP rate by more than €100.
If you are aged 70 or over, you can qualify for all of these free schemes regardless of your income or its source and regardless of who lives with you and you can now get telephone allowance while residing in a nursing home. If you are widowed and aged 60 or over, you can retain the free schemes and free travel if your late spouse had them, and you satisfy the other conditions.
In Social Welfare means tests for pensioners the first €20,000 (each) of savings are disregarded, the next successive €10,000 (each) slices are valued at €1/week and €2/week per €1,000 respectively and the balance at €4/week per €1,000.
Part-Time Working
A person on Jobseeker’s Benefit loses one fifth of your payment for each day you work. A person on Jobseeker’s Allowance will have 60% of your daily earnings over €20 deducted from the total weekly payment. In both cases, you get no payment if you work more than 3 days. Earnings on a Sunday will also be counted from 2013.
A Lone Parent can earn €130 per week (after Pension Contributions and PRSI) without affecting their entitlement to One Parent Family Payment. Between €130 and €425 payment is reduced by 50c for each euro of earnings. Up to €95.23 of Maintenance is disregarded where there are housing payments to be met, thereafter half of the payment is assessed.
Jobseeker's Alllowance 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 an adult dependent less 60% of their spouse’s earnings (after deduction of pension contribution, 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, but will be assessed with 34% of their parents' disposable income(after deduction of tax PRSI, superannuation, mortgage/rent, Health Insurance, Union Fees and €600 couple(€470 single parent and €30 per child). Once you qualify for any payment, a minimum €40.00 per week is paid.
Payment to new claimants under 25 of Jobseeker's Allowance is capped at €100 if you are under 22, €144 if aged 22-24, unless you are in training, on Back to Education allowance or coming off Jobseeker's Benefit.
Workers must record 104 paid contributions before establishing eligibility for Jobseeker’s and Illness Benefit. Jobseeker claims are restricted to 12 months (9 months if under 260 paid contributions) and Illness claims to 2 years. You must then apply for Assistance or work 13 weeks before making a fresh Benefit Claim.
For Taxation 2012 click here
For Housing 2012 click here
For Health 2012 click here
For Options for the Unemployed & Education 2012 click here
