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The Irish Sun
20-07-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Major €506 Child Benefit & €25 welfare hike alert for Budget 2026 amid ‘important most vulnerable not forgotten' warning
THE countdown to the Budget has started — but hanging over the negotiations is the US President's potential trade war with Europe. Finance Minister 2 Micheal Martin has ruled out a repeat of 2025's €2.6 billion cost-of-living boon Credit: 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved 2 Susanne Rogers believes social welfare rates should increase to prevent vulnerable people being left behind While Taoiseach It is understood Government leaders have agreed to eliminate one-off payments such as energy credits and But where does that leave those hardest hit by the Here, Susanne Rogers, of Social Justice Ireland, says READ MORE ON BUDGET 2026 AS talk of A policy of one-off cost-of-living measures in recent budgets may have provided temporary relief to low-income households, but even with those measures, almost 12 per cent of the population (630,000 people) are living below the Without those one-off measures, more than 758,600 people would be living in poverty. Most read in The Irish Sun Government must use SOCIAL WELFARE : Government made many promises in the Programme for Government. Give me a break' - Watch shock moment Simon Harris & Pearse Doherty clash in fiery spat over cost-of-living crisis Key among them is the commitment to deliver progressive budgets, meaning that those on the lowest incomes are protected. The Minister for Social Protection must benchmark social welfare rates to 27.5 per cent of average weekly earnings. This requires a €25 increase in weekly This is even more critical in light of the increases to essentials such as rent, energy costs and food prices. ELDERLY STRUGGLING OLDER PEOPLE : More than 106,000 older people struggled to make ends meet in 2024, an increase of 64 per cent in a year. Without the temporary measures, one in five older people would have been living below the poverty line. This highlights how vulnerable older people are, due to their reliance on a fixed Contributory and Non-Contributory Pensions by €25 per week and universalise the payment, while increasing the living alone allowance by €10 per week. HIGH RISK OF POVERTY FUEL ALLOWANCE : Increase this by €10 per month and extend the payment to those receiving the Working Family Payment. This also unlocks secondary benefits such as access to retro-fitting grants. DISABILITY : The Programme for Government makes welcome commitments on a cost of The group with the highest risk of poverty and some of the highest rates of deprivation are those unable to work due to long-term illness or disability. To deliver on its promise, Budget 2026 should introduce a cost of disability allowance at €20 a week. BOOST FOR CARERS AND CHILDREN CARERS : Carers provide a huge service to the State. There are over 299,000 people in Ireland providing unpaid care each week, an increase of 53 per cent in six years. To acknowledge and support them, at the very minimum, Government must expand the Free It must increase the annual Carer's Support Grant to €2,150, implement an independent review of Carer's Allowance, increase Domiciliary Care Allowance to €385 per month, and pilot a Universal Basic Services and a Universal Basic Income Scheme for Carers at a cost of €10million, in line with the Programme for Government Commitment to a Carers Guarantee. KEY ROUTE CHILDREN : Child benefit remains a key route to tackling child poverty. In 2024, more than 190,000 children in Ireland were living in poverty, a statistic that should shock us all. Government should increase Child Benefit by €506, increase the Child Support Payment for under-12s by €6 and for those aged 12 and over by €15. It should also introduce an additional two weeks' paternity and Life on a low income is the norm for a large number of people in Ireland. But it shouldn't be. Government must use Budget 2026 to change this trend and improve the standard of living for vulnerable households. The first step is setting adequate social welfare rates.
Dublin Live
05-07-2025
- Business
- Dublin Live
Social welfare Ireland: Major changes to scheme with thousands to receive higher payment
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Major changes were implemented to the Carer's Allowance this week that will make thousands of recipients eligible to receive higher rates of payment. The changes to the scheme will also mean more Carers can now avail of Carer's Allowance. The weekly income disregard for Carer's Allowance is now increased by €175 to €625 per week for single carers, and by €350 to €1,250 per week for a couple. The changes announced mean that 5,280 carers will receive an increase in their Carer's Allowance payment from this week. Meanwhile, the Carer's Benefit income limit will also increase from €450 to €625. Announcing the introduction of the changes today, Minister Calleary said: 'I am delighted to announce these significant increases to the weekly income disregards for Carer's Allowance. "One of the areas that carers have raised with me regularly is the Carer's means test. The changes I am announcing today will make the scheme more accessible to people who previously did not qualify. "The increase in the disregards also mean that 5,280 current recipients will receive a higher payment from today. Consequently, 99% of existing Carer's Allowance recipients will now get the full rate of their entitlement. "These means test improvements are in addition to changes made to the Carer's Support Grant, which was increased to €2,000, its highest ever level, and paid to 138,000 carers in June. "The Programme for Government commits to significantly increase the income disregards for Carer's Allowance in each Budget with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of the Government. The changes I am announcing today represent a significant step forward towards reaching this commitment.' Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
Irish Daily Mirror
03-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
Carer's Allowance income disregard change leads to boost for thousands
The weekly income disregard for the carer's allowance will increase and lead to over 5,200 carers receiving higher rates of payments from Thursday. Under changes decided under Budget 2025, which will come into effect now, the weekly income disregard for Carer's Allowance will be increased by €175 to €625 per week for single carers, and by €350 to €1,250 per week for a couple. Since June 2022, Carer's Allowance income disregards have increased by €292.50 for single carers and €585 for carers in couples. The changes announced mean that 5,280 carers will receive an increase in their Carer's Allowance payment from today. As a result of these increases, a carer in a two-adult household with an income of approximately €69,000 will still retain their full carer's payment. Incomes of €97,000 will retain a partial payment. Carer's Allowance is a means-tested payment for people living in Ireland who are looking after someone who needs support because of age, physical or learning disability or illness, including mental illness. There are currently 100,154 recipients. The Carer's Benefit income limit will also increase from €450 to €625. Social Protection Minister Dara Calleary stated that 99 per cent of existing Carer's Allowance recipients will now get the full rate. He said: "One of the areas that carers have raised with me regularly is the carer's means test. "The changes I am announcing today will make the scheme more accessible to people who previously did not qualify. "The increase in the disregards also mean that 5,280 current recipients will receive a higher payment from today. Consequently, 99 per cent of existing Carer's Allowance recipients will now get the full rate of their entitlement. "These means test improvements are in addition to changes made to the Carer's Support Grant, which was increased to €2,000, its highest ever level, and paid to 138,000 carers in June. "The Programme for Government commits to significantly increase the income disregards for Carer's Allowance in each Budget with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of the Government. "The changes I am announcing today represent a significant step forward towards reaching this commitment."
The Irish Sun
01-07-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Thousands of Irish qualify for €447 social welfare cash & MORE eligible for ‘maximum rate' in major new scheme expansion
THOUSANDS more Irish people will qualify for a weekly social welfare payment worth up to €447 following a change to the eligibility rules. And the major Advertisement 1 More people will qualify for the Carer's Allowance payment under the new expansion of the scheme Credit: Getty Images - Getty The weekly income disregard for the This means the first €625 of a single person's weekly income and €900 of a couple's weekly income will not be taken into account when applying for the means-tested payment. The reform to the income disregard is expected to take effect from Thursday. Cash income, capital and maintenance payments are all assessed by the Department of Social Protection as part of the means test. Advertisement READ MORE IN MONEY However, the changes to the means test, which will take effect this week, means a person will still be able to qualify for the payment even if they are earning over €450 from other income each week. And the move means that a whopping 99 per cent of people receiving Carer's Allowance maximum weekly payment is €260 for a carer aged under 66 that is caring for one person, and €390 for a person aged under 66 that is caring for two or more people. Carer's aged 66 or over who are caring for one person can receive a maximum payment of €298 each week while those who are caring for two people or more and are aged under 66 can claim €447. Advertisement MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN Breaking Little known social welfare benefits thousands are entitled to In addition to this, it is expected that many more carers will now qualify for the payment for the first time under the higher income limits. Deputy O'Shea described the move announced in Budget 2025, as a "positive change", but said the government "needs to go further". He said: "There have been significant changes to the Carers Allowance means test in recent years with the income disregard increased by €292.50 for a single person and €585 for a couple since 2022. Advertisement 'It has been confirmed to me that the further increase in the income limits this week will mean that 99 per cent of people receiving Carer's Allowance will now receive the maximum rate of payment. 'In addition, these changes will mean that many more carers who were previously outside the income limits will now qualify for a payment. STILL TIME TO APPLY FOR €2,000 BOOST THE Carer's Support Grant increased to €2,000 - its highest level ever - last month. The non taxable and non means tested payment had been €1,850 in previous years, but was upped by €150 for 2025. The payment was given to those already receiving the Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit and the Domiciliary Care Allowance. Those who believe they may You can apply for a Carer's Support Grant for any given year from April of that year until 31 December of the following year. This means you can 'Our carers play a vital role in our society and we need to support them. This is a welcome step, but we need to go further. "The Programme for Government commits to phasing out the means test entirely during the lifetime of this Government." Advertisement O'Shea called on Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary to build on the "strong work" in this area in recent years and outline a road map for phasing out the means test altogether. She said: "This is not the final step, but real progress towards Fianna Fáil's commitment to abolish the means test for Carer's Allowance. "I look forward to working closely with the Minister to continue strengthening support for our careers in the future." Advertisement Minister Calleary said: "The Programme for Government is ambitious for carers. Importantly, we will continue to significantly increase the income disregards for Carer's Allowance in each Budget with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of the government."
Irish Independent
29-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Independent
Kerry carers can earn more and still keep allowance under new changes
Announced last Thursday, the income disregard will rise from €450 per week to €625 per week for single carers, and from €900 per week to €1,250 per week for carers with a spouse or partner. In practical terms, the changes would see a carer in a two-adult household earning up to €69,000 receive the full carer's allowance, while those with incomes up to €97,000 may still qualify for a partial payment. The new changes will immediately benefit 196 family carers in Kerry who are currently receiving the carer's allowance and will receive higher payments due to the threshold increase. The minister said the reforms will also extend eligibility for the carer's allowance 'to more people in Kerry than ever before', once the rules come into effect on July 3. It's believed that 99 per cent of current recipients, nationally, will qualify for the full-rate payment. Welcoming the changes, Minister for Children, Disability, and Equality Norma Foley, said carers make a vital contribution to the wellbeing of their loved ones and also to wider society. She added that Fianna Fáil remains committed to abolishing the means test for carer's allowance and this latest announcement is a positive step forward in that direction. 'The change represents an 88 percent rise in income thresholds since June 2022, reflecting Fianna Fáil's continued commitment to supporting carers in a meaningful and practical way,' Minister Foley said. The carer's allowance supports over 100,000 carers across Ireland. In 2025, spending on this allowance is expected to exceed €1.24 billion. In addition, the Department of Social Protection provides non-means-tested supports such as the Carer's Benefit and the annual Carer's Support Grant of €2,000, which was recently paid to more than 138,000 carers on June 5.
