Latest news with #FosterCareAllowance
The Irish Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Irish families on social welfare told to apply for €160 or €285 extra cash before closing date as thousands more qualify
The new move is expected to benefit around 2,300 extra children CASH BOOST Irish families on social welfare told to apply for €160 or €285 extra cash before closing date as thousands more qualify IRISH families on social welfare have been urged to apply for a key €160 or €285 payment. Thousands more children will qualify for the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance this year after it was extended to include a new group. 3 The scheme runs from June to September each year, with payments beginning in early July Credit: Getty Images - Getty 3 Applications for the payment will close on September 30 Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary confirmed the change in response to a parliamentary question, saying the scheme will now cover children for whom Foster Care Allowance is being paid. The new move is expected to benefit around 2,300 extra children. Minister Calleary said: 'Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance eligibility is being extended to include children for whom Foster Care Allowance is being paid. "This Government acknowledges the important role that carers, including foster carers, play and remains fully committed to supporting them.' The BSCFA is a once-off annual payment to help parents and guardians cover the cost of clothing and footwear ahead of the school year. It is worth €160 for children aged four to 11 and €285 for those aged 12 to 22 in full-time second-level education. Minister Calleary explained that applicants must satisfy several qualifying conditions, including receiving a relevant social protection payment and having a household income within the scheme's limits. He noted: 'In order to qualify for the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, an applicant must satisfy a number of qualifying conditions, one of which requires the applicant's household income to be within the relevant income limits. "The income limits for the scheme are increased annually as part of the budget process.' For 2025, the weekly income limit is €694 for a family with one child. Major warning over emergency social welfare scam texts as thousands could be targeted For two children, the limit rises to €756, and for three children it is €818. Families with four children can earn up to €880 a week and still qualify. The limit is then increased from €880 by €62 for each additional child in the household, providing extra flexibility for larger families. All dependent children, including those over 18 in third level education, will be counted when applying the income limit. When assessing income from wages, the DSP looks at income before tax - but PRSI and a standard travel allowance of up to €20 each week is not included. Savings, investments, shares and property - but not your own home - are also assessed as part of the means test. Income from certain supports, including Foster Care Allowance, Child Benefit, Working Family Payment and others, is not counted towards the limit. CLOSING DATE The scheme runs from June to September each year, with payments beginning in early July. Applications for the payment will close on September 30. People have been urged to apply before the closing date if they have applied for a social welfare payment and are waiting for a decision on their application. They should also apply if they are waiting for a decision on an appeal for a social welfare payment.
The Irish Sun
30-06-2025
- General
- The Irish Sun
Major alert for thousands as €160 or €285 payment to land in accounts in days – and you may not even need to apply
THOUSANDS are set for a major boost as a huge payment is set to land in accounts in just days. The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) helps families with the cost of And it is only two weeks until the payment is made on the week of July 14. Many If you are set to receive it automatically, you should have been notified on your MyWelfare account or by post by 9 June 2025. If you weren't notified, you will need to apply for the READ MORE IN MONEY Applications opened on June 9, and the closing date is September 30, so despite payments starting in July you can still apply. Since June 17 this year, families who get the Foster Care Allowance can also apply for the BSCFA. You can get the payment if you have a child that qualifies, and: You are getting a qualifying social welfare payment, or are participating in an approved employment, education or training support scheme. See Your household is within the BSCFA income limits (see 'Income limits' below) You and each child you claim the BSCFA for are resident in Ireland. Most read in Money If you are getting a social welfare payment, you must be getting a Child Support Payment (previously called an Increase for a Qualified Child or IQC) with it, but there are some exceptions to it. New online application system opens for €360 or €180 Domiciliary Care Allowance applications If you get a qualifying social welfare payment but don't get a Child Support Payment, you can claim the payment if: The rules of your payment do not provide for a child payment (for example, Your spouse or partner's income is over the specified limit for your payment, but your overall household income is within the BSCFA income limits (see 'Income limits' below). But you must meet the other rules for getting BSCFA. You child must be aged between 4-17 on 30 September in the year you apply, or aged between 18-22 and returning to full-time second-level education in a recognised school or college in the autumn of the year you apply And your Your total household income must be less than the amounts set out in the table below. The total household income includes: Your weekly social welfare or Health Service Executive (HSE) payments, and Any other income you may have, including wages Capital (such as savings, investments, and any property you have excluding your own home) When your income is assessed from your wages, the DSP looks at your income before it's taxed, but they don't include PRSI and a standard travel allowance of up to €20 a week. However, some social welfare payments are not included in the means test. Payments not included in the means test include: WEEKLY INCOME LIMITS The Department of Social Protection (DSP) counts all dependent children when applying the income limit. This includes: Your children who are aged under 4 Your children aged 18 to 22 who are in third level education. All capital is assessed in the means test, including savings, investments, shares and property that's not your own home. The income limit is increased by €62 for each additional dependent child. If your child is aged between 4 and 11, the rate of payment is €160. If they are between 12 and 22, the payment is €285. 1 The payment is set to land in accounts in days Credit: Getty Images - Getty
Sky News AU
24-06-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
NSW Govt unveils $1 billion new housing scheme in a bid to give more choice for buyers, renters
The New South Wales Government has unveiled an Australian-first scheme to help drive the construction of tens of thousands of new homes, as Treasurer Daniel Mookhey hands down his third state budget. The Pre-sale Finance Guarantee scheme will see the state become guarantor of up to $1 billion worth of new housing projects over a five year period. It aims to give developers greater confidence to build new, mainly medium to high density dwellings for people to buy and rent. The Government will stump up a maximum of 50 per cent of the value of a project at a minimum of $5 million and maximum of $50 million. The Minns Government believes the scheme will supercharge construction, as developers will no longer be forced to wait until they secure a certain percentage of pre-sales in an apartment block before getting on with the job. They hope the scheme will assist in situations where the last few units in an apartment block are struggling to sell. It also believes by encouraging developers to begin construction, remaining units will become more attractive for first home buyers or investors to purchase, given they wont be off the plan. The Government aims to guarantee 5,000 properties, which it estimates will bring forward an average of 15,000 properties. It hopes the first properties will be guaranteed by the end of the year. In a one-on-one interview with Sky News, Treasurer Daniel Mookhey called the scheme, 'a canny use of our fiscal firepower'. '…that means we are bringing more supply on earlier which we hope will mean that there's more choice available for people who want to buy and rent in New South Wales,' the Treasurer said. The 2025-26 budget also revealed a record state investment in child protection. $1.2 billion will be spent on bolstering the out-of-home care system, supporting children, foster carers and case workers. That includes $143.9 million to increase the Foster Care Allowance by 20 per cent, the biggest increase to the payments in almost 20 years. It means the carer of a 14 year old would receive $1056 per fortnight, up from $880 while the carer of a five year old child would receive $787.20 per fortnight, up from $656. The changes would take effect in January. About $797.6 million will be spent improving the system, $49.2 million will be spent on 44 government owned care homes and $10 million will be spent on the Office of the Children's Guardian. And $191.5 million will be spent on retaining and hiring new caseworkers, delivering 2126 caseworkers a pay rise and helping to hire 200 more people. Finance Minister Courtney Houssos told Sky News the Government is 'really proud' of the record investment. '…These are our states most vulnerable children and it's a record spending investment to protect some of the most vulnerable kids in our community,' Minister Houssos said. There are an estimated 17,000 children in the New South Wales foster care system.
Irish Daily Mirror
23-06-2025
- General
- Irish Daily Mirror
Eligibility criteria for back to school scheme extended for thousands
Thousands of households will be able to receive this year's Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance after the eligibility for the scheme was extended. The one-off, means tested payment helps families with the cost of clothing and footwear for school. The rate of pay for 2025 is €160 for children aged 4 - 11 and €285 for children aged 12 years and over in second level education, Dublin Live reports. Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary has confirmed that the eligibility for the scheme is being extended to now include children for whom Foster Care Allowance is being paid, meaning an estimated 2,300 children will now qualify for the grant. Minister Calleary said: 'Foster carers play an essential role in our care system, and I am committed to supporting them. 'That's why I am really pleased to announce that children for whom Foster Care Allowance is being paid will now be eligible for the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance. 'In the Programme for Government, we said that we would examine the Back-to-School eligibility criteria to allow flexibility for foster carers and I am pleased to fulfil this commitment. "We expect some 2,300 children in foster care will now be eligible for this important allowance and I encourage foster care families to apply online at MyWelfare.' How can I apply for the allowance? The allowance is handed out automatically, which means that most people who are eligible for the necessary payment will receive it directly. However, sometimes this might not be the case and you may need to apply for it. Find out more about how to apply here.
Dublin Live
23-06-2025
- General
- Dublin Live
Social welfare Ireland: Eligibility for lump sum payment extended to thousands of households
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 Eligibility for the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance has been extended for thousands of households. The scheme provides a once-off, means tested payment to eligible families towards the cost of school clothing and footwear. The rate of payment for 2025 is €160 for children aged 4 - 11 and €285 for children aged 12 years and over in second level education. Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary has confirmed eligibility for the scheme is being extended to include children for whom Foster Care Allowance is being paid. It is estimated that up to 2,300 children, for whom Foster Care Allowance is being paid, will now qualify for the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance. Minister Calleary said: 'Foster carers play an essential role in our care system, and I am committed to supporting them. That's why I am really pleased to announce that children for whom Foster Care Allowance is being paid will now be eligible for the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance. 'In the Programme for Government, we said that we would examine the Back-to-School eligibility criteria to allow flexibility for foster carers and I am pleased to fulfil this commitment. "We expect some 2,300 children in foster care will now be eligible for this important allowance and I encourage foster care families to apply online at MyWelfare.' 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.
