Latest news with #IllnessBenefit
The Irish Sun
13-06-2025
- General
- The Irish Sun
‘One person-one payment' social welfare rule for thousands of Irish as ‘overlapping' cash eligibility revealed
THE Minister for Social Protection has confirmed a "one person-one payment" rule that prevents thousands receiving "overlapping" cash. The rule directly impacts those in receipt of certain social welfare payments and will prevent them from being eligible for a second boost, even if they meet other eligibility criteria. Advertisement Minister "Given the contingency-based nature of this system, it can happen that a person may experience more than one contingency at the same time, but generally they can receive only one payment." He added: "As a result, people on the Widows, Widowers and Surviving Civil Partners Pension cannot be in receipt of an overlapping second payment, for example Illness Benefit or Invalidity Pension, at the same time." As an example, the Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's is a weekly payment made to the husband, wife or civil partner of a deceased person, provided there are enough PRSI contributions. Advertisement READ MORE IN MONEY Either the person claiming or their spouse or civil partner must have at least 260 paid contributions paid before the relevant date. And an average of 39 paid or credited contributions in either the three or five years before the death of the spouse or civil partner or before he or she reached pension age. However, people receiving this payment will not be eligible for other payments such as the Illness Benefit or Invalidity Pension. Similar criteria applies in the case of those receiving a Carers Benefit, who then are not entitled to the Jobseeker's Benefit. Advertisement Most read in Money However, the Minister for Social Protection, in response to Major warning over emergency social welfare scam texts as thousands could be targeted Generally, you cannot receive two full social welfare payments at one time, however those on reduced rates of certain payments may be eligible for others. For example, if a person is in receipt of a reduced rate of Widow's Pension and eligible for the Illness Benefit they may also receive a reduced rate of the second payment. However, the combined amount of both Advertisement Similarly, if a person is getting certain social welfare payments and providing full-time care to another person, they can keep the main social welfare payment and get half-rate Carer's Allowance. This also applies to payments such as the Blind Pension where you may be able to receive two payments at once. Some people may also be entilted to a half-rate Maternity, Paternity, Adoptive, Parent's or Health and Safety Benefit if they are on the following payments. One-Parent Family Payment Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Non-Contributory) Pension Death benefits or survivor's benefits under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme, such as Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's Pension and Dependant Parent Pension. You can apply for these half rate payments in the same way as other Social Welfare payments. Advertisement As a general rule if a person is eligible for two different social welfare payments, they will receive whichever scheme pays out a higher sum. 'ESSENTIAL EXPENDITURE' NEEDS On top of this, depending on the age of the person receiving a full social welfare payment and their living circumstances there are a range of other payments they may qualify for. These include the Working Family Payment, Living Alone Increase, Fuel Allowance or Household Benefits Package. However, this is dependent on meeting specific eligibility criteria outlined on the website. Advertisement And despite having no current plans to change the structure mainly only allowing one payment to be received, the Minister for Social Protection revealed supports available to those struggling. He explained: "My Department operates the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, administered by the Community Welfare Service, which provides a number of supports and services to help people facing financial hardship. "Under this scheme, the Department may make an additional needs payment to meet essential expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. "The payment is available to anyone who needs it and qualifies, whether the person is currently on a social welfare payment or working on a low income." Advertisement 1 There are key eligibility criteria people should be aware of Credit: Getty
The Irish Sun
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Applications for major €285 social welfare payment open TOMORROW and thousands of parents are eligible
THOUSANDS of Irish parents will be able to apply for a lump social welfare payment, worth either €160 or €285, from tomorrow. The Advertisement 1 Thousands of Irish parents will be able to apply for a €285 boost Credit: Getty The social welfare payment is aimed at helping Children aged 4 to 11 starting on September 30 will receive a payment rate of €160. Those aged 12 to 22 will be granted a payment of €285. Many families get the payment automatically, meaning you don't need to apply for the scheme. Advertisement READ MORE ON SOCIAL WELFARE You will be notified on your MyWelfare account or by post by tomorrow. If you are not notified by tomorrow, you will need to apply for the allowance. However, you will need to meet the criteria in order to avail of the cash boost. You are eligible for the allowance if you have a child who qualifies and meets the following requirements: Advertisement Most read in Money You are getting a qualifying 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 The qualifying social welfare payments also include Deserted Wife's Benefit, Illness Benefit, Injury Benefit, Major warning over emergency social welfare scam texts as thousands could be targeted And you must be getting a In order to get the allowance while not getting the child support, you can claim it if: The rules of your payment do not provide for a child payment 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 HOW TO APPLY? If you do not receive the payment automatically and think you are eligible you can apply. Advertisement To apply for the allowance you can log in through the MyWelfare website - but you will need a verified MyGovID account. If you don't have a verified MyGovID account, you can call the BSCFA contact centre on (071) 919 3318 or 0818 11 11 13, and they will help you to set one up. They can also send you a paper copy of the application form. The applications for the allowance will close on September 30, 2025. Advertisement If you have applied for a social welfare payment and are waiting for a decision on your application, or you have appealed a decision not to award you a social welfare payment you should apply for the BSCFA before the closing date. Your BSCFA application will be decided when you get a decision on your social welfare payment application, or on your appeal.
