Social welfare Ireland: How parents can claim two €100…

Social welfare Ireland: How parents can claim two €100 lump sum payments in new benefits boost

Parents and guardians across Ireland are set to benefit by a number of changes the Government announced to help with the cost of living crisis.

With the price of almost everything seemingly on the rise, a new package of supports was announced last month in a bid to help struggling households.

Among those set to benefit are parents and guardians, who can claim two separate €100 lump sum payments per child if they're eligible.

Parents and guardians in Ireland who receive Child Benefit will get a boost of €100 per child in June.

A further extra payment of €100 per child will also be given as part of the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance in the summer.

Here's all you need to know about the incoming once-off payments.

Child Benefit

In June, parents in Ireland will receive a boost of €100 per child so long as the parents or guardians are receiving the Child Benefit payment.

Child Benefit is a monthly payment given to parents or guardians of children under 16 years of age. It can also be paid for children aged 16 and 17 if they are in full-time education or full-time training or have a disability and cannot support themselves.

To qualify, you must be living in Ireland and satisfy the Habitual Residence Condition (HRC).

You should apply for Child Benefit within 12 months of:

The birth of your baby or
The month the child became a member of your family or
The month your family came to live in Ireland or
The date you started working in Ireland if your children are living in another EU country

Child Benefit is €140 a month for each child and is paid on the first Tuesday of every month. If you start getting Child Benefit for the first time for a baby, it will be paid at the start of the month after the birth of the child.

Find out more here.

Back to School allowance

This year, there will also be a €100 additional payment for each child as part of the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance.

The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) is a payment that can help with the cost of uniforms and footwear for children going to school.

To get the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, your child must be:

Aged between four and 17 on 30 September - the year you are applying for BSCFA
Aged between 18 and 22 and returning to full-time second-level education in a recognised school or college in the autumn of the year you are applying for BSCFA

You may get the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) if you have a child that qualifies and you are:

Getting a qualifying social welfare payment or participating in an approved employment, education or training support scheme. You can find a list of qualifying payments and schemes.
Your household is within the BSCFA income limit
You and each child you are claiming the BSCFA for is resident in Ireland
Your total household income must also be less than the amounts set out in the 'Weekly income limits' table below. All your dependent children are counted when the income limit is applied (including children who do not qualify for BSCFA because they are aged under four).

The Back to School Allowance scheme will open in June 2023 and the closing date for applications will be September 30, 2023.