Fuel allowance worth €4.8 million paid to Co. Leitrim

An estimated 4,500 households in Co. Leitrim are getting Fuel Allowance this winter, worth about €4.8m over the season at the current rate.

That's according to new research by web experts at SEO Backlinks, who looked at the Department of Social Protection's figures for all 26 counties.

Fuel Allowance is currently €38 a week, paid for 28 weeks from the week of 28th September to 9th April 2027. At that rate, the season is worth €1,064 to each household.

SEO Backlinks multiplied that by the number of households in each county, which puts the total at about €495m, including about €107.8m in Dublin and €52.2m in Cork.

Budget 2027 raises the rate to €43 a week from January, so the final figure will be higher.

The county figures are the department of Social Protection's own estimates, based on the most recent county level data it has, and were published when the season began.

Of neighbouring counties, Roscommon has 7,700 households in receipt of fuel allowance, costing about €8.2m.

Meanwhile, Longford has 6,000 households, costing about €6.4m and Sligo has 7,900 households, about €8.4m.

Co. Cavan recorded 8,800 households, costing about €9.4m.

People who qualify for fuel allowance include people aged 66 or over who pass the means test and meet the rules on who they live with, even if they don't get a welfare payment.

The criteria also includes people under 66 getting a long-term qualifying social welfare payment who pass the means test.

Meanwhile, since January 2026, people on the Working Family Payment who meet the conditions, also receive the payment. They number 50,000 of them and they don't need to apply

Only one Fuel Allowance is paid to each household.