€980 million in new social protection increases to come into effect from today

The Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys TD, has today announced that some €980 million in social welfare increases are to come into effect from today.

The improvements, secured as part of Budget 2024, provide for payment increases for pensioners, carers, people with disabilities and low-income families.

The total cost of the January improvements is some €980 million.

The measures coming into effect in January are:

·      a €12 increase in the maximum rate of all core weekly payments – benefitting over 1.4 million people and proportionate increases for Qualified Adult dependents.

·      Working Family Payment thresholds to increase by €54 per week for all family sizes. This will provide additional financial support for low-income families and more households will become eligible for the payment as a result of this increase.

·      An increase of €10 in the monthly rate of Domiciliary Care Allowance bringing the payment to €340 per month. This increase is to support people who play a valuable role in Irish society – parents or guardians who look after a child with a severe disability.

·      A €4 increase for Qualified Child in payments in respect of children of social welfare recipients, bringing the payment to €46 per week for children under 12 and €54 per week for children aged 12 and over.

These measures are on top of the nine lump payments, worth over €1.2 Billion, that Minister Humphreys secured as part of Budget 2024 to assist families with the cost of living.

Eight of these payments have been paid before Christmas, including the Christmas Bonus Payment, a double payment of Child Benefit, an additional €300 for Fuel Allowance recipients, an additional €200 for recipients of the Living Alone Increase, an additional €400 for Working Family Payment recipients, a €400 Payment for Carer’s and a €400 Disability Support Grant.

There will also be a further double payment in the week commencing January 29th 2024, paid on the same basis as the Christmas Bonus, which will be paid at the higher rates coming into effect from January 2nd.

Announcing the January Social Protection measures, Minister Humphreys said:

“I am pleased to announce that €980 million worth of payment increases are to come into effect from today.

“These increases were secured as part of the largest Social Protection Budget package in the history of the State and will benefit hundreds of thousands of families right across the country, including our carers, pensioners, lone parents and people with disabilities. 

“I am particularly pleased to have again increased the Qualified Child payments and the Working Family Payment thresholds. These are both vital supports that help to reduce child poverty.

“These measures are in addition to the series of Lump Sum Payments issued in recent weeks and are designed to put more money back in people’s pockets and assist families across the country with the ongoing cost-of-living pressures.”