Massive increase of almost €100m to Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance fund

There is welcome news for Donegal parents with the announcement that funds of €152.9 million are being made available for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance scheme.

This compares to an estimated spend of €53.7 for the same scheme last year.

Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys TD said: “I am extending the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance to include parents and guardians who are receiving the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment.

“Returning to school can be a very pressurised time financially for many parents and this year brings the added anxiety created by the Covid-19 pandemic. The allocation for the scheme this year is €152.9 million to take into account the increased number of families who continue to depend on the COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment.”

The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is a nationwide scheme that provides a once-off payment to eligible families towards the cost of school clothing and footwear. It is paid for each eligible child aged 4 to 11 years on or before 30 September 2020 at a rate of €150. An allowance of €275 is paid for each eligible child aged 12 to 22 years on or before 30 September 2020. Students aged between 18 and 22 years must be returning to full-time second-level education in a recognised school or college in the autumn of 2020. 

Families who received a payment last year and who have not already received a notification from the Department of an tomated payment are advised to make an application now via MyWelfare.ie. 

Parents and guardians wishing to apply for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance can apply online should also go to MyWelfare.ie. To apply online, customers must have a Public Services Card and a verified MyGovID account.
Customers who do not have a verified MyGovID account, should contact the department’s Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance section and our officials there can verify their account.

Customers who do not have a Public Services Card or who cannot apply online have the option to submit a paper application form. Application forms are only available by contacting the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance section.
The closing date for receipt of applications for this year’s Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is 30 September 2020. 

There are dedicated phone lines provided by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection for people with enquiries relating to the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance to call. The numbers are: 071 9193318 and 0818 11 11 13 and are open during usual business hours Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. People also have the choice of emailing the department at bscfa@welfare.ie if they have an enquiry regarding their application or entitlement.

Who can avail of the allowance?
To qualify for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, a person must be in receipt of certain social welfare payments (including the Pandemic Unemployment Payment) or taking part in training, employment or adult education schemes and the total household income must within the thresholds set out.

All dependent children are taken into account for the income limits (including children who do not qualify for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, because they are under the age of 4.

Full eligibility criteria can be found here