Here’s the full list of changes to come into effect from January
Social Welfare Office (Stock)(Image: MUHLY/AFP via Getty Images)
Budget 2026 was announced back in October and the government unveiled a number of measures they plan to roll out in the new year.
These include various social welfare increases, increased eligibility criteria for certain payments and upping weekly income limits for others.
Here’s the full list of changes to come into effect from January:
- From January 2026, the maximum rate of most weekly social welfare payments will increase by €10. There will be proportional increases for an adult dependant and people on reduced rates of payment.
- The Child Support Payment weekly rate will increase by €8, from €50 to €58, for children under 12 and €16, from €62 to €78, for children aged 12 and over
- Working Family Payment income limits will increase by €60 a week for all family sizes (January 2026).
- Working Family Payment will become a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance in March 2026. The payment will be backdated to January 2026 if you meet the qualifying conditions.
- Fuel Allowance will increase by €5 to €38 per week (January 2026).
- If you are moving from Disability Allowance or Blind Pension to take up work you will keep the Fuel Allowance for 5 years (September 2026).
- If you are getting Disability Allowance or Blind Pension you will be eligible for Back to Work Family Dividend if you take up employment.
- The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance will be extended to include children aged 2 and 3 (if they meet the other eligibility criteria).
- The weekly Carer’s Allowance income disregard will increase to €1,000 if you are single (from €625) and to €2,000 for a couple (from €1,250) (July 2026)
- The weekly income limit for Carer’s Benefit will increase by €375 to €1,000 (July 2026).
- Domiciliary Care Allowance will increase by €20, from €360 to €380 per month.
It comes as earlier this month, over a million social welfare recipients received a Christmas Bonus. A Christmas Bonus is paid to people getting long-term social welfare payments.
You are paid a Christmas Bonus if you are getting:
- Back to Education Allowance – people coming from jobseeker’s payments need to be getting the Allowance for at least 12 months (312 days), but you may be able to use your time on your jobseeker’s payment to help you qualify.
- Back to Work Enterprise Allowance – people coming from jobseeker’s payments need to be getting the Allowance for at least 12 months (312 days), but you may be able to use time on jobseeker’s payment to help you qualify
- Back to Work Family Dividend
- Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds
- Beneficiary of Temporary Protection Weekly Payment
- Bereaved Partner’s Pension (Contributory) and (Non-Contributory)
- Blind Pension
- Carer’s Allowance and Carer’s Benefit (including half-rate Carer’s Allowance)
- Community Employment
- Deserted Wife’s Allowance and Deserted Wife’s Benefit
- Daily Expenses Allowance for 12 months or more
- Disability Allowance
- Disablement Benefit
- Domiciliary Care Allowance
- Farm Assist
- Guardian’s Payment (Contributory) and (Non-Contributory)
- Illness Benefit for 12 months or more
- Invalidity Pension
- Job Initiative Scheme
- Jobseeker’s Allowance for 12 months (312 days or more)
- Jobseeker’s Transitional payment
- Magdalene Commission Scheme
- Death Benefit Scheme (under the Occupational Injuries Scheme)
- One-Parent Family Payment
- Partial Capacity Benefit
- Rural Social Scheme
- State Pension (Contributory) and State Pension (Non-Contributory)
- Supplementary Welfare Allowance for 12 months (364 days or more)
- Tús
- Work Placement Experience Programme (if your primary payment is a qualifying social welfare payment)
Fuel Allowance is not a qualifying payment for the Christmas Bonus.
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