How to apply to the Payment Scheme

The quickest and easiest way to apply to the Payment Scheme is through the Payment Scheme online portal.

If you would prefer to use a paper version of the form, you can:

• download a copy of the Payment Scheme - English Form, or the Payment Scheme - Irish Form or
• contact the Payment Scheme Office by phone at +353 1 522 9992 (Monday to Friday 09:00-18:00 GMT) or by email at info@paymentscheme.ie to request a copy by post/email

If you’re in Ireland, you can also find the form at your local library or Citizens Information Centre.

If you live outside of Ireland and do not wish to use the online portal, you can call +353 1 522 9992 or contact your local Embassy or Consulate to receive a paper copy of the form. You can find a list of embassies and consulates on the Department of Foreign Affairs website.

The application process is straightforward and information and supports are available to assist with the application process.

There is no need to engage a solicitor in order to apply to the Payment Scheme.

For further information on each type of application see our FAQs.

You can fill in the application form on your own behalf, including with assistance from a Decision-Making Assistant or Co-Decision Maker (if you have a formal arrangement in place which covers this Payment Scheme).

You can fill in the application form as a support person who has a formal arrangement in place to act on behalf of someone who may be eligible for the Payment Scheme. These formal arrangements are:

• Decision-Making Representative appointed by the court under the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015
• Ward of Court as the court-appointed committee of the Ward
• Enduring Power of Attorney under the Powers of Attorney Act, 1996
• Enduring Power of Attorney under the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015
• a similar legal arrangement from another State.

You can fill in the application form as a personal representative, on behalf of the estate of a deceased person who died on or after 13 January 2021, which is the date of the Taoiseach’s apology to survivors and former residents.

Further information on these scenarios is explained in detail in the Payment Scheme Information Booklet. You can find this booklet at the links below:

• Information Booklet (English)
• Information Booklet (Irish)

You can make one application to the Payment Scheme only. You should include information on all periods of time spent in a scheduled institution, as a mother or child or both.

On your application, you’ll need to include some basic information, like contact details, and you’ll be asked to indicate which benefits you’re applying for.

In addition, you’ll need to confirm that you (or the person you are applying for) spent time in a scheduled institution and include the name of the institution(s).

You will also be asked to provide an indication, or your best estimate, of the dates of arrival to and departure from the institution(s). We understand that not everyone will know the exact arrival and departure dates from the institution(s) concerned, so if this is the case, and you can only provide an estimate, don’t worry.

You do not need to include any records showing time spent in an institution, however if you do have institutional records in your possession and wish to include these with your application, please do so. Everyone applying to the Scheme will need to include a certified form of valid photo identification (passport, driving licence or Public Services Card/National Security Card).

A certified copy of an original document is a photocopy that has been signed by an authorised person. For information on who can certify your ID, take a look at our Certification of documents page.

You will also need to include additional documentation with your application in certain circumstances, for example:

• if you live outside of Ireland and are applying for the Health Support Payment, you will need to include proof of residence (eg a mortgage statement; tenancy/rental agreement; letter from the owner or manager of a nursing home; or utility bill in your own name), dated within the last six months;
• if you are applying on behalf of someone who is deceased, you will need to include a copy of the death certificate, along with an additional proof of your right to act on behalf of the deceased’s estate, such as a Letter of Administration or Grant of Probate;
• if you are applying as a support person, who has a legal arrangement in place to act on behalf of someone eligible for the Scheme, you will need to include evidence of this support arrangement, for example: an authenticated copy of Decision Making Representation Order; an authenticated Court Order; an authenticated copy of Enduring Power of Attorney Agreement (1996); an authenticated copy of Enduring Power of Attorney Agreement (2015); or other documentation to verify a legal arrangement from another State

Further information on these scenarios is explained in detail in the Payment Scheme Information Booklet. You can find this booklet at the links below:

• Information Booklet (English)
• Information Booklet (Irish)

If you have any questions on this, please contact the Payment Scheme Office.

Information on the key steps involved in processing an application to the Payment Scheme is outlined below.

Please see the attached link for an infographic of the key steps for the applicant journey

1. Your application is received by the Payment Scheme Office and we assign an Application Reference Number to it.
2. We will check your application to make sure all necessary information is filled in, and certified identification and any other necessary documents are included.
3. We will send you an acknowledgement to let you know we have received your application and to give you the Application Reference Number, which you should use if you need to contact us in relation to your application. NOTE: If any necessary information or documentation is missing, or we have a query on a specific aspect of the completed form, we will get in touch with you to follow up on missing information. Once we receive the information we need, we’ll let you know that the application is moving to the next stage.
4. Your application will be placed in the queue. Applicants will be prioritised by age and applications will be processed in age order. If you have requested that the application is prioritised because the applicant is terminally ill, these applications will be placed into a separate priority queue.
5. Once all of the above steps are complete, we will look for your records in all the databases available, and confirm the time spent in the named institution(s).
6. When the records search is complete and your dates of entry and exit from a scheduled institution or institutions have been confirmed, we will then calculate if you are entitled to any benefits under the Payment Scheme.
7. Following this, we’ll send you a document called a Notice of Determination, which will outline the decision in relation to your application and any offer being made to you.
8. You can accept the offer being made to you or, if you are not happy, ask the Payment Scheme Office to review this decision. The Scheme also has an independent appeals process if you are not happy with the outcome of a review. Review Request Form – Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme.

Further information is also available in the Payment Scheme Information Booklet. You can find this booklet at the links below:

• Information Booklet (English)
• Information Booklet (Irish)