Press release
Minister Humphreys outlines payment details of €200 Cost of Living Support
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Social Protection
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys has outlined the payment details of the €200 Cost of Living Support, which will be paid to some 1.3 million people this week.
Payments totalling €260 million will be made to groups such as pensioners, carers, people with disabilities, lone parents and working families.
Recipients will receive €200 in addition to their normal weekly payment.
On Wednesday, some 158,000 people in receipt of the Disability Allowance will receive their €200 payment.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, a €200 payment will be made to those in receipt of Carer’s Allowance and Carer’s Benefit. Almost 40,000 households in receipt of the Working Family Payment will receive their €200 lump sum on the same day.
And on Friday, almost 611,000 pensioners in receipt of the State Pension (Contributory and non-Contributory) will receive their €200 lump sum, on top of their weekly pension payment.
The Cost of Living payment is part of a package of measures secured by Minister Humphreys in February and is in addition to the €2.2 billion of supports provided for in Budget 2023.
The payment dates and the number of recipients per scheme are set out in the following table.
| Scheme | Estimated recipients | Payment date |
| State Pension Non-Contributory | 98,000 | Friday, 28 April |
| Jobseeker's Allowance | 60,000 | Monday to Friday (payment day differs per recipient) |
| One Parent Family Payment | 41,000 | Monday to Friday (payment day differs per recipient) |
| Widow(er)s' Pension Non-Contributory | 1,000 | Friday, 28 April |
| Supplementary Welfare Allowance | 3,100 | Monday to Friday (payment day differs per recipient) |
| Daily Expenses Allowance | 3,000 | Monday to Friday (payment day differs per recipient) |
| Farm Assist | 4,500 | Monday to Friday (payment day differs per recipient) |
| Community Employment | 18,600 | Wednesday to Friday (payment day differs per recipient) |
| Rural Social Scheme | 2,800 | Thursday, 27 April |
| Job Initiative | 6,200 | Wednesday to Friday (payment day differs per recipient) |
| Tús | 5,000 | Thursday, 27 April |
| Back to Work Enterprise Allowance | 2,300 | Monday to Friday (payment day differs per recipient) |
| Back to Education Allowance | 3,600 | Monday to Friday (payment day differs per recipient) |
| Back to Work Family Dividend | 2,900 | Monday to Friday (payment day differs per recipient) |
| Disability Allowance | 158,000 | Wednesday, 26 April |
| Blind Pension | 1,000 | Friday, 28 April |
| Carer's Allowance | 50,000 | Thursday, 27 April |
| Domiciliary Care Allowance | 50,000 | Tuesday, 25 April |
| Working Family Payment | 39,000 | Thursday, 27 April |
| Illness Benefit (>12 months) | 17,000 | Monday to Friday (payment day differs per recipient) |
| Jobseekers Benefit (> 12 months) | 15,000 | Monday to Friday (payment day differs per recipient) |
| Jobseekers Benefit Self Employed | 1,000 | Monday to Friday (payment day differs per recipient) |
| State Pension (Contributory) | 512,600 | Friday, 28 April |
| Widow(er)s' Surviving Civil Partners Pension (Con) | 124,800 | Friday, 28 April |
| Occupational Injuries Death Benefit | 700 | Friday, 28 April |
| Deserted Wife's Benefit | 4,400 | Thursday, 27 April |
| Partial Capacity Benefit | 3,100 | Thursday, 27 April |
| Invalidity Pension | 56,700 | Thursday, 27 April |
| Disablement Benefit | 13,800 | Friday, 28 April |
| Carer's Benefit | 3,500 | Thursday, 27 April |
| Guardian's Payment (Contributory) | 1,100 | Friday, 28 April |
Announcing the payment details, Minister Humphreys said:
“I am pleased today to outline the payment details of the €200 Cost of Living Support, which be paid over the course of this week.
“This lump sum payment will be made to 1.3 million people, including our pensioners, carers, people with disabilities and lone parents.
“I’m particularly pleased to also extend the payment to include households in receipt of the Working Family Payment.
“This €200 lump sum payment for our most vulnerable groups will be followed in June by an extra €100 per child for people receiving Child Benefit.
“Parents who receive the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance will also receive an additional €100 for each child this summer.
“This package of measures, in addition to the €2.2 billion of supports secured as part of Budget 2023, demonstrates our continued commitment to supporting our citizens and families as they deal with the ongoing Cost of Living pressures.”
In February, Government announced a new €1.2 billion cost of living package prioritising support for the most vulnerable. This €200 lump sum payment is part of the Social Protection measures totalling €410 million, which also includes:
The €200 lump sum payment will be paid this week to people in receipt of long-term social welfare payments.
It will be paid to primary recipients of the payments who receive the Christmas Bonus. It will also be paid to people who receive the Working Family Payment and who have not received the lump sum on their primary payment. Eligible individuals will receive one lump sum payment, irrespective of how many qualifying social welfare payments they receive.