From Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth; Department of Social Protection
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The Accommodation Recognition Payment * is a tax-free monthly payment of €800 per accommodation (vacant or shared) in which beneficiary/beneficiaries of temporary protection reside.
(*also referred to under the legislative title of the Financial Contribution for Hosting Temporary Protection Beneficiaries Scheme.)
People fleeing the conflict in Ukraine are entitled under an EU Directive to temporary protection, initially for one year and on a renewable basis.
The Accommodation Recognition Payment is:
Payment is disregarded for means-tested grants/payments.
The scheme sets accommodation standards and the applicant is required to make a declaration on those standards as part of the application process. If such a declaration isn’t made the application will fail.
The monthly payment from 4 March to the end of November was €400. The monthly payment increased to €800 from 1 December.
Payments may be backdated to 4 March 2022 or from when you started providing accommodation. The amount you get in backdated payments will match the monthly rate for the months being covered, so for months March to November 2022 the rate will be €400 and from December 2022 it will be €800.
You may get this payment if:
With effect from 1 December 2022, ARP is a monthly payment of €800 per property. It is paid in recognition of the contribution of those providing accommodation to a temporary protection beneficiary. The payment is made in arrears.
The quickest way to apply for this payment is online through the MyWelfare website.
You will need to supply the following information:
| Applicant details | Details of each Temporary Protection beneficiary that you are hosting |
| Name | Name |
| PPSN | PPSN |
| Address | Details of host property including Eircode |
| Details of host property including Eircode | Date they began living in the accommodation |
| Date that hosting began and, where it has ended, date hosting ended | Where the person is no longer living in the accommodation, the date they left |
The ARP scheme is open for applications from 26 July 2022. ARP can be back dated to 4 March 2022 where accommodation has been provided since that date to a temporary protection beneficiary.
ARP will be paid by electronic fund transfer (EFT) to the bank account that has been nominated on the application. Payments can be made to an Irish, UK, SEPA, N26 or Revolut bank account.
ARP will be paid on the second Tuesday of each month, and includes any arrears that are due.
When you apply for the Accommodation Recognition Payment you commit to host a temporary protection beneficiary for at least 6 months. In the absence of that commitment you cannot apply for the recognition payment.
The scheme is due to end on 31 March 2025; however, it may be extended by Order of the Minister for Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth in accordance with the governing legislation.
The host may only use your details for the purposes of applying for ARP and cannot use them for any other purpose. The Department of Social Protection will use your details to validate the ARP claim. This may include checking that you have Temporary Protection status with the Department of Justice.
You may make an online application to the Department of Social Protection for the payment where you have accommodated a person covered by the Temporary Protection Directive. The payment is conditional upon a commitment to provide the accommodation for a period of 6 months. If applicable payments may be dated back to 4 March 2022.
If you are unable to meet the 6 month commitment you made, you will not be required to repay any money paid to you in respect of the period that a beneficiary lived in your accommodation.
Where the circumstances of a host in receipt of a payment change, the host is required to notify the Department of Social Protection of the change in circumstances as soon as possible.
Where a person is not entitled to the financial contribution, any such contribution may be recoverable by the Department of Social Protection.
If the person covered by the Temporary Protection Directive leaves the accommodation before the 6 month commitment period you made, you will not be required to repay any money paid to you in respect of the period that a beneficiary lived in your accommodation.
Where the circumstances of a host in receipt of a payment change, the host is required to notify the Department of Social Protection of the change in circumstances as soon as reasonably practicable.
Where a person is not entitled to the financial contribution, any such contribution may be recoverable by the Department of Social Protection.
The Department of Social Protection (DSP) is administering ARP on behalf of Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. Any overpayments will be managed by DSP. If you have received a payment that you are not entitled to, you should contact the Department of Social Protection at ARP@welfare.ie or at 0818 708090. The department will advise you on the next steps.
No, Garda vetting is not a requirement to avail of the accommodation recognition payment.
The scheme is being administered by the Department of Social Protection on behalf of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. Issues in relation to the processing of applications are dealt with by the Department of Social Protection.
If you have a query on your own ARP claim the department can be contacted by phone at 0818 70 80 90 from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays) or by email at ARP@welfare.ie
Other issues relating to the scheme should be directed to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth by emailing the department at ukrainerecognitionpayment@equality.gov.ie or by phoning +353 1 647 3000.
Payments made under the ARP Scheme are exempt from income tax, USC and PRSI.
Payments made under the ARP Scheme are not assessable as means for Social Welfare purposes and will also be disregarded for the purposes of means-testing in respect of benefits granted by other public bodies.
You can apply, where you have the consent of the owners and or other tenants to host a temporary protection beneficiary.
You can apply for ARP if you are hosting a temporary protection beneficiary in your own home or you are providing accommodation in a vacant property. You must have the consent of any other owners and or tenants in the property.
The landlord of the property must have the consent of all the tenants of the property to host a temporary protection beneficiary and subsequently claim ARP.
Details of the standards are available online. If you have a particular query on standards, please contact the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth by emailing the department at ukrainerecognitionpayment@equality.gov.ie or phoning them at +353 1 647 3000.
The guidance on the required standards is available on gov.ie in the form of a checklist. As part of the application process, a person is required to confirm as part of the application declaration that the accommodation meets the required standard.
Without a valid Eircode an ARP claim cannot be processed.
Only properties that are in the Republic of Ireland are eligible properties for the ARP scheme.
Where a rental agreement is in place, ARP is not payable.
There is no provision for such compensation. This is a matter between you and the beneficiary.
The standard being applied to accommodation is one that has been recommended by the Department of Housing for use by local authorities for the inspection of properties pledged through the Irish Red Cross. Applicants for the ARP scheme will be required to declare that the accommodation, whether pledged or otherwise, meets those standards.
The standard being applied ensures that the accommodation is habitable and that health and safety standards are appropriate while taking into account that the relationship between the host and beneficiary is not that of landlord and tenant.
The €800 is a recognition of the valued contribution being made by hosts in response to the Ukraine humanitarian crisis. The rate is not related to any specific additional costs incurred by hosts or aligned with market rent. The RTB standard was regarded as being too onerous in the circumstances.
The payment will be made to the person making the online application.
The online application form will require the person applying, where they are a tenant in the accommodation, to declare they have obtained the consent of the other tenants and the landlord of the property.
The online application form will require the person applying, where they are the owner of the accommodation, to declare they have obtained the consent of any other owner and the tenants of the property.
The payment will be made to the person making the online application.
The online application form will require the person applying, where they are a tenant in the accommodation, to declare they have obtained the consent of the other tenants and the landlord of the property.
The online application form will require the person applying, where they are the owner of the accommodation, to declare they have obtained the consent of any other owner and the tenants of the property.
Where the temporary protection beneficiary is a tenant in the property, ARP is not payable.
No, it is a matter for the individual to ensure the accommodation meets the required standard.
The Scheme was set up to recognise the contribution of people who have offered up accommodation, whether in its entirety or a room, at their own expense. A person providing accommodation to temporary protection beneficiaries on a commercial basis is ineligible to participate in the scheme.
One of the eligibility requirements of the financial contribution scheme is that the accommodation meets the required standards – and the applicant confirms this when applying. Those standards are the subject of regulations and are intended to ensure that accommodation qualifying for a financial contribution is safe and habitable.
Vacant accommodation pledged through the Irish Red Cross has already been inspected by the local authorities and deemed as suitable or not to be occupied.
The financial contribution is directly linked to Ireland’s response to the Ukraine humanitarian crisis in the context of the Temporary Protection Directive (2001/55/EC) which was activated by Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/382 of 4 March 2022.
To change the payment method on your ARP claim you must complete a Direct Payment to an Account in a Financial Institution (DIR PMT1) form.
If you would prefer to order an application form by post, you can do so using our online form.
Completed forms can be sent to:
You must close your ARP claim when you are no longer hosting a temporary protection beneficiary.
You can contact us by phone, email or post to let us know that you want to close your ARP claim:
Postal address:
You can contact us by phone, email or post to let us know that you want to update your ARP claim. You must notify us if a temporary protection beneficiary has left your property, even if other qualified persons remain in the property.
The payment of €800 is a recognition of the valued contribution being made by hosts in response to the Ukraine humanitarian crisis. The rate is not related to any specific additional costs incurred by hosts.
The €800 payment is not linked to the actual costs incurred by the person providing accommodation to the temporary protection beneficiary but rather it recognises the valued contribution of those who host beneficiaries of temporary protection.
If you are experiencing financial difficulty, you may be able to avail of the Additional Needs Payment. An Additional Needs Payment is a payment available to you if you have expenses that you cannot pay from your weekly income. You may get this payment even if you are not getting a social welfare payment. It also may be available to you if you are working and on a low income.
The legislation does not provide for any other supports in relation to the cost of accommodating a person covered under the EU Temporary Protection Directive. You may, however, agree with beneficiaries in your accommodation to have certain costs such as utilities covered by the them.
Payment is in respect of the accommodation being provided to beneficiaries of temporary protection and not the number of beneficiaries in the accommodation. The property’s Eircode will be required as part of the application process.
Applications may be made in respect of eligible accommodation so if a host is accommodating persons covered by the EU Temporary Protection Directive in two different properties, the host may apply for a financial contribution in respect of each property. Each property’s Eircode will be required as part of the application process.
Entitlement to the payment is not affected by any agreement between the host and beneficiaries regarding a contribution towards the costs of utilities.
The financial contribution was not set at market rental rates. Agreements on contributions towards household costs are matters for the parties.
*Also referred to under the legislative title of the Financial Contribution for Hosting Temporary Protection Beneficiaries Scheme.