Budget 2020

Budget 2020

€21.2 billion to be spent on social welfare in 2020 Increases to be paid from January

Children - €3 increase from €37 to €40 per week for children aged 12 and over in all weekly payments e.g. lone parents, jobseekers, farmers, people with disabilities, widows, participants on Community Employment schemes

Children - €2 increase from €34 to €36 per week for children up to age 12 in all weekly payments

Hot School Meals scheme - to be extended for up to 35,000 additional schoolchildren

Living Alone Allowance - €5 increase per week for people with disabilities and pensioners living alone

Fuel Allowance – an extra €2 in Fuel Allowance payment per week - 370,000 households to benefit

Household Benefits package – eligibility to be broadened for people under age 70 to allow for another adult to reside in the household

Working Lone Parents - earnings disregard for working lone parents in receipt of One-Parent- Family payment or Jobseekers Transition payment to increase by €15 to €165 per week

Working Family Payment threshold - increase of €10 per week in the income thresholds for families with up to 3 children

Jobseekers aged 25 - to receive full rate Jobseeker’s Allowance

Jobseekers under 25 – if living independently and in receipt of State supports (e.g.Rent Supplement, RAS, HAP) to receive the full rate of Jobseeker’s Allowance

New targeted activation measures to be introduced - €2.5m to be provided

Blind Welfare Allowance to be disregarded in social welfare means assessments

Carers - to benefit from an increased number of hours they can work or study every week outside the home - increased from 15 hours to 18½ hours

A 100% Christmas Bonus will be paid in early December 2019 to 1.2m people

Christmas Bonus to be paid to 1.2 million people this year

€279 million to be paid to long-term welfare recipients in December 2019

A 100% Christmas Bonus will be paid in December 2019 to recipients of a long-term Social Welfare payment (minimum €20 payment).

People in receipt of the following payments will receive the Bonus:

• State Pensions and Widow’s/Widower’s/Surviving Civil Partner’s Pensions
• Invalidity Pension, Blind Pension, Disability Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, *Partial Capacity Benefit, Disablement Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and Guardians’ payments.
• One-Parent Family Payment, Jobseeker’s Transition Payment, Deserted Wife’s Benefit and Allowance and Farm Assist
• Community Employment, Rural Social Scheme, TÚS and Job Initiative.
• Long-term Jobseeker’s Allowance, Supplementary Welfare Allowance, Back to Work Enterprise Allowance, Back to Education Allowance and Daily Expenses Allowance (formerly Direct Provision Allowance).

Improvements in Weekly Payments – from week beginning 6 January 2020

• €5 increase in the Living Alone Allowance from €9 to €14 per week paid to pensioners and people with disabilities who are living alone – over 200,000 to benefit.
• €3 increase for qualified child dependants aged 12 and over in all weekly payments.
• €2 increase for qualified child dependants up to age 12 in all weekly payments
• Jobseekers aged 25 years to receive full rate of Jobseeker’s Allowance.
• Jobseekers under age 25 if living independently and in receipt of State supports (e.g. Rent Supplement, RAS, HAP) to receive the full rate of Jobseeker’s Allowance.

Families and Children

• Hot School Meals scheme to be extended from September 2020 to 35,000 additional schoolchildren.
• €3 increase for qualified child dependants aged 12 and over in all weekly payments.
• €2 increase for qualified child dependants up to age 12 in all weekly payments.
• Working Family Payment thresholds increase by €10 per week for families with 1, 2 or 3 children. Some 55,000 families are expected to benefit, at a cost of €19 million from January 2020.
• Earnings disregard for working lone parents receiving One-Parent Family Payment or Jobseeker’s Transition Payment to increase by €15 to €165 per week from January 2020 - 16,900 families to benefit.

Improvements for Pensioners

• €5 increase in the Living Alone Allowance from €9 to €14 per week paid to people age 66 and over who are living alone.
• Eligibility for the Household Benefits package to be broadened for people under 70 that will allow for another adult to reside in the household.
• Weekly Fuel Allowance to increase by €2 to €24.50 per week from January 2020 – over 370,000 households to benefit.

Supporting Carers and People with Disabilities

• The number of hours that carers can work or study outside the home is being increased from 15 to 18 ½ per week with effect from January 2020. Over 1,200 carers are expected to benefit at a cost of €11.6 million.
• €3 increase for qualified child dependants aged 12 and over in all weekly payments.
• €2 increase for qualified child dependants up to age 12 in all weekly payments.
• Fuel Allowance will increase by €2 to €24.50 per week from January 2020 - over 370,000 households to benefit.
• Carer’s Support Grant of €1,700 per year to continue to be paid in 2020 - over 126,000 carers to benefit.
• €5 increase in the Living Alone Allowance from €9 to €14 per week for people with disabilities who are living alone – over 40,000 to benefit.
• Blind Welfare Allowance will be exempt from the means assessment for Social Welfare schemes.
• Eligibility for the Household Benefits package to be broadened for people under 70 that will allow for another adult to reside in the household.

Other Measures

• Additional funding of €2 million for the nationwide Community Employment scheme will be made available for training purposes in 2020. The scheme supports voluntary organisations to provide local services for their communities.
• €2.5 million is being provided in 2020 for specific activation and training supports for groups most distant from the labour market.
• The Department of Social Protection is to examine international best practice in relation to maintenance payments by liable relatives on how Ireland can achieve better outcomes in a proactive manner for families.
• The Department of Social Protection is to commission a research project that will examine funeral poverty in Ireland and the wider economic impact of bereavement.

Budget 2020 Fact Sheet

Social Welfare Rates 2020

Impact of social welfare Budget 2020 on various households

For more information check Welfare.ie and Citizens Information.

• telephone the Department of Social Protection on 071 919 3302 from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday
• telephone the Citizens Information Phone Service on 0761 07 4000, 9am to 8pm, Monday to Friday
• contact your local Intreo Centre, Social Welfare Branch Office or Citizens Information Centre

Fact Sheet is intended as a guide only and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.

Press Release

€21.2 billion to be spent on Social Welfare in 2020

Ministers Speech

Speech by Regina Doherty TD, Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, on Budget 2020