Basic Income Support in Old Age
Coverage
- Special social assistance payments are available to anyone resident in Ireland who passes a means test, and is habitually resident in Ireland.
Financing
- These special social assistance payments are financed out of general taxation.
Administration
- The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection administers the payments as social welfare measures.
Qualifying Conditions
- Means test: a person must satisfy a means test to qualify for these payments. The means test differs depending on the payment. This applies to Supplementary Welfare Allowance; Rent Supplement; Household Benefits Package if the person is between 66 and 70 years of age; Fuel Allowance; Island Increase.
- Habitual residence: a person must be legally and habitually resident in the state. There is no definition of habitual residence in Irish law. However, it is generally determined based on a demonstration of a proven link to Ireland and some level of permanence i.e. that the person has been living in Ireland for some time and intends to continue to do so in the future.
- Other qualifying conditions are met, e.g. for Rent Supplement, the individual must be a tenant.
- Have reached a certain age: Living Alone Increase (age 66), Household Benefits Package (age 70), Free Travel Pass (age 66); Centenarians Payment (age 100).
- These payments can be claimed in combination with a State Pension (Non-Contributory) or a low-rate State Pension (Contributory).
Benefits
- Supplementary Welfare Allowance: includes a number of payments including Urgent Needs Payment.
- Rent Supplement: a payment to assist with the cost of rent.
- Living Alone Increase: a payment for people getting certain social welfare payments who are living alone.
- Household Benefits Package: a package of benefits that provides help with the cost of certain household utilities e.g. electricity, gas, tv licence.
- Free Travel Pass: for people to access public transport for free.
- Fuel Allowance: payment that provides help with the cost of fuel to people who are dependent on long-term social welfare payments.
- Island Increase: payment for people living on specified islands off the coast of Ireland
- Centenarian’s Payment: a payment to all Irish citizens and people habitually resident on reaching 100 years of age.
- Whether benefits are taxable will depend on the benefit itself. While most social assistance payments are taxable some are exempt including: Fuel Allowance, Household Benefits Package, Supplementary Welfare Allowance, Free Travel Pass.
Coverage
Financing
Administration
Qualifying Conditions
Benefits
- Special social assistance payments are available to anyone resident in Ireland who passes a means test, and is habitually resident in Ireland.
- These special social assistance payments are financed out of general taxation.
- The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection administers the payments as social welfare measures.
- Means test: a person must satisfy a means test to qualify for these payments. The means test differs depending on the payment. This applies to Supplementary Welfare Allowance; Rent Supplement; Household Benefits Package if the person is between 66 and 70 years of age; Fuel Allowance; Island Increase.
- Habitual residence: a person must be legally and habitually resident in the state. There is no definition of habitual residence in Irish law. However, it is generally determined based on a demonstration of a proven link to Ireland and some level of permanence i.e. that the person has been living in Ireland for some time and intends to continue to do so in the future.
- Other qualifying conditions are met, e.g. for Rent Supplement, the individual must be a tenant.
- Have reached a certain age: Living Alone Increase (age 66), Household Benefits Package (age 70), Free Travel Pass (age 66); Centenarians Payment (age 100).
- These payments can be claimed in combination with a State Pension (Non-Contributory) or a low-rate State Pension (Contributory).
- Supplementary Welfare Allowance: includes a number of payments including Urgent Needs Payment.
- Rent Supplement: a payment to assist with the cost of rent.
- Living Alone Increase: a payment for people getting certain social welfare payments who are living alone.
- Household Benefits Package: a package of benefits that provides help with the cost of certain household utilities e.g. electricity, gas, tv licence.
- Free Travel Pass: for people to access public transport for free.
- Fuel Allowance: payment that provides help with the cost of fuel to people who are dependent on long-term social welfare payments.
- Island Increase: payment for people living on specified islands off the coast of Ireland
- Centenarian’s Payment: a payment to all Irish citizens and people habitually resident on reaching 100 years of age.
- Whether benefits are taxable will depend on the benefit itself. While most social assistance payments are taxable some are exempt including: Fuel Allowance, Household Benefits Package, Supplementary Welfare Allowance, Free Travel Pass.
Legal Basis: Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005 as amended.