A WEEKLY €33 social welfare boost that’s paid out to some 409,721 Irish households will end in just 10 days time.
Fuel Allowance is a payment designed to help people with the cost of heating their home in the winter months.
The cash which is worth a total of €924 started on September 23 last year and will finish up on April 4 2025, it has been confirmed.
Those eligible can choose to receive 28 weekly payments of €33 throughout the winter season or two lump sums worth €462 each.
And Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary confirmed that over 9,000 more households were newly qualified for the payment under new eligibility rules that came into place just three months ago.
He said the criteria for Fuel Allowance are in place to direct “limited resources available” to his department in “as targeted a manner as possible”.
The Fianna Fail TD said this ensures the cash boost goes to those who are more vulnerable to fuel poverty.
He explained: “As part of Budget 2025, there were a number of changes to the eligibility for Fuel Allowance.
“Carer’s Allowance become a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance from January 2025, subject to meeting all criteria of the Fuel Allowance scheme, including satisfying the Fuel Allowance means test.
“From January 2025, the enhanced over 70’s Fuel Allowance qualifying conditions was extended to people aged 66 and over.
“It is estimated that up to 9,200 households will benefit from these changes to the eligibility conditions.”
And, responding to a parliamentary question from Fianna Fail TD Michael Cahill, Calleary said the criteria will not be reviewed again until Budget 2026, which is expected to take place in October.
He explained: “Any further decision to amend the qualifying criteria for Fuel Allowance can only be considered in a wider budgetary and policy context.”
The Fuel Allowance will not be back paid to people who newly qualified for it at the start of this year.
This means any carers or over-66s who qualified for the cash, which is payable per household, from January will only receive a maximum of €462 for this season.
However, newly qualified recipients will be able to receive the cash when it resumes in September of 2025.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR FUEL ALLOWANCE?
THERE are a number of conditions that must be met in order to qualify for Fuel Allowance.
You must live in Ireland, satisfy a means test, live alone or with certain people and be getting a qualifying payment unless you are 66 or over.
You cannot get Fuel Allowance if your heating costs are provided in full as part of your accommodation.
If you are 66 or over, you don’t need to be getting a qualifying social welfare payment to get Fuel Allowance.
However, you must satisfy a means test.
Social welfare payments are either based on your PRSI contributions or means-tested social assistance payments.
Qualifying social insurance payments
- Contributory State Pension
- Contributory Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Pension
- Incapacity Supplement under the Occupational Injuries Benefit scheme
- Invalidity Pension
- Contributory Guardian’s Payment
- Death Benefit under the Occupational Injuries Scheme
- A pension or benefit from a country covered by EU Regulations or a country with which Ireland has a bilateral social security agreement 0 provided there is an equivalent Irish payment
Qualifying social assistance payments
- Non-Contributory State Pension
- Non-Contributory Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Pension
- Carer’s Allowance
- Disability Allowance
- Blind Pension
- Deserted Wife’s Benefit or Deserted Wife’s Allowance
- One-Parent Family Payment
- Non-Contributory Guardian’s Payment
- Farm Assist
- Jobseeker’s Transitional payment
Calleary confirmed: “Those who qualify for the payment do not need to reapply annually.”
As part of Budget 2025, those who qualified for Fuel Allowance before the criteria was changed in January were eligible for a lump sum payment worth €300.
This was issued to over 400,000 households in November.
And, responding to a parliamentary question from Fianna Fail TD Cathal Crowe, the Minister for Social Protection released records of the Department that indicate the number of Fuel Allowance recipients, by county, who received the €300 support boost.
The figures confirmed that Dublin, as expected due to its population, had the highest number of people receiving the payment at 87,430.
In Ireland’s other most populated cities, 43,573 received the boost in Cork, 18,640 in Limerick benefitted and 21,697 in Galway used the cash.
