MORE than 400,000 households are being warned as a huge social welfare payment is set to end in weeks.
The current Fuel Allowance season is set to end next month.
More than 400,000 households qualify for the fuel allowance payment, and will be impacted by it’s end.
The scheme helps householders to fuel their homes during the colder months.
Those eligible for the scheme can choose to receive 28 weekly payments of €33 or two lump sum payments of €462.
This time, it ran from September 23 and will finish on April 4.
And this time around, thousands more qualified for the payment after the scheme was extended.
At the beginning of the year, the Government reduced the eligibility age by four years last month.
The Fuel Allowance payment was extended to those aged 66 and over as part of Budget 2025 negotiations.
People on the Carer’s Allowance were then eligible for the Fuel Allowance, providing they meet the Fuel Allowance criteria.
And the means test disregard for the Fuel Allowance was extended to those aged 66 and over from January, where it was previously for over-70s.
Any carers or over-66s who qualified for the cash from January will only receive a maximum of €462 for this season as the payment is not backdated.
It comes as this weekend saw a shake-up in the social welfare payments.
The government confirmed that every single cash boost was to be paid out early ahead of the St Patrick’s Day Bank Holiday weekend.
All Intreo centres, local branch offices, post offices and banks will be closed on Bank Holiday Monday, which falls on March 17.
They will reopen again on Tuesday but thousands of people expecting money to land into their accounts on Monday would have received the cash three days early.
Anyone who is due to get a payment on Monday should have gotten their payment on Friday.
The Department of Social Protection said: “Monday 17 March is a Bank Holiday and as a result, any social welfare payments due to be in your account on Monday 17 March will now be paid on Friday 14 March instead.
“Payments will be paid as normal on Tuesday 18 March.
“All Intreo Centres and Branch Offices will be closed on Bank Holiday Monday 17 March.
“Intreo Centres and Branch Offices will reopen on Tuesday 18 March.”
