Need to know
More people than ever will be eligible to claim the weekly payment in a number of weeks as a change announced as part of Budget 2026 will come into effect very soon
Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary(Image: Collins Photo Agency)
A new change will see more people eligible to claim Carer’s Allowance, which is paid at a rate of up to €462 a week. The change will come into effect from July – here’s everything you need to know.
- Carer’s Allowance is a weekly social welfare payment to people who care for someone because of their age, disability, or illness (including mental illness).
- To qualify for the payment, your income must be below a certain amount. If you care for 2 or more people, your rate of Carer’s Allowance is increased by 50% (maximum) each week. If you get another social welfare payment, you may get half-rate Carer’s Allowance.
- From 2 July 2026, the weekly income disregard for Carer’s Allowance will increase from €625 to €1,000 for a single person, and from €1,250 to €2,000 for a couple.
- You can get Carer’s Allowance if you care full-time for someone who is: aged 16 or over, and who is so incapacitated that they need full-time care and attention for at least 12 months, or aged under 16, and for whom you get Domiciliary Care Allowance.
- As well as providing full-time care, you must be aged 18 or over, be habitually resident in Ireland, not be employed, self-employed, doing voluntary work, training, or any education courses for more than 18.5 hours a week, not live in a hospital, convalescent home, or a similar institution and pass a means test.
- In a means test, the Department of Social Protection (DSP) looks at all your sources of income. They also look at your spouse, civil partner, or cohabitant’s income. To qualify, your combined weekly income must be below a certain amount.
- Depending on your age and how many people you care for, the weekly rate of payment ranges from €270 to €462.
- If you have a verified MyGovID account, you can complete the online application for Carer’s Allowance through MyWelfare.ie.
For full details of Carer’s Allowance, click here.
Want to see more of the stories you love from RSVP ? To add RSVP as a preferred source of news on Google, simply click here
