Social welfare: Thousands of households eligible for almost €1,000 cash boost this winter

Sophie Collins

Thousands of Irish households struggling to make ends meet could be eligible for an almost €1,000 cash boost this winter.

The Government’s Fuel Allowance payment will be coming back in September, and around 370,000 households are due to receive a weekly sum.

The scheme helps with the cost of heating your home during the winter months and is paid out every year between September and April – working out at €33 a week.

The payment could also double ahead of Budget 2024 talks, as ALONE – the national charity that helps Ireland’s elderly – insists that more needs to be done amid current financial pressures.

It has urged the Government to bring the sum up to €68 per week because, as CEO Sean Moynihan said: “One in five older people are living in poverty today, and older people living alone are particularly at risk.

“This has nearly doubled in a year. The recently published Census results show that there are now more than 1 million people aged 60+ living in Ireland.

“As our population ages, Ireland needs action about the living standards being experienced by older people today, and the standards we want to see for all of us as we grow older before we reach a crisis point.

“We cannot afford to wait to make strategic and capital investments in services and supports for older people. We need strategic action now and not annual token amounts of money, to address the standards of living being experienced by our growing aging population.”

Can I apply for the Fuel Allowance?

To get a Fuel Allowance you must:

Live in Ireland
Live alone
Be getting a qualifying payment (unless you are 70 or over)
Satisfy a means test

In some cases, you may not live alone but you can still avail of the payment if you live with:

A spouse, civil partner, or cohabitant who qualifies for an increase on your pension or social welfare payment or is getting a qualifying payment in their own right
Dependent children
A person who is getting Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s Benefit and is caring for you or for your spouse, partner or cohabitant, or qualified child dependant on a full-time basis
A person getting a short-term Jobseeker’s Allowance or basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance
Other people who are getting a qualifying payment and who would be eligible for a Fuel Allowance in their own right
A person aged 70 or over

For more information on how to apply for the Fuel Allowance scheme, click here: https://www.gov.ie/en/service/00aa38-fuel-allowance/#apply