Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 December 2025
37. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality if she will outline the upcoming changes to the national childcare scheme for families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [72946/25]
View answerThe National Childcare Scheme (NCS) provides both universal and income-assessed subsidies to help parents to meet the cost of early learning and childcare. All families can receive a universal subsidy, but the highest subsides are provided to families with the lowest levels of income through the income-assessed subsidy.
In 2026, as committed to in Shaping the Future: the Early Years Action Plan, Phase 1 Report, the income-assessed thresholds for the NCS will increase, improving the affordability of childcare for up to 47,000 children from lower income families.
This investment will support lower income households to access higher subsidies to offset the cost of early learning and childcare. The lower threshold will increase from €26,000 to €34,000 and the higher threshold from €60,000 to €68,000.
The multiple child discount component of the income-assessed subsidy will also be increased - from €4,300 to €5,500 for families with 2 children and from €8,600 to €11,000 for families with 3 or more children.
Through increasing the NCS Income-Assessed thresholds, families whose reckonable income falls within the new thresholds will receive a higher subsidy, as they will move to a higher income-assessed rate, according to their individual circumstances. Increasing the Multiple Child Discount will further reduce the reckonable income for families with 2 or more children, allowing them to receive a higher subsidy, thereby reducing the cumulative burden of cost.
Most families currently receiving an income-assessed subsidy will see an increase in their rate, due to these changes. This investment will also support additional families to move from their existing universal rate to an income-assessed subsidy.
This measure is key to assisting the Government in addressing child poverty, and aligns with the current relative income poverty rate for families with children, as per Social Justice Ireland data.
