Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 April 2026
351. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on the plans to introduce the higher qualifying income limits for carer’s allowance from July 2026; and when and the way in which applications should be submitted. [31538/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Carer’s Allowance is the main scheme by which my department provides income support to carers. Expenditure on Carer’s Allowance in 2026 is estimated to exceed €1.4 billion. At the end of March there were more than 106,000 carers receiving this payment.
The Programme for Government has set out a timeline which commits to significantly increasing the income disregards for Carer’s Allowance in each Budget, with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of this Government.
This process is already underway. Last July the amount of weekly earnings disregarded was increased to €625 for a single person and €1,250 for a couple.
As part of Budget 2026, and with effect from 2 July, the income disregards for Carer’s Allowance will increase again, this time to €1,000 for a single person, and to €2,000 for carers with a spouse/partner.
Anyone who is currently in receipt of a reduced weekly rate of payment of Carer’s Allowance due to their means will likely see an increase in their payment from 2 July onwards. Payments will be automatically adjusted to take account of the new income disregard.
For new applicants an online service for Carer’s Allowance applications was made available in November 2025. The online application is a further extension of the services available on MyWelfare and represents an important improvement in making income support payments more accessible and efficient for family carers, as well as being more efficient for the Department from a processing perspective. Paper applications will continue to be accepted.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
