Niamh Smyth
Ceist:294. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection to review correspondence from a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54219/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 15 July 2026
Ceisteanna (294)
Freagraí scríofa
The Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is a non-statutory scheme which provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn. The scheme operates from June to September each year. In Budget 2026, I was pleased to secure funding for 2026 to extend the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance to include children aged 2 and 3, for the first time.
Working Family Payment is a statutory scheme which provides weekly in-work income support for employees on low earnings with children. To qualify for Working Family Payment, the customer must be working a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight in ongoing insurable employment and have at least one qualified child who normally resides with them.
Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance and Working Family Payment are separate schemes with their own qualifying criteria. Any income from Working Family Payment is disregarded in the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance income assessment.
In order to qualify for Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, an applicant must satisfy a number of qualifying conditions, one of which requires the applicant’s household income to be within the relevant income limits. The income limits for the scheme are reviewed annually as part of the budget process and, where appropriate, they are increased in line with increases in primary social welfare rates.
The Weekly Household Income Limits for 2026 are:
|
No. of Children |
Income Limit |
|
1 child |
€726.70 |
|
2 children |
€804.70 |
|
3 children |
€882.70 |
|
4 children* |
€960.70 |
* Limit is increased by €78.00 for each additional child.
The household income includes weekly social protection payments, gross income from employment, minus employee PRSI and a €20 travel allowance and any other income the household may have.
In addition to income from Working Family Payment, other income which is also disregarded in the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear income assessment includes Child Benefit, Rent Supplement, Back to Work Family Dividend, Guardian’s Payments, Domiciliary Care Allowance, Blind Welfare Allowance, Foster Care Allowance, Higher Level Education grants is not assessable. Rehabilitative employment (up to €165 per week) is also not assessable.
In the case of the person concerned, an application for Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance was received from her spouse. The weekly means of the household were assessed as €1,213.13, which included a deduction of employee PRSI of €54.06 per week and a travel allowance of €20.00 per week. This is over the appropriate weekly means limit for a family with 4 eligible children of €960.70. As a result, the application was disallowed.
Applications which fall outside the normal rules of the scheme may be considered for an Additional Needs Payment under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme by the Community Welfare Service, where any exceptional expenditure or outgoings will be taken into consideration.
Any person who considers they may have an entitlement to an Additional Needs Payment is encouraged to contact their local Community Welfare Service. There is a National Community Welfare Service Contact Centre in place – 0818-607080 – which will direct callers to the appropriate office.
Any proposed changes to the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance scheme would have to be considered in a wider budgetary context and within the scope of the overall resources available for welfare improvements.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.