Minister Humphreys announces details of the first ever January Bonus
- Published on: 29 January 2024
- Last updated on: 15 April 2025
- 1.3 million people to receive a Double Lump Sum Payment this week
- €342 million package to support our pensioners, carers, people with disabilities, lone parents and low income families
- January Bonus is the ninth lump sum payment secured under Budget 2024
- Minister Humphreys: This is about supporting households and putting more money back in your pocket
The Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys has today announced the details of the January Bonus, which will support 1.3 million people with the cost of living.
Over the course of this week, a Double Lump Sum Payment will be issued to the likes of our pensioners, carers, people with disabilities, lone parents and low income families.
The January Bonus is the ninth lump sum payment secured by Minister Humphreys under Budget 2024.
It will be paid on the same basis as the Christmas Bonus and will include the core weekly rate increases that came into effect at the start of the year.
Announcing the details of the double payment today, Minister Humphreys said:
“Over the past two and a half years, this government has rolled out unprecedented financial supports to help families and households to deal with the cost of living.
“And I’m pleased that this week, those supports will continue through the January Bonus.
“This will see a double lump sum weekly payment being made to support 1.3 million people – the likes of our pensioners, carers, people with disabilities, lone parents and low income families.
“This is about putting more money back into your pocket and recognising that families continue to feel the pinch, particularly after the Christmas period.”
The Social Protection package in Budget 2024 was the largest in the history of the State and assisted pensioners, carers, people with disabilities, and families with the cost of living through a mix of lump sum supports and increases to weekly payments.
In addition to this series of lump-sum payments, Minister Humphreys also secured across-the-board welfare increases of €12 per week from January 2024, and a range of targeted measures to take effect throughout 2024.
These full list of Budget 2024 Social Protection measures is available at gov.ie/DSPBudget2024.
Notes
The double payment is automatically paid - people do not need to apply.
The list of payments that are eligible for the January Bonus is available.
January Bonus recipient numbers by scheme
| Scheme | Approximate recipient numbers |
| State Pension Non-Contributory | 98,186 |
| Jobseeker's Allowance* | 116,350 |
| One Parent Family Payment | 43,606 |
| Widow(er)s' Pension (non-contributory) | 1,060 |
| Supplementary Welfare Allowance* | 3,125 |
| Daily Expenses Allowance* | 6,641 |
| Farm Assist | 4,299 |
| Community Employment | 18,710 |
| Rural Social Scheme | 2,802 |
| Job Initiative | 384 |
| TUS | 4,625 |
| Back to Work Enterprise Allowance | 2,520 |
| Back to Education Allowance* | 2,103 |
| Back to Work Family Dividend | 2,753 |
| Work Placement Experience Programme | 174 |
| Disability Allowance | 158,150 |
| Blind Pension | 992 |
| Carer's Allowance | 92,840 |
| Domiciliary Care Allowance | 52,125 |
| Guardian's Payment (non-con) | 575 |
| Magdalen Commission Scheme | 694 |
| State Pension (Contributory) | 510,350 |
| Widow(er)s' Surviving Civil Partners Pension (Con) | 124,900 |
| Occupational Injuries Death Benefit | 696 |
| Deserted Wife's Benefit | 4,460 |
| Partial Capacity Benefit | 3,026 |
| Invalidity Pension | 55,169 |
| Disablement Benefit | 13,680 |
| Illness Benefit* | 16,343 |
| Carer's Benefit | 3,757 |
| Guardian's Payment (Contributory) | 1,155 |
- 12 months duration on eligible social welfare payment or scheme is required in order to be eligible for Bonus.
County breakdown of recipients of the January Bonus
| County | Approximate number of recipients of the January Bonus | |
| Carlow | 18,559 | |
| Cavan | 20,812 | |
| Clare | 34,644 | |
| Cork | 145,216 | |
| Donegal | 51,226 | |
| Dublin | 317,445 | |
| Galway | 66,287 | |
| Kerry | 46,717 | |
| Kildare | 50,538 | |
| Kilkenny | 25,983 | |
| Laois | 22,219 | |
| Leitrim | 11,010 | |
| Limerick | 59,305 | |
| Longford | 13,602 | |
| Louth | 37,753 | |
| Mayo | 41,695 | |
| Meath | 44,882 | |
| Monaghan | 17,031 | |
| Offaly | 23,156 | |
| Roscommon | 20,056 | |
| Sligo | 20,559 | |
| Tipperary | 50,133 | |
| Waterford | 35,606 | |
| Westmeath | 26,469 | |
| Wexford | 47,871 | |
| Wicklow | 38,148 |