Budget 2023

Budget 2023 provides almost €2.2 billion in a package of measures that will assist people with the cost of living.

October 2022

• Autumn cost of living double payment will be paid to most people who get a weekly social welfare payment including all pensioners, carers and people on disability payments

November 2022

• €400 cost of living lump sum Fuel Allowance payment to all households getting the Fuel Allowance
• €200 cost of living lump sum payment for pensioners and people with a disability getting the Living Alone Increase
• €500 cost of living lump sum payment to all families getting the Working Family Payment
• double payment of Child Benefit to support all families with children
• €500 cost of living lump sum payment for people getting Carer's Support Grant will be paid in November
• €500 cost of living lump sum disability support grant will be paid to all people getting a long term disability payment

December 2022

• Christmas Bonus double payment will be paid to 1.3 million welfare recipients including pensioners, carer’s and people with disabilities

Lump sum payment dates

The payment dates for each of the lump sum supports are outlined below:

• from January 2023 there will be a €12 increase in the maximum weekly rate of all state pensions. There will be proportionate increases for qualified adults and for people getting a reduced rate
• a new allowable means threshold for the Fuel Allowance will be introduced for people aged 70 years and over. The allowable means will be €500 per week for a single person and €1,000 per week for a couple.
• the weekly allowable means threshold for the Fuel Allowance for those aged under 70 will be increased by €80 per week, from €120 to €200 above the appropriate weekly rate of State Pension (Contributory)
• Autumn cost of living double pension payment paid to all pensioners in October
• €200 cost of living lump sum payment paid in November to people who are getting a Living Alone Increase
• Christmas Bonus double payment in December

• double payment of Child Benefit to support all families in November
• €500 cost of living lump sum payment paid to all families getting the Working Family Payment in November
• the income thresholds for the Working Family Payment will be extended from January 2023 so that more families qualify for this payment. Working Family Payment threshold will increase by €40 per week regardless of family size
• qualified child payments in weekly rates will increase by €2 in January 2023 bringing them to €50 for over 12s and €42 for under 12s
• farming families – changes to Farm Assist means test from January 2023 to exempt income from Agri-Environmental Schemes up to €5,000
• €12 increase in Maternity Benefit, Paternity Benefit, Adoptive Benefit and Parent's Benefit from January 2023
• means assessment threshold for Fuel Allowance increases from €120 to €200 from January 2023
• €20 million increase in School Meals budget year on year to allow for continued expansion of the scheme

• cost of living double payment to carers in October
• €500 cost of living lump sum payment for people getting Carer's Support Grant will be paid in November
• carers will also get the Christmas Bonus double payment in early December
• from January 2023 there will be a €12 increase in the maximum rate of the Carer's Allowance and Carer's Benefit. There will be proportionate increases for people getting a reduced rate
• qualified child payments in weekly rates will increase by €2 in January 2023 bringing them to €50 for over 12s and €42 for under 12s
• means assessment threshold for Fuel Allowance increases from €120 to €200 from January 2023
• half-rate Carer's Allowance will be disregarded in the means assessment for Fuel Allowance from January 2023

• Cost of living double payment paid to people getting Disability Allowance,Invalidity Pension, Blind Pension, Disablement Benefit and Partial Capacity Benefit
• €500 cost of living lump sum disability support grant will be paid in November. This will be paid to people getting a long term Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension and Blind Pension
• €200 cost of living lump sum payment for people getting a disability payment and who receive the Living Alone Increase
• €400 cost of living lump sum Fuel Allowance payment
• Christmas Bonus double payment to all persons getting a long term disability payment
• Domiciliary Care Allowance will increase by €20.50 to €330 per month from January 2023
• from January 2023 there will be an increase of €12 in maximum personal rate of weekly disability payments. There will be proportionate increases for qualified adults and for people getting a reduced rate
• Domiciliary Care Allowance will be available in respect of children with severe illness or disability who remain in hospital for up to six months after birth
• Disablement Benefit will be disregarded in the means assessment for Fuel Allowance from January 2023
• €1 million expansion of the Reasonable Accommodation Fund to support people with disabilities in the workplace
• the earnings disregard for Disability Allowance and Blind Pension will increase from €140 to €165 from January 2023
• means assessment threshold for Fuel Allowance increases from €120 to €200 from January 2023

• Autumn cost of living double payment paid to all One-Parent Family Payment recipients
• €500 cost of living lump sum payment to all lone parents getting Working Family Payment
• €400 cost of living lump sum payment to one parent families in receipt of Fuel Allowance
• double payment of Child Benefit (€280 per child) for all lone parents
• Christmas Bonus double payment to all One-Parent Family recipients
• from January 2023 there will be an increase of €12 in maximum personal weekly rate of One-Parent Family Payment. There will be proportionate increases for people getting a reduced rate
• qualified child payments will increase by €2 in January 2023 bringing them to €50 for over 12s and €42 for under 12s

• from January 2023 there will be an increase of €12 in maximum personal weekly rate of jobseekers payments. There will be proportionate increases for qualified adults and for people getting a reduced rate
• qualified child payments will increase by €2 in January 2023 bringing them to €50 for over 12s and €42 for under 12s
• Autumn cost of living double payment paid to all recipients of jobseekers’ payments, to be paid in October 2022
• Christmas Bonus double payment to all people getting a long term jobseeker payment

€293.7 million to be paid to 1.27 million long term welfare recipients in December 2022.

This year’s Christmas Bonus has been extended to those who have been getting Illness Benefit for 12 months or longer. If you are a long term Illness Benefit recipient, you will receive your Christmas Bonus between Tuesday 6 December 2022 and Friday 23 December 2022.

People who are getting the following payments will get the bonus:

• Back to Work Enterprise Allowance
• Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds
• Blind Pension
• Carer's Allowance
• Carer's Benefit
• Community Employment
• Daily Expenses Allowance (long term)
• Deserted Wife's Allowance
• Deserted Wife's Benefit
• Disability Allowance
• Disablement Benefit
• Domiciliary Care Allowance
• Farm Assist
• Guardian's Payment
• Illness Benefit (long term)
• Invalidity Pension
• Jobseeker's Transitional Payment
• Jobseeker's Allowance (long term)
• Magdalen Commission Scheme
• One-Parent Family Payment
• Partial Capacity Benefit
• Rural Social Scheme
• State Pension (Contributory)
• State Pension (Non-contributory)
• Supplementary Welfare Allowance (long term)
• Tús (community work placement initiative)
• Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Contributory) Pension
• Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Non-contributory) Pension