Means Assessment (SWA)

The following is a brief summary of how means are assessed for the listed SWA payments. The effective Guidelines used in the calculation of means are those issued to the department’s representatives.

• Basic SWA payments
• Supplements, for example Rent or Mortgage, Diet, special heating needs

• chapter 9 of Part 3 and Chapter 3 of Part 10 of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 2005 (as amended)
• Part IV of the Third Schedule of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act 2005 - Rules as to calculation of means
• Social Welfare (Consolidated Supplementary Welfare Allowance) Regulations 2007 (as amended)

Note - The assessment of means outlined below does not apply to Additional Needs Payment (excluding supplements). For these payments, if the customer has financial resources from any income source to meet the need, it would be expected that the customer provides for the need from that source.

• income from employment or self-employment
• income from DSP or HSE payments
• the capital value of property, other than the claimant's own home
• the value of any investments or savings (capital)
• all income and the value of all property of which the claimant deprived himself or herself in order to qualify for SWA
• income in cash, for example spousal maintenance payments
• benefit and Privilege for person's aged under 25

Subject to certain conditions, a claimant may work up to 30 hours per week in insurable employment and still qualify for SWA.

Gross income less PRSI and reasonable travel expenses are taken into account for the means test.

Other necessary expenses may be allowed in the case of self-employment.

Section 35 of Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2007 provides for an amendment in the manner that capital is assessed for the Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme.

Property or Savings will be assessed on a weekly basis as follows:

• disregard first € 5,000 of capital value of property or savings
• assess next € 10,000 @ € 1 per € 1,000
• assess next € 25,000 @ € 2 per € 1,000
• assess remaining capital over € 40,000 @ € 4 per € 1,000

In general the following items are not counted in the means test for Basic SWA and supplements:

• Child Benefit, including equivalent payments from other EU countries
• Domiciliary Care Allowance
• Guardian's Payment (Contributory or Non-Contributory)
• Carer's Support Grant
• Fuel Allowance
• Tusla Foster Care Allowance
• payments received from Tusla - the Child and Family Agency for accommodating children under the Child Care Act
• income from providing accommodation to students studying Irish in Gaeltacht areas
• income from recognised non-profit making charitable organisations
• the maintenance grant provided under the Student Grant Scheme
• the first €165 of weekly earnings for claimants of Disability Allowance and Blind Persons Pension who benefit from an income disregard on their primary payment (applies to certain SWA supplements)
• Health Service Executive (HSE) Mobility Allowance
• Health Service Executive (HSE) training allowance while in Rehabilitative Training
• Health Service Executive (HSE) Blind Welfare Allowance
• Health Service Executive (HSE) payments for persons boarded out
• payments made by Sport Ireland under the International Carding Scheme
• payments under the 1916 Bursary Fund from the Department of Education
• payments made under Túsla Educational Support for Children in Care and Aftercare Bursary scheme
• Consumer Directed Home Support (CDHS)
• scholarship payment to a maximum of €7,000 per annum paid by UCD’s Cothrom na Féine Scholarship Programme
• any allowance under the Home Tuition Scheme administered by the Department of Education
• Uversity payments made under the Higher Education Scholarships for Adult Learners of up to €7,000 per year
• payments under the Department of Education's school transport scheme for children with special educational needs
• payments made from the KickStart Scholarship Fund administered by the Probation Service
• income derived from the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme in accordance with the Victims’ Payments Regulations 2020
• disregard of the Accommodation Recognition Payment of €800 per month received for hosting temporary protection beneficiaries who are not in receipt of a housing support payment from the department
• a rental income disregard of up to a maximum of €269.23 per week to an owner-occupier’s means assessment, where the room(s) is rented as living accommodation for at least 28 consecutive days to person(s) other than immediate family members or employees This disregard applies to the residence of a person who moves out of their home under the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, (alternatively known as Fair Deal), and the residence of a Local Authority tenant who rents out a room to a student under the "Room for a Student — Local Authority Scheme"
• maintenance payments paid in respect of children
• an amount up to a maximum of €7,000 per annum from payments made by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science’s Student Accommodation Assistance Fund
• an amount up to a maximum of €7,000 per annum from payments made by Co-operative Housing Ireland’s Scholarship Programme.

The following payments are also not taken into account for Rent Supplement and Other Supplement (formerly Mortgage Interest Supplement)

• Living Alone Allowance
• Back to Work Family Dividend
• Half Rate Carer’s Allowance

The following compensation awards, together with any subsequent income from the investment of that money are excluded for all SWA payments:

• by various compensation tribunals and the courts for people who have contracted Hepatitis C and/or HIV
• by the Residential Institutions Redress Board
• to persons who have disabilities caused by Thalidomide
• awards paid to women following the publication of the Magdalen Commission Report
• payments made under the Nursing Home Repayments scheme from the HSE for repayment of overcharged fees
• payments awarded by the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board
• payments awarded under the Symphysiotomy ex Gratia Scheme
• payments awarded under the Lourdes Hospital Redress Scheme 2007
• payments awarded under the Lourdes Hospital Payment Scheme
• payments awarded under the Stardust Victim's Compensation Scheme
• ex gratia payments proposed by the Scoping Inquiry into the CervicalCheck Screening Programme
• payments under the package of support measures set up in 2018 for women diagnosed with cervical cancer since 2008
• payments made by the Northern Ireland Victim and Survivor Service (VSS) in accordance with the Victims and Survivors (Northern Ireland) Order 2006
• payments for persons who suffered harm whilst in the care of Kerry Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS)
• payments made under the Stardust Redress Scheme 2024
• any payment made under the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme, established under section 5 of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Act 2023 (No. 20 of 2023).
• any payment made under the scheme operated by the State Claims Agency, known as the ‘Ex gratia scheme – Implementation of the ECtHR (European Court of Human Rights) Judgement in O’Keeffe v Ireland’