Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds

Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds is a payment for people aged 65 who have ceased employment or self-employment and who satisfy the pay-related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions.

Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds may be paid from the date of your 65th birthday until the date of your 66th birthday as long as you continue to satisfy the conditions for this payment.

Identity verification

To apply for Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds you must have authenticated your identity to SAFE Level 2 before the claim can be paid.

This means that we must have established and verified your identity to a satisfactory level.

This applies to both online and paper Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds applications.

If you are already verified at SAFE Level 2, you will be able to access online services through your verified MyGovID account.

To get to SAFE Level 2, you must attend your local Intreo Centre or Social Welfare Branch Office to complete your registration. Once you have completed the SAFE Level 2 registration process, you may get your account verified. This will give you access to all online services through your MyGovID account which includes applying for a jobseeker’s payment.

To qualify for Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds, you must:

• be 65 years of age
• have ceased employment/self-employment
• be resident in the Republic of Ireland
• satisfy the PRSI contribution conditions below:

If you were in insurable employment, you must:

have paid at least 104 PRSI insurable employment contributions at Class A, Class H or Class P

OR

have paid at least 156 PRSI self-employment contributions at Class S

AND

Have paid at least 39 PRSI contributions at Class A or H or have credited contributions in the governing contribution year. At least 13 of these contributions must be paid from employment in the governing contribution year, the two years before this, the last year or the current tax year.

OR

26 PRSI contributions paid in the governing contribution year and 26 paid in the year immediately before this.

The Governing Contribution Year (GCY) is the second last complete tax year, for example, for a claim in 2025 the second last complete tax year is 2023.

If you were self-employed you must:

have paid at least 156 PRSI self-employment contributions at Class S

OR

have paid at least 104 PRSI insurable employment contributions at Class A, H or P

AND

have paid 52 PRSI self-employment contributions at Class S in the governing contribution year.

For full details on qualifying conditions, including how Approved Retirement Funds are treated, see the Operational Guidelines: Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds.

The maximum rate of payment of Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds is payable to all customers. Graduated rates do not apply. Similarly, if you are entitled to an increase for a qualified adult, the maximum Increase for a Qualified Adult is payable. Tapered IQA rates continue to apply where the qualified adult has income from employment, self-employment, capital, investments, and so on.

The current rates are as follows:

You will be entitled to the full maximum rate for a qualified adult if they are not in employment or self-employment. However, if they have means from employment or self-employment, a tapered qualified adult increase will apply. For rates please check SW19.

You may get a child support payment for any qualified children you may have.

A qualified child is a child who resides with you and is under 18 years or is between 18 and 22 years in full-time education.

Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds

If you are receiving this payment, you:

• are no longer required to be available for full time work
• are no longer required to look for employment
• are no longer required to sign on
• can participate in a course of education, once you inform the Department
• can continue in subsidiary employment

Subsidiary employment is work that could have been done while you were in full-time employment and outside your normal working hours. For example, you may work a full-time job during the day and have a part-time job in the evening. The part-time job is known as subsidiary employment if you were able to do the part-time work without it affecting your full-time job for a period of at least 6 months.

Absence From the State

You will not qualify for Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds if you are absent from the state, unless the following exception applies to you:

If you are in receipt of Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds, you may be temporarily absent from the State for longer than 2 weeks in a calendar year.

However, the absence must be temporary, and you must not engage in gainful employment or self-employment while absent from the State.

You can be absent from the State on a temporary basis for any duration during the lifetime of your claim. This includes your qualified adult. You are required to inform the Department of your intention to leave the State and you must give an approximate return date.

The UP30b – Absent from the State form, must be completed but payment may continue to issue to you for the duration of your absence.

Rental disregard

A statutory rental disregard of up to €269.23 per week (€14,000 per year) applies where an increase for a qualified adult is paid, in respect of rental income from renting out a room(s) in your home to someone who is not an employee or an immediate family member. See Increase for a Qualified Adult Operational Guidelines for more details.

Apply online

If you have a verified MyGovID account you can apply online on MyWelfare.ie.

If you have a basic MyGovID account, and a Public Services Card you can verify your account on MyGovID.ie.

If you cannot apply online

You can apply for Benefit Payment for 65 Year olds by completing a paper application form. You can do this by contacting your local Intreo Centre or Branch Office and they will request an application form to be posted to you. Or you can email us directly to request a form be posted out to you. Please email BP65forms@welfare.ie and include your full name and address, please specify that you wish to receive an application form for Benefit Payment for 65 Year olds.

Appeals

You can appeal a decision if you are unhappy with it. You should appeal within 21 days of the decision and you can ask for an oral hearing.

The easiest and quickest way to make your appeal is online on www.MyWelfare.ie. All you need is a verified MyGovID account. You can get a verified MyGovID account if you have a Public Services Card, a verified mobile phone number and an email address.

An appeals officer, whose decision is final, will then decide your case. Some cases can be decided without an oral hearing.

If new information comes to light or your circumstances change, you can apply for Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds again.

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Support

Should you require further support please contact the department’s Income Support Helpline.

Operational guidelines describe the processes and procedures that staff in the department follow when carrying out their work.

• Operational Guidelines: Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds
• Operational Guidelines: Payment-related issues